Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-21
THAW QUITE
ENOUGH FOR JEROME,
More Than Holds Her Own, While He
Plainly Tries to Hold Her Up to
Contempt Of the Jury.

New York, Jan. 20.-MrS EVELYN
Nesbit Thaw told her story today for
the second time. The repetition lacked
the vitality Of the first recital, but
the great crowd in the court room
where her husband, Harry X. Thaw, is
on trial for killing Stanford White,
listened intently to every word. JUS
tice 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 build
ing all day long. District Attorney
Jerome, having failed in his effort t.
exclude spectators, took occasion, when
it came to ross-examining the wit
ness, to bring out all Of the details
of the first trial which Mr.. Littleton,
for the defence. had omitted in his
direct examination. Mr.. Jerome also
sought to block Mrs. Thaws testimony
III it's entirety on the ground that a
conversation which occurred three
years before the tragedy could not
have any bearing on Thaw's mental
condition 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 the greater part of tomorrow 8
session.
Mrs Thaw's story was broken into
by constant objections by the prose-
cutor. who sought to exclude all de-
tails on the ground Of immateriality.
The frequency of these objections led
Justice Bowling to request Mr. Little
ton to cut down his examination as
much as possible.
Mr.. LittletoE took this course only
to have Mr.. Jerome insist, during the
cross-examination on reading from last
years record, nearly every word the
witness then uttered. He did this un-
der the privilege of framing new ques-
lions.
Mr.. Littleton objected, declaring that
the district attorney. by reading the
former testimony in q disagreeable
manner. was trying to discredit the
witness in the eyes of the jury, when
he could not discredit her in any way
by direct questions.
guise an air of utter contempt in read
ing the testimony. Contempt also
characterized most of the questions he
put to the witness. He attacked her
in the loudest tones he has yet used
at the trial He plunged at once into
the more intimate details Of the testf-
mony and made no delicate choice Of
words in framing his interrogdtions.
Mr.. Littleton's objections on the
ground Of "Offensiveness and impro-
priety" were often sustained by the
court.
Mrs. Thaw matched her wits against
those of both Mr.. Jerome and his as
sstant, Mr.. Caravan, who was ever at
his chiefs elbow with new suggestions.
She fenced with them as skilfully as
she dbl year ago and at times re-
Elected the mode of the district attor-
ney by answering him in voice pitch
ed in as loud a key as his own. HIS
pitiless and aggressive questions often
struck fire and once. when he demanded
If the young woman told Thaw certain
things she replied. holly:
"Yes, I told him, but didn't use the
language you are using"
Ion tTSuc Will lie, IhduGuis
shouted Jerome, who then had the re-
ply stricken from the record.
But one new feature marked the tes-
timony of the witness. This was about
ThaW's swallowing the contents of a
bottle of laudanum at Monte Carlo in
1904 in an attempt to end his life. Pre-
vious TO this at the Grand hotel In
New York, Thaw talked Of suicide, his
wife declared, and suggested that she
also should take poison, because 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.. Jerome
Because Mr.. Delmas said it might
make Harry out too crazy" the wit
ness retorted, before the district attor-
ney could stop her.