The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-01-24
HER STORY IS RETOLDI
Wife Of Harry Thaw Again on
the Witness Stand.
SPOILs SOME OF ITS EFFECT
District Attorney Jerome Skaters Her
Narrative by Frequent and Persis-
tent obiections-Doors of Courtroom
Not Closed to the Public.

tent obiections-Doors of Courtroom
Not Closed to the Public.
New York, Jan. 21.-Mrs. Evelyn
Nesbit Thaw has told her story for
the second time. The repetition
lacked the vitality of the first recital,
but the great crowd in the courtroom
where her husband, Harry Kendall
Thaw, is on trial for the killing OF
Stanford White, listened intently to
every word. Justice Bowling had
ruled that he found no warrant in the
law for closing the doors against the
public, and there was great clamor
for admittance from throng which
hung about the building all day long.
District Attorney Jerome, failing in
his move to exclude spectators, took
occasion when it came his turn to
cross-eXamine the witness, to bring
out all of the details of the first trial
which Mr.. Littleton of the defense had
omitted on his direct inquiry Of tina
witness. Mr.. Jerome also sought to
block Mrs. Thaw's testimony in its
entirety on the ground that con-
versation which occurred three years
before the tragedy could not have
any bearing on Thaw's mental condi-
tion on the night Of the homicide.
Justice bowling overruled the objec-
ton.
Mrs. Thaw was on the stand all day
long, and Mr.. Jerome announced when
adjournment for the day was taken
that his cross examination would &C.
cupy several hours more.
Mrs. Thaw's story was broken into
bits by constantly repeated OBJ
jections from the prosecution, who
sought to exclude all details on the
ground of immateriality. The fire.
Quent objections led Judge Bowling
TO request Mr.. Littleton to cut his ey-
animation as short as possible. Mr..
Littleton took this course only to find
that on cross-examination Mr.. Jerome
insisted upon reading from last years
record nearly every word the witness
had uttered. He did this under the
privilege Of framing new questions.
Mr.. Littleton objected to it, declar-
ing that the district attorney, by read
ing the former testimony in a dis
agreeable manner, was trying to dis
credit the witness in the eyes of the
jury when he could not discredit her
in any way by direct question. Eir.
Jerome made no attempt to disguise
a tone of complete contempt in read
ing the testimony.
No Delicate Choice of Words.
Contempt also. characterized most
of the questions he put to the witness,
whom he attacked in the loudest voice
he had yet used at the trial. Mr.. Je-
rome plunged at once into the more
intimate details of the testimony and
made no delicate choice of words in
framing his interrogations. u
Mr.. Littleton's objections on the
ground Of "offensiveness and impro-
priety" frequently were sustained by
the court.
Mrs. Thaw matched wits against
both District Attorney Jerome and his
assistant, Mr.. Caravan, who was ever
at his chiefs elbow with new sugges-
lions. She fenced with them as skill
fully as she did year ago, and at
times reflected the mood of the dis
trict attorney by answering him in a
voice pitched in as loud key as his
own. The prosecutors pitiless and
aggressive questions often struck fire
and once when Mr.. Jerome demanded
to know If the young woman had told
Thaw certain things, she replied
hotly:
Eyes, told him, but did not use
the language you are using"
Don't argue with me, madam"
shouted Jerome, who then had the re-
ply stricken from the record.
But one new feature appeared in
the testimony of the witness. This
was when she told about Thaw swal-
lowing 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 should take poison, as both
their lives had been ruined. Mrs.
Thaw said she humored Thaw at the
time and diverted his mind. She was
out of the room when he finally took
the poison in Europe.
'Why didn't you tell us about this
at the first trial?" demanded Mr.. Je-
rome.
because Mr.. Delmas said it might
make Harry out too crazy" the wit
ness retorted before the district attor.
ney could stop her. i