Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-01-27
FAMILY DOCTOR
First Witness in TbaW Trial To.
Day Told Of tbe Prisoners
Boyh0od Days
EXPERT WELLS CALLED

New York, Jan 21.-The morning
session of the trial of Harry X. Thaw
for the killing of Stanford White be-
gan at 1920 o'clock, with DR. Charles
| Francis Bingaman, the Thaw family
physician of Pittsburg on the witness
stand. DR. Bingaman told of the early
| symptoms of nervousness in Harry
| Thaw, saying he was first called to
attend the boy when he WAS three
years old. At that time his nervous
ness often bordered on commissions.
The attacks usually followed vari-
Gus children's diseases. ThaW Slept
badly as a child, requiring Il relay Of
nurses most of the time.
DIR Bingaman said that in the fall
of 1893, he was called to attend Harry
Thaw in Pittsburg, and treated him
for nervousness and melancholia.
This was after Thaw's first trip
abroad with Evelyn Nesbit. The wit
ness saw Thaw several times in the
tombs after his arrest and the de-
fendant always referred to the Madi-
son square garden tragedy as The
act of Providence"
Thaw's acts and appearance in the
prison impressed the witness as IT.
rational.
1t was of DR. Bingaman that Dis
trict Attorney Jerome said at the
last trial when Thaw's mental con-
dition was under investigation: Il had
rather have the testimony of an old
family practitioner like this than all
the experts you could put upon the
stand" The prosecutors cross ex-
animation to-day was very brief and
courteous. Following DIR Bingaman
came the first of the foreign wit
nesses, DR. Sydney Russell Wells of
London, who was called to attend
Thaw in the English capital in the
early part of 1899. Mr. Thaw was
in a very nervous condition." said
DIR Wells. His pulse was extremely
rapid and he complained of pains i'll
the head. Diagnosed his case as one
of mental disturbance"
On one of his visits to the defend
and the witness said he found him in a
highly excitable state despite the fact
that his temperature was only 80 de-
himself. Thaw did not respond to
treatment, even opiates failing, and
DR. Wells said he decided to send the
young man to the Devonshire Nurs-
ing associations hospital On an
other visit he found Thaw dancing
about the room like a madman. He
reported his case ut the hospital as
acute mania.
"Mr Thaw at the hospital had an
enormous ROOM" continued DR. Wells.
but he complained that he did not
have room to breathe. He also COM
planned of the terrific heat and~want-
ed twenty tons of ice placed in the
room. He did not like his nurse and
wanted me to employ Il whole staff
of nurses so he might find one he
liked When he was in bed his eyes
glared into vacancy The acute at
tack at the hospital continued six
days. He had no fever at any time.
His talk was largely incoherent. There
was no evidence Of alcoholism.
Miss Lillian MacBride of London,
a professional nurse, and DR. Fred
erick Burton Brown of London, for
merly of Rome, and DR. Maurice
Gauja of Paris, all of whom had at
tended Thaw. testified as to his ir-
Mr. Littleton then began
reading the hypothetical question
It was said this afternoon that the
case will go to the jury by Wednes-
day evening. the defense closing to-
day and rebuttal coming tomorrow.