The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-01-21
implicitly OF
EVELYN THAW
STRIPPED AWAY
Jerome Makes "Angel Child
Show Herself Under His
Pitiless Questioning
Prosecutor Quickly Dispels
Atmosphere Brought by
sob School,
WOman's Wit Leads Her to Hit
Back With Story of
Suicide Attempt
sPEc1AL DISPATCH 10 rHE GAIL

SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL
NEW YORK, Jan. 2o.-Under the
flrst onslaught in one of the most
severe cross-exanination to which a
woman was ever subjected in a court
IN this city, Evelyn Nesbit Thaw to-
day dropped the mask of girlish in
nocence. She revcsled herself as a
shrewd woman of the world, at times
more than match for District At
torney Jerome, her questioner.
AT the morning session of the
criminal branch of the supreme
court. where her husband is on trial
for the killing of Stanford White,
Evelyn Thaw repeated the story of
her downfall in the studio of the
architect. Her voice was tremulous
as she told the degrading details of
her associations with White, but she
did not weep. She told her story with
almost childish simplicity and candor,
and 1t was evident she was trying
hard to make the jurors see her an
unsophisticated girl who barely un-
derstood the position in which she was
placed.
Within less than fve minutes after
Jerome began his cross examination of
her a remarkable Transformation took
place in Evelyn Thaw. The counter
felt simplicity disappeared and in its
place there we're zssen--Tneatal acute
ness, anger. skillful verbal fencing and
adroit dodging that enabled her to
avoid most OF the traps the prosecutor
had laid for her.
ADROITLY DRAWS HER OUT
Any sympathy that may have been
felt for the angel child was dis
PEELED little by little as the adroit
prosecutor asked questions calculated
to elicit answers that would show
Evelyn to be cunning and worldly
wise woman. He succeeded in dispell-
ing the Laura Jean Libby atmosphere
that has been created by the historical
women writers known here facetiously
as the sob squad"
Mrs. Thaws story was broken into
today by the constantly repeated in
terruptions by the prosecution, which
sought to exclude all details on the
ground of immateriality. The frequent
objections led Justice Bowling to re-
quest Littleton to cut this examination
as short as possible. Littleton took
the course officially suggested, to find
that on cross examination Mr. Jerome
insisted upon reading from last years
record nearly every word the witness
had then uttered. He did this under
the privilege of framing new questions.
Littleton objected to it, declaring
that the district attorney, by reading
the former testimony in a disagreeable
manner, was trying to discredit Evelyn
in the eyes of the jury when he could
not discredit her in any way by a
direct question. Jerome made no at
tempt TO disguise a tone of complete
contempt in reading the testimony.
Contempt also characterized most of
the questions he. put to the witness,
whom ne attacked in the loudest voice
he has yet used at the trial
Jerome plunged Immediately into the
more intimate details of the testimony
and made no delicate choice of words
in framing his questions.
Littleton's objections on the ground OF
"offensiveness and impropriety" fire.
quently were sustained by the court.
Mre \
District Attorney Jerome and his asso-
cfate, Mr.. Garvan, who was ever al hls
chiefs elbow with new suggestions. She
fenced with them as skillfully as she
did a year ago. and at times reflected
the mood of the. district attorney by
answering in voice pitched in as
loud a key as his own The prosecu-
tors pitiless and aggressive questions
often struck fire. and once, when
Jerome demanded to know IL the young
woman had told Thaw certain things,
she replied:
OBJECTS TO HIS LANGUAGE
Yes, told him; but I did not us.
the language you are using
Don't argue with me, madame, .
shouted Jerome. who then had the reply
stricken from the record.
But sne new feature appeared in the
testimony of the witness. This was
when she told about Thaw swallowing
the. contents Of a bottle Of laudanum at
Monte Carlo in 1904 IN an attempt to
end his life Previously to this. at the
Grand hotel in New York. Thaw had
talked of suicide. his wife declared. and
had Suggested that she also take pol
son, as both their lives had been ruined
Mrs Thaw said she humored Thaw at
the time and diverted his mind. She