The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-03-01
Sits THAW'S SANITY
Jerome Continues CrOss-ex-
animation of Expert.
VERY LITTLE PROGRESS MADE
District Attorney Fails to Get De-
sired Admissions from DIR. Evans
Concerning Mental Condition of
Aceused-QuestioninE 10 BE Con-
tinued-Defendant Writes Letters,

New York. Feb. 2&-Dr. Brlttou D.
Evans. one OF the experts for the defense
occupied the entire time Of District Attor-
ney Jerome at to-day's session of the
Thaw trial. At that Jerome had not ex-
hausted his cross-examination of DR..
Evans at adjournment, and he will be ex-
amined again tomorrow After Dr. Evans
viii come DR.. Wagner another expert for
the defense. but it Is not expected that his
eross-examination viii take SO long.
Most Of the day DR.. Evans was called
upon by Jerome 70 give his opinion as to
whether nine papers written by Thaw. in
Guiding the viii and cOdicil and letters.
Indicated that Thaw was Of unsound
mind. At fret Dr. Evans expressed the
opinion that one Of the letters indicated
that Thaw was mentally unbalanced, but
IN giving this opinion Or. Evans took into
consideration that the writer OF the letter
was a man of good family. with cult
waited surroundings. Then Jerome got
him 10 take each letter by itself and ex-
press an opinion, without any knowledge
of the writer or TO whom the letter was
addressed, and say whether the writer
was insane or not.
Expert Takes Another Tack.
After that DIT Evans took a different
tack. Regarding one of Thaw's letters.
he said there were certain characteristics
which showed that the writer was insane.
But as to the other letters he was careful
TO explain that there were characteristics
that showed instability" on the part of
the writer.
In one hour Jerome got DR.. Evans
pretty badly twisted. He took up the
hypothetical question on which DR.. Evans
has based the opinion that Thaw was in
sane the night he killed Stanford White.
and asked the witness what were the as
SYMPTOMS In that question on which he
formed the opinion that Thaw was insane
the night of the killing.
Dr Evans named a lot Of the things
that were in the hypothetical question
but ne also named a few things that wer'
not In it at all
The principal one concerned Mrs. WI
liam Thaw, the prisoners mother. who
has not testified, and referred 10 prenatal
influences on the defendant. There was
nothing Of this nature IN the hypothetical
question.
Jerome inquired about the notes Dr.
Evans made when he examined Thaw IN
the TOmbs. Dr. Evans said he had turned
them over TO Thaw's lawyers, or ut least
they were left on a stenographer's desk
in the office of she lawyers.
Refuses 10 Produce Notes.
Or. Evans said he considered the notes
confidential and promptly told Jerome.
who asked # he would produce them, that
he would not Justice Fitzgerald showed
no inclination to issue an order for them,
but Jerome had Assistant District Attor-
ney Garvan make out an order for them
Just how Jerome expects 70 get posses
sion of the notes was not made clear
tonight.
The examination OF Dr. Evans was very
tedious and tiresoue The doctor insist
ed on making long explanations in an
swer 10 questions, and no one could shut
him off. in fact. no attempt was made
TO do so. either by the court or by Je-
rome The result was that IL took an
hour on some questions 10 get a reply
that satisfied Jerome
During this time Thaw was having q
pretty good time. In the afternoon he
wrote letters and amused himself by
scribbliug notes. But none of the notes
got 10 the reporters, as one did on We'd
uesday. He said to-day that he had nc
intention Of the note being made public
IN it there was reference TO the re
markable witness his wife had made. and
an attack on the manner in which the
prosecution has been conducting the case
Proceedings Grow TiresOme.
Court was not reconvened until fifteen
minutes later than usual, as the usual ad-
jurnment for luncheon was not taken
until 1:15. DIT. Evans. who sat in the wit
ness chair all the morning. occupied that
place all the afternoon as wei. and when
the afternoons questions and answers
were all IN he still sat there. lie Will
be the first witness tomorrow morning
though It is devoutly hoped the district
attorney will be through with him by
noon.
All through this afternoon little evil
dences kept cropping out indicating, that
Justice Fitzgerald was as much bored by
the tediOusness of the crOss-eXaminatiou
as any Of the spectators could possibly
be- and that he was OF the opinion that
a good deal OF time was being wasted
Just before the noon recess was ordered
he said something about the probability
that court would hereafter sit later in the
afternoon than It had been doing. Tho
only reason that he did not carry out
this threat was because Jerome convinced
him that time would be wasted, instead
of saved. by so doing, inasmuch as the
witness had to read again the hypotheti.
cal question upon which he had pro
nounced Thaw insane on June %, 1906, SC
that he might be thoroughly cross-ex-
amined upon it,
Rules Against jerome.
There were other indications that Tho
court was getting FESTIVE. One OF them
was that when Delmas bobbed up witt
objections to the line of inquiry Jerome
was pursuing Justice Fitzgerald ruled
against the prosecutor almost invariably
On one occasion this disposition OF the
court appeared to come in most con
veniently for the defense.
This was when the district attorney be-
gan 10 ask DIT. Evans about things he hat
testified to in a murder trial in New Jer-
sey. This trial involved some medica
testimony about the mental condition OF
the defendant, when he wrote certain let
tiers, and Jerome got as far as asking the
witness if he gave certain testimony
when Delmas headed off the inquiry by
the usual formal appeal. to which the
court gave its unreserved support.
Practically all the afternoon was taker
up with questions by Jerome about the
state of the defendant when he wrote
those letters which the defense had Of
feTed as evidence Of his mental condi
tion. Most of the letters We're written L
Frederick ". Longfellew, who was al
that time Thaws lawyer
Stereotyped form of Inquiry.
Jerome took UP these letters one at q
time and his stereotyped form of inquiry