The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-02-26
HARRY THAN INSANE;
IN MATTEkA|Ak
Found Not Guilty of Numbering
White Because He Was Crazy.
SENT AT ONCE TO ASYLUM
jury Deliberated Twenty-Five Hours
and at First Stood Eight to Fout
For Acquittal-No Writ For Re.
lease Yet. =.

lease Yet.
New York City.-After deliber.
ating twenty-five hours the jury
which tried Harry Kendall Thaw for
the second time for the murder Of
Stanford White on Madison Square
Roof Garden on the night of June 25,
1905, returned to the courtroom with
verdict acquitting the prisoner OF
the crime on the ground that he was
insane when he shot White. q
This was the verdict: Z
1--WE, the jury, find the defendant
not guilty of the charge in the indict-
ment on the ground that he was in.
sane at the time of the commission Of :
the act." .>g Il e
Supreme Court Justice Dowling at
once ordered the prisoner to the State
Asylum for the Criminal Insane at
Matteawan, and Thaw was taken
there, leaving the Tombs four hours
after the verdict in charge of Deputy
Sheriff Bell. He was taken to Grand
Central Station in Evelyn Nesbit
Thaw's electric brougham, his wife
accompanying him. Lawyers Daniel
O'Reilly and Peabody followed IN an-
other vehicle. Mrs Thaw said good
bye to her husband at the station,
and saw him, accompanied by the two
lawyers and the guard, depart for
the asylum.
Just before he boarded the train Z
Thaw dictated this statement:
II am perfectly sane now, but am
going to Matteawan on the advice of
my counsel, who thought it'unwise to
sue for writ of habeas corpus at
this time. Counsel will proceed In
the matter of my release as soon as
they can get together the proofs they
will present that am at present sane.
| am confident that my stay at Mat
Leawan will be for short period Of
time only" 81
He arrived at the asylum at TO-
o'clock that night and was put in the },
observation ward for the present
His number Is 719. In the asylum he
will not be required to wear any uni
form. -t,S
Justice Bowling had allowed ,coun-
SCI LUZ lu5 uSlGuSc uutlls CiOShs
%. to confer with Thaw pending the
beginning Of his journey to Mattea-is
wan. In that time 1t was decided that
no fight should be made for the pres
ent to keep Thaw out of the asylum.
Justice Dowling's formal order of
commitment said: ,E4 =
TO the Sheriff of the County of New
York: ~ sJl-
"The defendant on his trial on said
Indictment having; been acquitted by
The jury on the-grounds OF insanity,
and the court being certified of the
TACT, and the defendant being in GUS
tody, and the court deeming his dis
charge at this time detrimental to
The public safety, it Is ordered that
said Harry K. Thaw be detained in
safe custody and be sent to Mattea-
wan State Hospital, and to be kept
there in said hospital till then dis
charged in due course of law. It Is
further ordered that the Sheriff OF
New York forthwith convey saida
Harry K. Thaw to said hospital.
VICTOR J: DOWLING, II; e :
Justice" 81
Both Mr.. Littleton and District At
torney Jerome declined to make any
statement as to how they felt about
the verdict. OF course Mr.. Littleton
was pleased and satisfied that the
course he had pursued in the trial had
been vindicated. The friends Of Mr..
Jerome said that the verdict was real
ly vindication for him, for at the
Hrst trial he had announced in open
court that he believed that Thaw was
Insane at the time of the shooting,
before that time and after that time
and If the facts were known Thaw
would not then haye been on trial.
Although Mr.. Jerome had seven ex-
perts to testify before the lunacy COM
mission that Thaw was incurably in
sane, the commission decided that ne
was able to advise with his counsel,
and there was nothing that Mr..
Jerome could do but to prosecute
him .. .'...'- g.,