The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-01-17
TESTIMONY FROM
ODD LETTER Of
MRSWM.THAW
Mother Feared Sons Mind Was
Unbalanced
so INFORMED SCHOOL MASTER
Young Mirrionaire's Best Friend Goes
to New York to Testify at
Trial.
so INFORMED SCHOOL MASTER

NEW YORK, Jan. 17.-Several i'm
portant witnesses are hurrying to New
| York by steamer and train for the
| Thaw trial Mr.. Littleton,' leading
/ counsel for the defense, announced
| that today he would hurry the case
along as rapidly as possible. 1t was
necessary, he explained, that all the
evidence having 10 do with Thaws
alleged irrational acts of the past sew.
etal years should be introduced before
the medical experts are called to the
stand TO express scientific opinion as
to the defendants mental condition at
the time he killed Stanford White.
Mrs. William Thaw, mother of the
accused, arrived from Pittsburg and If
strong enough may take the stand to-
day. She has been Ill for more than a
month, and at one time ii was feared
she would not be able to attend the
trial at all. Mrs. Evelyn Nesbit Thaw
will not be offered as a witness until
some time next week. All of the indi-
cations so far have been that District
Attorney Jerome will make desper-
ate fight to have her testimony ruled
out this year Counsel for the defense
are confident however, that it will be
allowed to go in now that they have
entered formal specification of in
sanity in connection with the plea of
not guilty.
The elder Mrs. Thaw has already
figured indirectly in the ev idence tax
Pm. A letter written by her in 1881 to
the master Of the little Pennsylvania
school where her son was pupil was
identified by the master and read to
the jury. Ii told of the mothers great
anxiety over the conduct of her son
and the fear she entertained that his
mind even then was unbalanced. The
schoolmaster, now seventy-nine years
Of age, was a. impressive witness. He
Is Abraham X. Beck, an uncle of for
mer Assistant Attorney General James
NJ. Beck, and he related many incl
Tents which led him TO the conclusion
that young Thaw undoubtedly was ir-
National.
Mr.. Beck described Thaw as a boy
IF ungovernable temper.
He identified the letter he had re-
,eived from Mrs. William Thaw, the
mother of Harry, about the boys con-
duct at school, and it was read to the
jury with the consent Of District At
torney Jerome. The letter was dated
Oct. %, 1881, and was in reply to a
communication from Mr. Beck com
planning of Harry's conduct and speaks
Of the distress the letter caused the
parent.
l. Can you not bear with him awhile
ongerT' the letter from Mrs. Thaw
read.
"To yield to his wishes now and to
send him home am afraid might ruin
him. / begin to fear that his conduct
md his outbursts are not all the re-
suits of temper and rebellion, but that
his mind Is more or less unbalanced.
DO you think there is any danger of
that7 His uncle, who became weak
minded, was subject as boy to just
such outbreaks of temper, and have
horrible feeling of dread. Won't
you deal gently with him for my sake?
How would it do to avoid noticing
him for one day? l really do not
xnow what to suggest Harry is so
different from the other four children
He ought to have been more carefully
watched and trained Mr.. Thaw will
be home soon and will be able to adj
wise with me-"
Mr.. Beck said he had had many years
IF experience in teaching and training
boys, but Thaw's conduct was different
from any he had ever known.
II couldn't help but think him IRA
tional," declared the witness.
1.-THE boy was excessively nervous
and was very unsocial and sullen and
distracted. His eyes were most strik-
ing. One of the principal things l re.
member about young Thaw were the
spasmodic and startling outbursts Of
animal-like bowls. These bowls would
stop as suddenly as the turning off Of
fountain"
Mr.. Beck is now seventy-nine years
Of age. His testimony was most i'm
pressive, and District Attorney Jerome
asked but one or two questions on cross
examination.
Benjamin Boman, formerly door
keeper at the Madison Square theater,
where Evelyn Nesbit played in "a
Girl From Dixie" in 1903 repeated
the story he told at the first trial of
threat made by Stanford White to find
and kill Thaw before daylight,