Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-02-05
Hereditary Insanity Alleged in
Justification of Killing of
Stanford White by Young
PittSburg Millionaire.
PRISONER MAD, HIS
RELATIVES WILL TESTIFY
Prosecution Presents Case in
Plain Unconditional Story of
Shooting on Madison Square
Garden Roof.
IBy Morning journal sOsclal I.a.sd wir.I

tBy Morning Journal SDecIaI Ieaaed Wire !
! New York, Feb, 4.-The state laid
/ IFS case against Harry X. fhaw ia
( day--a plain, Unconditional story Of
! the shooting os the Madison Suunre
| Garden roof. The defense replied
! with a,plea of hereditary insanity. II
! was asserted that Thaw. in slaying
Stanford White. believed he was act
ing as an agent Of providence: that
real or fancied wrongs committed
against him BY the architect and for-
mer friend Of his wife had caused the
flmpulse To Kill When the deed was
done Thaw made no nave To escune
its consequences but. holding the fo-
tai revolver aloft he stood, as IL
mutely proclaimed to the world "The
deed Is done 1t was right; It was not
wrong"
Thus Thaws counsel outlined his
case to the Jury this afternoon after
the prosecution had occupied loss
than two hours Of the morning sitting
OF the court in relating through eye-
witnesses the narrative Of the trag-
.edN Tomorrow morning the first
witness in Thaws behalf will be
heard
You will hear the story Of this
mans insanity" Attorney John Il.
Gleason, for the defense, promised the
jury, from this mother. from his
wife from his relatives ana from his
physicians You viii Judge him by
his acts by the heredity and stress
w1ifh entered into his madness. ana
Wffe1 Nnu cofne 10 fudge him vou will
say To yourself that hia net may have
been one of insanity, but It was not
one of crime
That Thaw's wife was to be one OF
his important witnesses has long been
Known that his mother, Mrs William
Thaw, of Pittshurg was to take the
stand only became known today when
the court announced the rule exclud-
ing from the court room al witnesses
save eXperts. Thaw's mother. his
Wife and MAY Mackenzie left at the
word of command Thaw seemed de-
iected at this. Many times last week
during the dull DAYS Of jury selection
he turned to his wife for comfort and
found her ever ready with q quick. re-
snonsive smile. Now that the serious
work of the trial was to begin. he
was To he denied her presence.
During the opening address by MIR.
Gleason. Thaw seldom looked up. Just
y fleeting glance now and then at The
man who was making the initial plea
for his life and freedom.
AT one other time during the ses-
sion Thaw did not look up. This was
when Lawrence White, the nineteen
year-old son of stanford White. occu-
pied the stand as the first witness for
the prosecution.
Young White. who Is u Harvard
student, said he was with his father
at dinner the evening OF the tragedy.
but left him before he went 10 Madi-
son Square Garden.
Thaw's counsel told the story Of
the prisoners love for the girl he was
to make his wife. He met Evelyn
Nesbit in 1901. and there and then
began in him an honorable love and
regard for the girl He told her
mother of his love. The girl was IN
precarlous condition following a Sc
rious operation In sanitarium, and
Thaw suggested to the mother that
she take her abroad to recuperate. It
was arranged that Thaw should ac-
company the two as the open and
avOwed sultor Of the daughter In
1903 he asked her to marry him. and
she refused
"The reason for this refusal you
VIII hear from her lips" announced
Mr. Gleason. Suffice t. to say, the
reason had TO do with an incident IN
her life with reference to Stanford
White"
Thus laying the ground for the
plea of insanity. Mr. Gleason declar-
ed brain disease had laid hold Of
Thaw three or four years ago. II was
claimed there have been many cases
where person had been pronounced
insane upon one subject only He
cited Instances Of temporary insanity
based upon a single act
1--WE will not base our plea. how
ever. upon single act" he added.
III win be shown that iheIa was in-
sanity on both sides of this defend
ants family. Our case Is far removed
from the much discussed defense of
emotional insanity. You must disabuse
your minds of all you have read in
the newspapers. and especially of the
idea that has gone abroad that We
are to rely upon some higher or un-
written law We rely upon the con-
stitutlon and the laws of the imperial
state OF New York and upon them
alone You will understand this mans
insanity II will not require experts
to tell YOU of It. II s within you
to Judge him. and You win say from
the evidence that when he killed
stanford White he was an insane
man
Il was announced that Thaw lab
ored under the delusion that his life
was always in danger when he was in
New York This accounted for the
fact that since January. 1904. he had
carried a pistol He had placed Il In
his overeoat pocket the night he went
to the Madison Square Roof Garden.
There he turned suddenly and saw
what he thought Was demon glow
erng ht him. The impulse came. lie
felt that to XIII White would be an
act 81 providence, and SO believing he
spt deliberately about his fnak