Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-01-24
THAW SITS PALE AND silent.
Talesmen Are Rigidly Examined
on Their knowledge OF Case
and Functional Insanity"

New York, Jan. 23.-The curtain was
rung up today for another act in the
tragedy of real life known as the
Thaw- White case. The setting was rot
the gay all-night restaurants where the
principal actors in the tragedy once
were familiar figures. 1t was not the
roof garden crowded with summer re-
velers, who, on the night of the tragedy,
cljnked their glasses in rythm to the
dance music of the orchestra and listen
ed laughingly to the songs of the SOU
brette, and then were hushed into a
silence of horror as three pistol shots
cracked and noted architect lay dead
at the little round table where he had
been chatting with friends
The story of the play was brought
down to the grim court room scene
where II men arc to sit and render
Judgment which may mean either the
taking of another life. this time by the
state or a determination that Harry K.
Thaw was justified in the claim that he
shot the man who had ruined his
wife" There may be Il third decision,
that Thaw was insane at the time he
committed the crime-"emotional in
sanity" it was called today-but there
will be NJ opportunity to say that Thaw
il, now q lunatic.
Tho long awaited trial began this
morning. shortly before 1870 o'clock
ana when an adjournment today haG
| been taken at ) p. NJ. there were two
jurors in tie box sworn to well and
truly weight the evidence that will be
presented to them and render a verdict
with even-handed justice. A third
Juror had been accepted and sworn.
but he was excused in the closing mo-
ments Of the days session the reason
| for the action being Of q private ma
ture and not made public. Nineteen OF
the 200 taleSmcn who were summoned
were examined before the day closed.
Nearly all of them seemed anxious 70
serve and a very small percentage was
excused for causes. They were about
evenly divided between the prosecution
and the defence.
MI Jerome asked each talcSman III
turn if he would be Influenced by any
so-callcd unwritten law to the oXclu-
sion Of the actual laws Of the state rs
they would be laid down by Justice
| FITZGERALD. There was none to say Ee
would not accept the courts ruling Is
| TO all questions Of law whether tI@y
agreed with the law or not
On the question of insanity as an OK
cuse for crime, Mr.. Jerome explained T.
each talesman that the law excused
only those persons who were laboring
| under such a defective reason as MOI
| to know the nature or the quality 81
| the act committed. or ever to know that
| the act was wrong.
THAT is the law declared Mr.. Jsr-
ono. "Now would you import into, your
conclusion any imaginary form "f in
sanity you might have in mind CT that
might be suggested to you, to tie eX-
clusion of the law as it will be lai,
down to you by the court"
| Again the talcsmcn said in turn they
| would he guided solely by the court.
! Thaw's counsel entered objections
only to certain forms Of questions pro
pounded by Mr.. Jerome along this line
They declared they had no objection
to the question in principle. The usua
percentage of talesmen who declare