The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-21
TELLS STORY
OF HER SHAME
Evelyn Nesbit Thaw on
the Stand.
ALL OBJECTIONS ovERRULED
The Prisoner Breaks Down 10
Court and Sobs.
Justice DowilnE Decides That the Pub
lie VIII Net BE Excluded While
the young Woman Is ON
The stand.

+.
New York, Jan. 2o--Mrs, Evelyn Nes-
bit Thaw told her story today for the
second time. The repetition lacked
the vitality Of the first recital but the
great crowd in the court room where
her husband, Harry K. Thaw, is on
trial for the killing of Stanford White.
listened intently to avery word.
Justice Bowling had ruled that he
found no warrant in the law for clos
ing the doors against the public and
there was a great clamor for admit
lance from a throng. which hung about
the building all day long.
District Attorney Jerome falling in
his move to exclude spectators, took
occasion, when 1t came his turn TO cross
examine the witness. to bring out all
the details of the first trial which
Mr.. Littieton. OF the defense, had
omitted on his direct examination Of
the witness. Mr.. Jerome also set 10
block Mrs. Thaws testimony in it's
entirety on the ground that a con-
versation which occurred three years
before the tragedy, could not have any
bearing op Thaw's mental condition on
the night of the homicide. Justice
Bowling overruled the objection.
Mrs. Thaw was on the stand all day
long, and Mr.. Jerome announced when
adjournment for the day was taken,
that his cross examination would occu-
py greater part of the week.
Mrs. Thaw's story was broken into
bits by constantly repeated objections
from the prosecution, who sat to ex-
clude all details on the ground Of i'm
imateriality. The frequeIst objections
led Justice Bowling TO request Mr..
Lfttleton to cut his examination as
short as possible. Mr.. Littleton took
this course, only to find that on cross
examination Mr.. Jerome insisted upon
reading from last years records near
ly every word the witness had uttered
He did this under the privilege OF
framing new questions.
Jerome Is Disngreeahie.
Mr. Littleton objected to It, declar-
ing that the District Attorney by
reading the former testimony in a ais
agreeable manner, was trying 10 dis
credit the witness in the eyes Of the
Jury when he could nor discredit her
in any way by direct question. Mr.
Jerome made no attempt to disguise q
tone of complete contempt in reading
the testimony. Contempt also charac-
terized most of the questions he put to
the witness, whom he attacked in the
loudest voice he has yet used at the
trial. Mr.. Jerome plunged at once In
to the more intimate details of the
testimony and made no delicate choice
of words in framing his interroga-
tons.
Mr.. Littleton's objections on the
ground of "offensiveness and improprte-
ty" frequently were sustained by the
court.
MRS. Thaw matched witness against
both District Attorney Jerome and his
assistant Mr.. Caravan, who was ever at
his chiefs elbow with new suggest
ions. She fenced with them as skill
mi as she did a year ago. and at times
rsfected the mood Of the DISCREET At
torney by answering him in voice
nitched In as loud key as his own.
The prosecutors pitiless and agrees
sive questions often struck hre and
once when Mr.. Jerome demanded
things, she replied holly:
eyes, 1 told him, but did not use
the words you are using"
"Don't argue with me- madam,
shouted Jerome, who then had the re-
ply stricken from the record.
But one new feature appeared In the
testimony of the witness. This was
when she told about Thaw swallowing
the contents of bottle af laudanum at
Monte Carlo in 1904, in an attempt TO
end his life.
previously TO this. at the Grand no.
al IN New York, Thaw had talked OF
s,,tcJdA. his wife declared, ara had
s,,grssted that she also should take
ooison as both their lives had been
r,,ined. Mrs. Thaw said she humored
Thaw at the time and dlvertso nus
mind. She was out nof 81 1n ,n f Hur56 @
he hnally y,S SoV not YOU tell us about this
~ Nrst triai9' demanded Mr.. Js-
ro aPscapHe Mr.. Delmas said 1t might
make Harry out too crazy, the W s.,
$4,000 hefore the District Attorney
could stop her.
when the Thaw trial was resumed a.
1920 o'clock this morning, MTS. H v,t
Iyn Nesbit Thaw was called 70 tne
ness stand to repeat her story VI
year ago. District Attorney ~
Immediately renewed his motion OF
last Friday afternoon, that the pun
lie Including the representatives OF
B nevanapers. be excluded from the
room. He cited a criminal case trieu
in Monroe County several years aso a
a precedent for excluding all persons
exceut those Immediately connected VIII
the trial. ,a
Mr.. Iitt1eton, for the defense, SAID
he desired to leave the matter in the
hands of the court. District ATTORNEY
Jerome said he understood Mr.. Little
tom to ioin in the motion when 1t was
made last Friday, and he did not quite
grasp the change of front.
AZ said on Friday" retorted Mr.. Lit
tleton. that I would like to spare MRS.
Thaw from tibet gaze of the idly curl
ous but as to all points of Legality
and propriety I reiterate what l said
then; that the matter rests eh'toA'
with the court"
Justice bowling said that he had
consulted all the authorities cited by
the district Attorney, and could ma
no warrant under the constitution for
aYcIuding the public from capital
case The harm done by publishing
the details of revolving testimony iI he
aaSas-,,. rds thrown around a defend
s s4tsg by S' granting him a speedy and
public hearing. The court will not ex-
clude any one who conducts himseit
with propriety." -. ,,-
Mr.. Littleton then asked Mrs. rhaw
to tell the story Of her experien-
ces with stanford White as she had
told It to Thaw in Paris In lSV9, Wnen
Attorney Jerome was at once In MS
feet with a strenuous objections he
argued the matter at some length
Here Is a recital Of years before the
homicide" declared the prosecuting at