The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1908-01-19
HEREDITARY
INSANITY
is PROVED IN THE THAW
FAMILY
SECOND DAY OF THE TRIAL
Witnesses to Shooting Called.

New York, Jam I4.-Both sides Of
the Thaw family were proved to have
hereditary insanity at the second day
of the Thaw trial. Many physicians,
nurses, school teachers, and witness
es to the shooting of Stanford White
by Harry K. Thaw were called and all
testified to the irrational conduct OF
Thaw from his boyhood days to the
time Of the murder of White.
DIR. Robert Chase, superintendent
of the Friends Asylum, where pa
ternal aunt of Harry Thaw is confiTl-
ed, was called in the afternoon ses-
son. He said that he had examined
Miss Thaw often. But he was pre-
vented from giving his opinion as to
her mental condition, and the papers
OF her entrance into the asylum were
ruled out
Mrs. Amy Gazette English, the
nurse who attended Thaw at Monte
Carlo in 1897 was called. She said
that the defendant dressed himself
one day when his temperature was
Io4 and stole away and was gone for
several hours. He always impressed
her as irrational The newspaper
men who witnessed Thaw at the kill
ing of White, testified that Thaw I'm
pressed them irrational.
Early adjournment was then taken
to allow Attorney Littleron to get
some witnesses for tomorrow morn
ing's session,
At the morning session John t.
Deernar, one Oh. Thaws family physi-
clans, was the first witness called. Dr.
Deemar testified he treated Harry K.
Thaw for St Vitus' dance and meas
les. He repeated this testimony to-
day and also told of attending mem
bers of the Copley family-the rnoth
er's branch DR.. Deernar said broth
er of Mrs Thaw turned an imbecilt
William S. Butler, of Roanoke. Va,
formerly assistant physician at the
Western Lunatic Asylum, Stauntoll,
Va, where Horace S. Thaw, a pater-
nal cousin of H K Thaw was con
fined, was asked as to Horace Thaw' s
condf ton UP TO the time OF his death
District Attorney Jerome objected
| and was sustained.
DrL.S Foster, of Norfolk, Va, for
errerly of the Eastern State hospital
for the insane at Williamsburg, Va,
where William s. Thaw, another
cousin of the defendant was confined.
was asked to identify the records OF
the asylum as to the admittance of
William S. Thaw, and did SO. Jer-
ornfe objected and was again sustain
| ed.
/ Mr. Littleton then hecalled DIR.
Deemar, and succeeded in circum-
venting the former objections of the
| district attorney as to the case of
| john Ross, DR. Deemar said that he
ceased to be Ross family physi0an
| after the latter had been committed
/ to the Hope Institution of Feeble
/ Minded. He was allowed to tell of
| Ross mental condition and declared
| it to be unsound, the symptoms be-
| ing n1anaical
An interesting witness was form
/ er teacher OF Thaw at Wooster, (O)
university, who declared the boys
conduct so long ago as 1886 was If
rational.
Evidence OF hereditary insanity and
! strange, unusual acts of fhaw, not
even limited at during the first trial,
was told of by Mr.. LiVleton in his
address yesterday. He said physi-
clans and nurses who had attended
/ Tnaw were hurrying here from Eur
in childhood would be on hand to
| give their impressions of the wide
eyed, distant boy
In conclusion Mr. Littleton chaI-
ienged the district attorney to pro-
duce single reputable physician
who would say that Thaw was not
| insane at the time he killed the not
ed artist.