Mower County transcript., 1907-03-13
in HER so Ms BEH A. LF
MOTHER OF HARRY THAW TEs.
. TiFlEs in MURDER TRIAL II
rs s55{E, q .ia zsS 5E5
AT NEW YORK. "

Examination Of Witness Limited to
I the Changes She Had Noted in the
Defendants Condition Following His
Return From Paris in 1908 After.
Evelyn Nesbit Had Told Him the
Story Of Her Life.
New York, March 7.7-Another dra-
matte chapter was added to the trial
| of Harry K. Thaw for the murder OF
Stanford White when the mother OF
| the defendant took the witness stand
to contribute what she might toward
saving her son. Mrs, Thaw's stay be-
fore the jury was brief Mr.. Delmas
limited her examination to the change
| she had noted in her sons condition
following his return from Paris in
1903, after Evelyn. Nesbit had told
him her life story, and the district at
torney conducted a short and ineffect-
ual cross-examination. %.@s::s 49,: -.
Twice during her recital of the
events which had caused her to fear
that all was not right with her son,
I Mrs. >Thaw was unable to proceed. Her
face flushed, she made an effort to
speak, but the words would not come.
After a few moments, Justice Fitzger-
! aid asked if she felt able to proceed
and Mrs. Thaw, evidently much cha
grined that her grief had overcome
her, nodded in the affirmative. She;
fort once. more to proceed, but failed.
Justice Fitzgerald then interposed a
relief for which the elderly woman
must have been deeply grateful. He
said that as many Of the witness
remarks had been uttered In very
low voice it would be necessary to
| have the stenographer read all her
When the reading was ended Mrs.
Thaw had regained her composure and
was able to proceed.
| She said that when Harry came
home in 1903 he seemed depressed and
apparently had lost interest in life. He
passed sleepless nights, would often
leave the table at meals and go into
the parlor to play upon the piano, the
music growing softer and softer until
it finally died away. She told in a
motherly way of her solicltude for the
boy. -.
Wicked Man Ruined His Life.
"He told me wicked man-prob-
ably the wicledest man in all New
York-had ruined his life"
E It was not until some time after he,
had offered this explanation that she
learned the story of the. young woman
who was to become her daughter-in-
law.
Mrs. Thaw told of her son breaking
down at church in Pittsburg because
the young woman he loved could not
I.be at his side. Mrs. Thaw told of
coming to New York to meet Evelyn
Nesbit and Of giving her consent to
her sons marriage-the one condition
being that the girls past life in New
York should be a closed book. Then
came the story of the marriage in
Pittsburg in April, 1905, the honey
, moon trip and then a happy, placid
summer at the mothers country home
in the mountains.
/ That was all. Mr. Delmas ended
her testimony abruptly. The district
attorney was taken by surprise and
began to cross examine Mrs. Thaw in
a very low voice. He asked the con-
ditions surrounding the increase in
her sons allowance, but Mr.. Delmas
objected. He asked what the sons
income ;, amounted to. Mrs. Thaw
said 1t was moderate and nothing like
the sum the newspapers have SO often
reported. Mr.. Jerome next trod upon
what he must have felt was thin ice
lest he put himself in the attitude of
attempting ito harass the pathetic fig
ure in black. He asked the mother
what she knew of her sons relations
4 with Miss Nesbit before she became
his wife. hi. s3>- ~ 1g1
i: Nothing she replied without hesi-
fancy. % ..s..t.=4 #s: s.. @ a.
DEFENSE RESTS ITS CASE.
Concludes Testimony in the Trial Of
.S=. . Harry Tt1aW. .. ... 5. -