The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-01-14
Defendant Writhes Under the
Fire Which Is Unearthing
Family Skeleton and PIac-
ing 1t Before Public Gaze.
WITNESSES EXAMINED
TELL WHAT THEY KNOW.
Relatives of the Defendant on
Several Instances Were Ad-
mitted to Mad Houses-Lit-
Teton Makes Strong Speech

New York, Jan. 14.-The first wit
ness in the Thaw case this morning
was DR.. T. j. Deemer of Pittsburg, the
Thaw family physician. He testified
that Thaw was unusually nervous as a
boy. He said Henry w. Copley.
brother of Mrs. Thaw, was of unsound
mind. and Copley's father was an i'm
beetle The second witness was DR..
W. S. Butler, of Roanoke, w. Va. who
said he was connected with an insane
asylum in 1882, when Horace Thaw
was admitted He was insane. He
was Il cousin of the defendant 5
mother.
The trial yesterday afternoon was
full of interesting developments. At
pointed speech for the people.
Afterward Mr.. Littleton in his
opening address, brough out the state
ment that, in Paris in 1908, when Ev-
elyn Nesbit had confessed to her hus-
band her relations with White, Thaw
had tried to kill himself by taking poi
son. 1t required the constant efforts
of two physicians for l. hours TO save
him.
After the four witnesses of the pros
ecution had been brushed aside, and a
10 minutes recess granted by Justice
Dowling, had passed, Mr.. Littleton,
dressed all in black like an undertake
er, walked out beforo the jury and tore
aside the somber veil which has hith-
erto hidden the lives OF the Thaw fam
lily from the eyes of the world.
With ruthless hand he stirred up the
lees Of the muddy vessel filled with
filthy waters. And Thaw writhed at
the recital He twisted and turned
in his chair. He kept his eyes any
where but ON the source of the roaring
flame in which his family was being
cremated. He tried to talk to Peabody,
" ~ hSIlie- ~ any bOly Cl ouIIu nun
who would listen. But they, like the
rest of those in the courtroom, We're
listening to Littleton.
Every Blow a Torture.
There were no great oratorical
flights. 1t was the dull driving of the
hammers of the crucifxion. Every
blow was a torture. and Thaw felt
them with savage resentment.
He has never been quite able to rec
oncile himself TO the defense of insan.
ity The high and mighty ground
assumed by Delmas suits him better
But Littleton ended all this, and al
the close of the day Thaw found him.
self with broken wings. and with his
soul on the ground. Yet a man never
sees so much at a glance as when he
is in extreme peril. He had accepted
this defense as man would lay his
hand upon the smaller of two deadly
serpentS.
Mother to Testify.
! 1t was learned definitely that Mrs
William Thaw will arrive from Pitts
burg toward the latter part of the week
and will give her testimony from the
! stand.
District Attorney Garvan said thai
the prosecution had ransacked Eu
rope for witnesses in rebuttal and that
the trial would probably last severa-
weeks. 1T did not cost the people
anything, either he said. Il went
over and paid every cent OF my OWE
expenses too District Attorney
Garvan spoke but twenty minutes.
The abrupt conclusion of the pros
ecution took Mr.. Littleton somewhat
by surprise. From Justice Doyling he
asked a few minutes courtesy that he
might arrange the notes for his open
CONTINUED on Page Five)