The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-02
WHIRLED AWAY
TO MATTEAWAN
Jury Declared Harry ThaW Not
Guilty of Murder of White
by Reason of Insanity.
QUICKLY SENT TO ASYLUM
HABEAS CORPUS NEXT STEP IN
PROGRAM.
QUICKLY SENT TO ASYLUM

New York, Feb. 1.-Adjudged not
guilty of the murder of Stanford White
by reason of insanity at the time the
fatal shots were fired, Harry Kendall
Thaw today was held by the court to
be dangerous lunatic and was whirI-
ed away to the state hospital for the
criminal insane at Matteawan.
1t was a quick transition from the
dingy little cell in the Tombs which
had been the young mans home for
more than eighteen months to the
white bedded wards of the big asylum
tucked away on the snow covered
sleeping banks of the Hudson river,
fifty miles above the city
The verdict came after twenty-five
hours of waiting, and when everyone
connected with the case had abandon
ed all hope of an agreement ever be-
ing reached in this or any other trial
Safe in the Asylum.
-Four hours after the foreman's lips
had framed the words Not guilty"
with the accompanying insanity clause,
Thaw, protesting that he was sane,
was on his way to Matteawan. A lit
tie after nightfa!l he had been re-
ceived in the institution under commit
ment papers which directed his deten-
ton until discharged by due course Of
law"
No more unwilling patient ever made
a journey to a state institution. Thaw's
train, on its way to Fishkill Landing
where a carriage was taken to Mat
teawan, passed beneath the very walls
of grim Sing Sing, but at no time since
his arrest on the night Of June .,
1906, had the young Pittsburg million
aire ever held the thought that he
would see the inside Of that famous
prison, and he needed it not.
Demanded Habeas Corpus.
The, first thrill of the words of ac-
quittal brought Thaw to his feet in
the court ROOM and with that lack of
grace of action which always has char
acterized his movements. he awkward
", almost haughtily, bowed his aC-
acknowledgements to the twelve jurymen
as they were discharged by the court.
A smile played about his pallid fea-
lures, and there was every reason to.
believe that he was entirely pleased
with the outcome. 1t was after he mad
heard the words of Justice Downing
committing him to MatteaWan on the
ground that his release, in the opinion
lie safety, and after the elation of the
verdict had died away, that ThaW re-
belled. He commanded his attorneys
TO sue out a writ of hd-
beas corpus to have his sanity tested
before he was sent away TO the up-
state institution where the insane Of
tendencies were confined.
Mother Finally Persuaded
Mrs William Thaw. from her hotel.
where she had received over the teIe-
phone the news of the trials end, Join
ed in the demand of her son.
Martin w. Littleton, whose conduct
of the case as chief counsel for the
defense has won so much favorable
comment, finally prevailed against the
wishes of the mother, indicating TO her
that he believed it would be better for
the present to obey the mandate Of
the court.
Justice Bowling, it is said, had been
consulted in the matter, and he had
signed his order of commitment and in
formally had advised Thaw's counsel
against making an immediate contest. /
The prisoners consent was not won I'M
til after a lively scene with his coun-
sci. and his wife, the latter pleading
with him for more than an hour to be /
fate had given him.
ThaW's Consent Gained.
Under promise that some action /
speedily would be taken looking TO the !
appointment of a commission TO in |
luire into his present sanity or for his ]
transfer to a private institution where /
his wife and other members of his fam /
iy might reside with him, Thaw con-
sented to go without further protest.
On his way to Matteawan. Thaw die
lated the following authorized state
nent to a representative of the Asso-
dated Press:
Il am perfectly sane now. but ] am
going to Matteawan on the advice of /
my counsel. who thought it unwise to
sue for a writ of habeas corpus at this
time. Counsel will proceed in the mat
ter of my release just as soon as they
IAN get together the proofs they viii
present that I am at present sane. /
am confident that my stay at Mattea
van will be for short period of time
1nly
Thaw was accompanied from the
rombs to the Grand Central railway
Continued from Page 2.