The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-01-28
TttAN ATTORNEYS REST ON CON
TEhTloN OF .MANiAc DEPREs-
slvE' INSANITY.
EXPERTS THROUGH.
Jerome Makes No Endeavor to Bait
the Learned Doctors - sixteen
Thossand Word Hypothetical Cues
tion Z Read and Replies Given.
Jsdge Asks Some Questions.

New York, Jan 27.The Thaw de-
tense closed It's case today with ''ma-
aiac Oppressive" insanity as the ex-
PLANTATION OF the death Of Stanford
White at the hands OF the young Pitts
burg millionaire. Tomorrow the pros
ecution will begin It's evidence in re-
buttal and the case will go to the Jury
By Wednesday night, or Thursday
noon. s5s # 5f3 d
District Attorney Jerome tomorrow
morning will apply for the appoint
ment OF commission to take the tes-
timony Of Abraham Hummel, the con
victed lawyer, who is confined in the
penitentiary on BlackwelIs Island and
who Is said to be too Ill to appear In
court.
Mr.. Littleton Of the defense said he
would oppose any such action, where
upon Justice Bowling announced that
II necessary he would go to the island
himself tomorrow night, in company
with the defendant and his counsel.
to preside at the taking of Hummel's
testimony. The jury, 1t was said,
would not be compelled to take the
night trip across the river. Thaw
seemed delighted with the prospect Of
the outing even to the grim shores Of
New York's penal colony and smiled
broadly at the courts suggestion.
Crowd Disappointed.
District Attorney Jerome disappoint-
cd a crowded court room when he re-
trained from his tactics Of last year In
batting the expert witnesses for the
defense, three Of whom, Doctors Wag.
ner, Evans and Jelliffe, declared that
Thaw, at the time he killed Stanford
White, was suffering from such a de-
feet OF reason as not to know the ma.
ture Of his action or that 1t was wrong.
$ The prosecutor contented himself
with drawing from the alienist the
fact that last year he swore 1t was
during 'brain storm that Thaw
committed the homicide. He also read
from the afidavit made by DR.. Wag-
ner before the lunacy commission last
year. giving conversations he had
with Thaw in court, which tended to
show that the defendant had q dis
tinct recollection Of occurrences on
the roof garden Immediately proceed
ing the tragedy.
It was up to Justice Bowling to
make most important inquiry OF
the alienist. He desired to know the
exact nature Of maniac Oppressive
insanity, and if the attacks were like
" to recur. He also asked II 9 per
con suffering from this form OF In
sanity would be likely to commit as
saults. He learned that. It was q re-.
current form Of disorder, the attacks
coming suddenly and without warn
ing, period OF insanity being followed
by maniacal outburst, then by 9
period Of complete depression and
then by another lucid interval. It
seemed that the presiding Judge was
securing information upon which to
base judicial action in case Of q YER
dict Of not guilty on account Of In
sanity, or straight acquittal. Even
In this latter event 1t was pointed out
that Justice Dowlipg would have the
right to have Thaw committed for OK.
animation.
Another New Term.
An English physician, one OF the
three men Of medicine who testified,
first gave the name Of "maniac depres-
sive," or .'subacute mania to Thaw's
mental condition. DR.. Sydney Wells
OF London made the diagnosis during
an outburst by Thaw in London in
1899, when with normal temperature,
Thaw demanded that the walls of his
rooms in nursing home be torn down
SO he might have air and that 20 tons
of Ice be put in the apartment to cool
it.
Mr.. Littleton's question, which was
answered by the three experts, was
resume Of the evidence with the ex-
ception, Mr.. Jerome pointed out, Of
James Case. The question contained