The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-04-03
THAW'S SANITY REPORT
WILL BE READY TOMORROW
CONTINUED FROM PAGE H.


could say from his many talks with
District Attorney jerome why it was the
change came came over the prosecutions
course. causing switch from trial of
murder to d commission in lunacy.
Il can't read my Jerome's hand said
the witness.
Mr.. Jerome wanted to know if his tes-
timnov was desired
NO we are not trying you as to your
sanity yet
DR.. Austin Flint, one of the allenists
who testified for the prosecution was
called to the stand after the recess. He
said he had seen Thaw every day of
the trial and had examined his writings
and it was his opinion that Thaw today
lis incapable of understanding the
charges against him and incapable of adj
vsng counsel. Asked what form of in
sanity Thaw is suffering from, DR.. Flint
said:
1T is paranoia, with original decisions
of persecution, now passing into delu-
sions of grandeur
On further questioning Dr. Flint said
Thaw's release would be dangerous to
any one on whom the decisions might
center.
On cross examination by Mr.. Hartridge
DR. Flint said that If it was shown that
Thaw has no decisions whatever, at this
Time lie would say he was in one of the
periods of remission eharac teristic of
paranoia.
You answered a Hypothetical question
by the district attorney to the effect that
Thaw was sane enough to know the
nature and quality of his act when he
killed White, didn't your asked Mr..
Hartridge
'Yes.'
And few days later you signed an
affidavit for the district attorney saying
that Thaw was so insane as not to
know the nature of the proceedings
against him, did you not?'
Yes
THAT'S all"
Thaw's Suggestions.
Mr.. Jerome here produced twenty or
more pages of memoranda which it de-
veloped were suggestions made by Thaw
to Mr.. Delmas for his summing up adj
dress to the jury. These had been gone
over thoroughly in the secret session, dur
ing Thaw's examination. That had
pasted numerous clippings from newspa-
pers on large sheets and written COM
ments upon them. One was a quotation
from a speech of President Roosevelt in
which a reference was made to the helm
these be used in the summing up.
after DR.. Flyint had examined the
memoranda he said they had an indie
pendent bearing upon his opinion that
Thaw is now insane.
DIR. Flint declared that Thaw's manner
in court was that of an insane man.
Describe it," commanded Mr.. Mcclure.
well, he came into court day after day
with a self satisfied and dominant air,
x,vI.t to-. t.,,I .1@l
and which was not consistent in a sane
man on trial for his life He had an in
sane aspect, which is impossible to de-
SCRIBE
DIR. Flint admitted that Thaw probably
knew he was on trial for murder in the
first degree; that The knew that the PEN
atty was death and that the jury was TO
judge him, but it was not rational
knowledge. DR.. Flint explained that
Thaw was insane from the point of
view of the alienists when he shot and
killed Stanford White, but not insane in
the language of the penal code
DR.. Matson.
DR.. William Matson, another of the
states allenists, who followed DIR. Flint
on the stand declared 1t to be his opinion
from all the facts before him that Thaw
was incapable of understanding the pro-
ceedings against him or of nationally adj
visng his counsel.
You are the head of a large institution
for the insane, are you not?" asked Mr..
Hartridge, on cross-examination.
Yes"
"Would you commit a person to that
institution without an examination"
81 would not
'Have you ever examined this defend
anti"
mo"
DIR. William Hirsch, also employed by
the district attorneys office as an alenist,
stated to the commission his opinion that
Thaw is suffering from an incurable form
of paranoia.
DR.. Albert Warren Ferris and DIR. Will
liam B. Pritchard, two more alienists of
the district attorneys staff, testified that
Thaw, in their opinion, is in such a state
of lunacy as to be incapable of rightly
understanding his own condition, of APP
preciating the nature of the charges
against him, or of nationally conducting
his defense.
DIR. Charles W. Pilgrim. chairman of the
state board of lunaey who testified for
the defense at Thaws trial, was called
by Mr.. Jerome. The district attorney said
he did not call DR.. Pilgrim as his wit
ness, but had him summoned in case the
commission desired his testimony. DIR.
Pilgrim said he had answered a hypo-
thetical question for the defense. based
his opinion entirely upon the facts stated
therein. His observation of Thaw in
court did not enable him to form an opin-
ion as to the defendants present state of
mind.
DIR. Putzel, the medical member of the
Thaw commission. conferred privately
with DIR. Pilgrim for several minutes be
fore the witness was excused.
DIR. Minas S. Gregory, who also testi-
fed for the defense, was called by Mr..
Jerome. DR.. Gregory also said that his
observations Of the defendant had not
been sufficient to enable him to reach a
conclusion as to Thaw's present condl-
ton.
DeImas on Stand.
On behalf of Thaw, Mr.. Hartridge
called DR.. Graeme NJ. Hammond, who was
consulting alienist for the defense
throughout the trial. He talked with
Thaw, he said, every day of the trial;
Thaw's comments on the trial were perth
nent and rational always
Mr.. Delmas took the stand late in the
afternoon to state that he had found
among the suggestions made to him by
Thaw for his summing up address many
valuable points.
...Axx Low t.,af ne h.