Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-19
WAR ON THE EXPERTS
Jerome Continues His Examina.
ton in ThaW Case.
MORE ON BRAIN STORM
One Witness Declares the Term Was
Good One.
DEFENDANT WAS NOT RATIONAL
His Actions on Roof Garden Before
Shooting Indicated as Much,
It Was Stated.
DEFENDANT WAS NOT RATIONAL
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, March I9.-Another pro-
longed tussle between District Attorney
jerome and insanity experts was the or
der of things today at the trial of Harry
X Thaw. The expert who was on the
stand at the morning session was DR..
Smith Ely Jelliffe. 1t had been expected
| that. Mr. Jerome's cross examination of DR..
Jelliffe and another expert who is yet TO
be called by the defense, would be brief,
but the fight with the witnesses con-
tinued today, the indica atoms that all the
| testimony would be in for both sides by
tonight were not so bright. The cross-cx-
animation of DR.. Jeliffe was finished just
before the recess was taken and Mr..
Delmas said that he had some more ques-
lions to ask him before he could let him
go. Most of the district attorneys efforts
were directed this morning to the classify
ing of Thaws mental condition at the time
he shot White.
Dr. Jelliffe insisted that while there was
sufficient in the hypothetical question on
which to base an opinion that Thaw was
not in his right mind there was not suffi-
| cient information on which to base spe-
cifc diagnosis The nearest that Mr.. Je-
| rome got to pnning the witness down TO a
classification when DIR. Jeliffe said that
Thaw might have been in an acute par
anOic state. He also said that Thaw's case
| resembled chat of a young woman of whom
an authority on mental diseases had
written.
Conversation Was Incoherent.
This woman had been suffering from "a
mild and recoverable chronic paranoia,'
the expert said. The expert said that in
this state the victim of the mental dis
order might have a recollection of his act.
| Mr. Jerome wanted to know if the testi-
mony of James Clinch Smith as to how
Thaw acted on the roof garden before the
shooting did not show that Whites slayer
was sane.
| The expert testified that the conversation
| which Mr.. Smith narrated was incoherent-
| DR.. Jelffe was rather combatant on the
| stand and there were several warm pas
| sages at arms between him and the dis
| trict attorney.
| Mr.. Jerome wanted to know If DR.. Jelliffe
| had ever heard of a brain storm. The ex-
pert said he had never heard the expression
| before, but that 1t was a very appropriate
| term to apply to a sudden outbreak which
| might come in the course of insanity.
Thaw's lawyers were non-commital to-
day as ever as to whether or not they would
| again call young Mrs. Thaw to refute the
story of the Hummel affidavit The young
| woman was in the criminal courts building
today, as was also Thaw's mother. 1t has
| not been the custom for the elder Mrs.
| Thaw to come down town stormy days
unless she is needed in her sons behalf.
| so there was some speculation as to just
| what her presence today meant.
| Unless all signs fail, today will the
completion of the evidence in the long,
| drawn out Thaw trial, and on Friday the
| case will go to the jury after nine full
| weeks before the court. Four more medical
experts will be called to the stand today
| by the defense, DR.. Charles w. Pilgrim,
superintendent of the insane hospital at
Poughkeepsie, DR.. Mnas Gregory, super
Bellevue Hospital; DR.. Brtton d. Evans.
and Dr. Charles G. Wagner, the two latter
having already testified for the defense.
Each will be asked, basing his answer on
the district attorneys hypothetical ques-
ton. whether in his opinion Thaw, when
he shot White, knew the nature and quail
ity of his act and knew that it was wrong.
A negative is expected from each. Mr..
| Jerome's cross-examination will probably
be BRIEF and there is little doubt that all
| the evidence in the case will be in before
court adjourns tonight.
| Mrs. Thaw Not to Testify Again.
| Thaw's attorney stated last night that
| Evelyn Nesbit Thaw would not be recalled
| to the witness stand The only thing she
| could do would be to again deny that she
told Hummel that she had been beaten by
| Thaw and deny again that she knew what
was in the famous affidavit when she
| signed it. 1t is not believed that this
| would be of any value to the defense, as
she has already told all her side of the
story.
Under the agreement each side will take
| one day for the summing up. If the case
| is finished today Mr.. Delmas will begin
his address to the jury on Wednesday
I morning, and Mr.. Jerome will begin Thurs
day morning 1t is probable that Justice
Fitzgerald will charge the jury the follow
ing morning and the case should go to the
Jury by noon Friday.
Mr.. Delmas' Plea.
Mr.. Delmas In his address to the jury will
urge the acquittal of Thaw the theory
that he was temporarily insane at the time
he killed White. He will argue that the
defense has shown beyond doubt that
Tha ME mind was unhin1ed nv the STORY