Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1907-03-07
EVANS ON STAND.
Director Of Insane Hospital Testi-
fes as to Harry Thaw's
! Mental Condition.
SOME FORMS OF INSANITY
jerome May Ask For Lunacy Commits
sIon-Howard Nesblt Expected to
Testify In Opposition to He
Sisters Statements.


New York, Feb. 28.-Interest in the
Thaw trial Wednesday centered In
the maneuvers Of District Attorney
Jerome. who seemed to give further
indication Of his purpose in the near
future to apply for a commission in
lunacy to report on the present con
dltion of the defendants mind.
The witness stand for the greater
part of the day was occupied by DR..
Britton D. Evans, director Of the New
Jersey hospital for the insane at Nor
risPlalns, N. j., an alienist for the
defense, who was up for cross-exami'
nation, Mr.. Jerome seemed to d.
rect his efforts at getting from DR..
Evans information as to the exact
recognized forms of insanity from
which the expert declared Harry ThaW
was suffering at the time OF the
"brain storm" which resulted In the
killing of White. DR.. Evans had ties
titled that In his will Thaw displayed
evidences of melancholic state OF
mind. The district attorney dwelt Tor
an hour or more on the subject OF
melancholia and asked the expert If
1t was not true that In acute melan'
cholia there Is a recurrence OF the
afflictlon in at least one-third Of all
cases. DR.. Evans said there was.
Mr.. Jerome said he intended call
ing as the witness In rebuttal DR..
Allen McLane Hamilton, the alienist,
who was first employed by the Thaw
defense. but who has not heretofore
figured in the trial. DR.. Hamilton
recently returned from Europe and
In a published interview just after he
landed, was reported to have saiN
that he came to the conclusion that
Thaw was insane at the time Of the
tragedy and that he Is insane now.
The district attorney also stated
that he would call DR.. Charles F.
Bingaman of Pittsburg, the Thaw fam
fly physician in rebuttal. Mr.. Bing'
aman was on the stand for short
while Wednesday, but Mr.. Delmas OBJ
jeoted when Mr. jerome started in to
crossexamine the physician as to In
sanity In the Thaw family on the
ground that the witness had not
qualified as an expert.
DR.. Bingaman told Of visiting Thaw
last August, when the prisoner seem
ed much depressed and suffered from
the delusion that conspiracy had
been formed against him, complain
ing that he was not allowed to put
paper over the grating in his cell door
because they" wanted the cold air to
blow In and give him pneumonia SO
he would die and his case never come
to trial.
BY calling Evelyn Thaw to the
stand for a few questions which he
had omitted on his long cross-exami-
nation. Mr.. Jerome indicated that he
would call Howard Nesbit, her broth
or. to contradict her in matter OF
credibility. He asked Mrs. Thaw II
she had not told her brother that
Thaw had treated her cruelty while
abroad because she refused to tell
lies about Stanford white and say he
had drugged and mistreated her. He
also wanted to know II the brother
had not bought her a pistol with
which she might defend herself
against Thaw. The defendants wife
denied that there was any truth In
any Of these statements.
Mr.. Delmas announced that the de-
Tense would conclude It's case this
week. his, however, was on the as
sumption that the district attorney
would conclude his cross-examlnations
Of DR.. Evans and Wagner Wednesday.
Mr.. Jerome did not even finish with
DR.. Evans, who will be recalled Thurs
day morning. John T. Deemar, the
physician to Mr.. William Thaw's FAM
fly, will follow DR.. Evans, and then
viii come DR.. Wagner. After these
have testified Mrs. William Thaw
herself will take the stand. according
to present plans, The defense may,
therefore, conclude BY Monday or
Tuesday Of next week.
II Mr.. Jerome moves for lunacy
commission, It is expected he will do
90 during the taking Of the rebuttal
testimony next week.
It was expected that Dr.. Evans ana
Mr.. Jerome would have q lively duel
during the cross-examination Of tn
witness, but there were only one o.
two clashes In which the honors sp-
peased to be about evenly divide /.
The examination dragged at times
and Mr.. Jerome seldom raised his
voice above the low placid tone he 20