The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-02-05
Alienist Believes Defendant Is
Lunatic
Counsel Says They Will Prove He
Was Guided BY HalIucination
in killing White. 4 a
WITNESSES EXAMINED TODAY

|day-a plain emotional story of the
shooting of Stanford Withdrawing
malice and the motive to be inferred
from the act and the defense replied
with a plea of hereditary insanity. i
was asserted that Thaw in Staying
White believed he was acting as an
agent of providence That the real OF
fancied wrongs committed against
him by the architect and the former
friend of his wife, had boiled and
bubbled In his brain until at last
there came an impulse to kill. When
the deed was done Thaw made nc
move to escape its consequences, but
holding the fatal revolver aloft he
stood as If mutely proclaiming to the
world: "The deed is done; it was
right; 1t was not wrong
Thus Thaw's counsel outlined his
case to the jury after the prosecu-
ton had occupied less than two
hours in relating, through eye-wit-
nesses. the narrative of the tragedy
you will hear the story of this
mans insanity" Attorney Gleason
for the defense promised the Jury
from his mother, his wife, his rela-
tives and his physicians. You will
Judge him by mis- acts, by hereditary
and the stress which entered into
his madness, and when you come to
judge him you will say to yourself
that his act may be one of insanity,
but 1t was not crime"
That Thaw's wife was to be one
of his most important Witnesses mas
long been known; that his mother,
Mrs. William Thaw, was 10 take the
stand only became known positively
when the court announced the rule
excluding from the court room all
witnesses save the experts. Thaw's
mother. wife and May Mckenzie left
the court room upon hearing the or
der. t,
Tnaw seemed detected. During the
opening address by Gleason in which
he entered the defense of insanity,
Thaw sat with flushed cheeks which
at times were buried in his hands.
and with eyes cast down upon the Ia
bic. He seldom looked up, just a
Meeting glance now and tnen at the
man who was making the initial
plea for his life and freedom. Never
once did his eyes go to the jury box.
Wife to Tell Of Relations.
Thaw's counsel told the story of
the prisoners love for the girl ne
was to make his wife and that when
he asked her to marry him she re-
fused. "Tne reason for this refusal
you will hear from her lips" an
nounced Gleason, suffice it to say
that the reason had to do with an in
cident in her life with reference to
Stanford White"
Tnus laying the ground for a plea
of insanity, the defendants lawyer
declared that a brain disease had
laid hold OF Thaw three or four
years ago. Gleason said. 1--WE will not
base our plea upon single act it will
be shown there was insanity on both
sides OF the defendants family"
1t was asserted that Thaw labored
under a delusion that his life was
always in danger when he was in
New York city and believed that
threats had been made to kill MIN.
This accounted for the fact that
since January, 1904, he had carried
a pistol. He had placed in his over
coat pocket the night he went to
Madison Square Roof Garden. There
he turned suddenly and saw what he
thought was a demon glowing at
him.
Impulse That of Insane Man.
The impulse came. He felt tnat to
kill White would be an act of provi-
dence. and so believing. he set de-
liberately about his task. It was the
work Of an insane man. Gleason de-
clared. the result of the decisions OF
brain.
Insanity Expert.
New York. Feb. 5.-Dr. Wiley. an
specialist from the Dixon in
sane asylum at Pittsburg. was the
first witness in the trial today. He
testified that man who acted as
Thaw did before and after the shoot
ing OF White, undoubtedly was in
sane. In his opinion Thaw did not
know he had committed a wrongful
act District Attorney Jerome cross
ava ,,ninn3 tho v-ffnoto c,,oono.lfno~ in