The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-02-04
THAW IN MADHOUSE
Slayer Of Stanford White Is Ac-
quilted as a Lunatic.
COMMITTED TO MATTEAWAN.

Feels Inundated In Asylum, but Is
Confident That He Will Be Free
Within the Next Few Weeks.
Sleeps Near Chinese Murderer.
Matteawan, N. FEB. 4.-"This is
a fine place alongside of the Tombs,"
remarked Harry K. Thaw today after
breakfasting at the knife and fork
table in the State Hospital For the
Criminal Insane. to which he was COM
mitted as dangerous lunatic by JUS
tice Bowling after a New York jury
acquitted him of the murder of Stan
ford White on the ground that he was
mentally unbalanced at the time he
shot and killed the noted architect.
Thaw feels confident that he will be
a free man within the next few weeks.
This belief was strengthened by a visit
paid to him at the asylum by DR.. Brit
ton d. Evans of White Plains, N. j.,
and DR.. Smith Ely Jelliffe of New
York Both aliensts were employed
by the defense in both trials of Thaw,
and while they evaded questions re-
garding their presence here, it is said
they came at the instigation of Mrs.
William ,Thaw to examine herfson and
be prepared with evidence when
habeas corpus proceedings are brought
up TO liberate him.
Slayer Feels Humbied.
Thaw is anything but pleased with
his environment. He feels Inundated
at being compelled to sit at the knife
and fork" table with the fifty -four men
who are allowed this privilege and to
exercise under the scrutiny of the 7S0
men who are confined in the institn-
tion.
In gloomy loneliness Thaw sat most
of the day, for among the inmates of
the ward he was a stranger Not a
friendly hand was extended to him in
greeting, not cheering word did he
hear. Apart from his talks with the
asylum physician and two alienists
who visited him, Thaw heard only the
vain chatter of men living in a state of
exaltation or other men depressed be-
cause of prosecutions to which they
imagined they were being subjected.
Certain of these men imagined them
selves possessed of wealth that made
the Pittsburger appear a pauper in
their eyes. Others thought themselves
great generals, owners of wonderful in
ventipns and rulers of the world.
There were men in the ward who com
planned almost necessarily of imagi-
nary pains that were being inflicted
by imaginary enemies To the chat
ter of all these mental derelicts Thaw
was compelled to listen. He kept
aloof from them, but he had to remain
in the same room, and it was impossi-
BILE for him to avoid hearing the
strange gable AS no arrangement
had been made to provide special
meals for him Thaw had to eat the
asylum fare and to sit with other in
mates at one Of the long tables in the
dining ROOM
When Thaw arrived in the insane
asylum, all the inmates were asleep.
He wanted private room and asked
that his belongings be taken to the
room, but he was Informed he would
have to sleep on cot in dormitory.
A foot away on another cot lay Quinn
DO Apo, Chinese who killed prize
fighter thirty-two years ago and has
been an inmate of the Institution ever
since. In the row behind Thaw slept
a negro who also had killed man.
Baked at Going to Asylum.
Thaw's lawyers had difficult time
to induce him to yield to the mandate
of the court 1t was only after his
chief counsel, Martin w. Littleton,
told him that there was such thing
as public sentiment in New York and
that it would not be wise to defy it
that the murderer consented TO leave
the Tombs. The change was made in
less than four hours after the jury
| acquitted him.
That verdict was reached when the
| jury had been twenty-fv hours in Sc
cret deliberation. On the first ballot
four had voted for conviction. They
were gradually won over by the ma
jority, and the last man yielded only
| after the fourteenth ballot had been
! taken.
When the verdict was recorded
| Judge Bowling Immediately commit
ted Thaw to Matteawan as danger
GUS maniac on the ground that the
testimony Of the defendants own ex-
perts and other witnesses had showed
that manic Oppressive insanity sub
| jected its victim to recnrrent attacks
| during which he is likely to commit
murder or suicide
| The order is that he be held there
''untll discharged by due course o.
law"