The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-01-31
JEROME ADMITS
EVELYN THAW'S
STORY IS TRUE
Prosecutor Den0unces Both
White and Thaw as
Degenerafes o
Architect No Longer SpotIess
Angel, But Fiend, He
Declares
Pleads With Jury to Disregard
Alienists and Return
Guilty Verdict
SPECIAL DIsPATcH 10 THE CALL

N~-- -<-S l4-@A
Attorney Jerome deIivereds the clos
ing address for the prosecution N
the second trial OF Thaw today and
broadly limited that he would be
satisfied with conviction OF murder
II the second degree or msnslsughter
II the first degree The penalty for
the first IS imprisonment for life. for
the second Imprisonment for not
longer than 20 years
Any fear that Thsw would 20 TO the
chair was dispelled In the opinion OF
al who heard the district attorneys
summing Up. Toward the close OF II
he declared that he not only believed
Evelyn Thaw had been wronged By
Stanford White. but also that the
Humnel z6daT5t was false. although
he was Of the opinion that the pris-
oner's wife had signed It a great
wrong had been done. he said. which
incited 70 reveageful acts
Jerome consumed all the morning
session and finished his address al 4-ls
O'clock. When recess was taken for
luncheon FL o'clock Justice DowIing
announced that. as ne wished to escape
locking the jury I'D for the night, he
would delay delivering his charge until
tomorrow morning
Jerones plea that justice be done
IN the case Of Harry Kendall Tbaw was
mastery ElnalctlTeness, sneers. in
sinuztions. All were lacking, sagic.
analysis ana calm consideration Of
the facts were their substitutes 1t
was No blind appeal for vengeance CT
the Law that Jerome addressed to the
jury, bur there was note Of fairness.
even II times Of mercy
No longer attempting 10 shield the
name of Stanford White. he accepted
the story told By Erelyn Nesbit Thaw
as rrue-an but the drugging-and he
made frank confession to the jury
that the velvet swings and 1nirrored
rooms Of the stndio house described BY
the girl were indeed q miserable real
iry Nc longer attacking Evelyn 1haw
as z skilled adventures. jerome
pleaded Tor the girl because she never
had had . chance FOR any of the higher,
cleaner, sweefer things Of life
DEsoUNcEs BOTH MEN
The climax came. however. when
Jerome denounced both Thaw and
White IN one breath and classed them
as -two degenera1es quarreIi1lg over a
woman. and the woman. 1he prose
cutor declared. knew no more-had
been taught no more by the world
than 10 play one against the other, IN
III, IN jealous rage. in blindes1 hatred.
IN vengeance of an undeniably gross
Erong done TO his wife Harry Thaw
shot and killed the architect
District Attorney Jerome turned a
willing ear 10 the testimony or in
sanity and emphasized il in 3 number
OF Instances. He admitted that Thaw
had always been physically weak and
that Al times his mind had been un-
strung While at no point was there
. direct ofrsr OF compromise IN the
prosecutors speech there was notably
an indication that he would not feel
that justice had been misdirected If a
verdict Of some lesser guilt than mur-
der In the first degree should be the
culninstion Of tbs sury's deliberation-
SCOUTS INSANITY DEFENSE
To render a verdict OF not guilty on
the ground OF insanity. the prosecutor
declared. il would be necessary under
the statutes and the decisions OF the
court Of appeal for the juror 70 be-
lieve Harry Tlaw was so insane that
he did not know il was q pistol he
had IL his hand when he fired with
perfect and deadly aim three bullets
into The body Of his victim, that he
must have been so insane as not to
know that the man he killed was Stan
FORD White. the one man in the world
whom he hated and had motive for
Vengeance against that he must have
was against the isw to take fellow
beings life: that he 1nust have been 50
insane as not 10 knew what the police
oficers wanted with him when he vol
unfairly surrendered himself into their
custody and asked 10 be taken quickly
10 the station house- with the request
thai his brother In law and an attorney
be sent for, and, lastly. that he must
have been 50 insane as not 10 knew the
nature or quality or mis- act or that the
act was wrong.
Lacking in these essentials the in
sanity OF the defendant conceded to
have manifested itself at certain times.
had no standing under the law. Partial
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