The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-16
Much Evidence to Estab.
lish the Fact Of Heredi-
tary Insanity.
.RICHMO OND M AN ON
WITNESS STAND
a. Lee Thaw Tells Of Deaths 81
His Father and Brother in Vir-
ginia Asylum, and Of the
Insanity Of an Aunt.
Thought Harry
Irrational.

lAOuSll l1dIry
Irrational.
NEW YORK. January 15.-Adherina
strictly to their promise to Interpose
no other defense than that OF insanity
In behalf OF their client, the attorneys
representing Harry *. Thaw, at his
trial to-day continued the examination
OF witnesses who swore that youna
Thaw at various times in his life ap.
peared to them us Irrational and men.
tally unsound.
Practically ali OF the testimony was
entirely new to the case and had ia
do with acts down to the day OF thu
tragedy Itself. Then came the declara-
tion OF the ten men who sat on the
coroner's jury during the inquiry into
Stanford Whites death. all OF whom.
declared that the defendant the day
following the shooting acted irration-
ally. His manner and appearance were
such as to cause the inquest Jury to
discuss his state Of mind after their
formal verdict had been, rendered.
In the days testimony there was
more delving into the history Of the
Thaw family. Alfred Lee Thaw. OF
Richmond. Va. third cousin OF the
defendant. taking the stand and telling
OF the taInt OF insanity which had
caused his father and brother to die in
State ,asylums. Some Of Thaw's alleged
eccentrlclties. were related Chris
topher Baggan. steward OF the New
York Whist Club; by Miss Matilda
Stein. telephone operator. and By per
August Weber. former butler In the
Thaw household.
Important Packnge-Cigarettes.
~ Thnv tr,x, {ha -.
noon Of June 25, 1906. at the Whist
Club and at that tlme-a few hours
before the tragedy--was pictured by
the steward as being highly nervous,
and as frequently eNclaimi-g: This
is awful Five days before the tragedy
he asked the steward to have valu-
able package put into the safe. After
the shooting the package w;-s opened
and found to contain three cigarettes
wrapped in tinfoil. L str Attorney
, Jerome In cross-exanliniuy the clubs
steward proSslit I out the fact that
Thaw played bridge|t. ere With many
prominent men. The wttne- Leclared
he was not supposed to know what Mr..
Thaw. Mr.. Gates. Mr.. Schwab and the
others played for but he was sure
nothing hut mineral water was ever
served at the tables. The telephone
operator told of Thaw putting IN,
Grand Hotel. and then forgetting all
about them. The butler told many de-
tails Of Thaw's life at home In 1905.
and was still under examination when
adjournment was taken.
Building "a Strong Defense.
The separate incidents of alleged ir-#
rational conduct on the part OF the
defendant was being put In evidence
BY Mr. Littleton as the foundation OF
the expert testimony that is to come.
Ele also hopes to accumulate such q
mass of testimony as to Thaw's cratic
conduct as to make 1t impossible for
the district attorney to fulfill the task
the law places upon him of proving
Thaw sane beyond Cvery reasonable.
doubt.
DIR. Horatius C. Wood. of Phlladel-
plsia, was called to the stand as the
fist witness to-day. DR.. Wood some
,years ago made an examination Of Har-
riet Alice Thaw. a relative of the de-
PENDANT DIR. Wood satd that AIisa
Thaw was of unsoupd mind.
Christopher Baggnn. a steward OF
the New York Whist Club. testified
that Thaw was IN the club on June ae.
1904. five days before the roof garden
tragedy. Although the day WAS hot.
Ihaw Insisted on taking q screen with
tIe was highly nervous, excitable and
irritable. Thaw's eyes. the witness
said. had q peculiar stare. A telephone
message came for him. and when the
witness touched him to attract his att
tcntion Thaw trembled all over.
did Thaw Impress you as rational
or irrational?" Baggan was asked.
lrranonai." rep.ed the witness.
On cross examination Baggan said
T.
ThaW was In the club playing bridge
Whist the day OF the tragedy. Asked
who else was there, the witness said
| Captain Wharton John A. Drake and
| John s. Gleason, one OF counsel To-
! Thaw ut the first trial, At other times
/ no said Mr. Gates" and "Mr. Schwa b.
| We're present. s59
| Did Thaw and his party have anss.-s
thing to drink on June a5th?" asked
AIR. Jerome.
'.oh, all. sorts Of mineral waters...s3s
and what else?"
Nothing. unless they had It with
t them;we don't serve any thingshut nlin-s
eral waters at the club. sir,"',
But every member has a lookers''s
"And drinks We're served from thu
! lockers that daS?"
II really don't know, SIR,
At bridge Thaw generally was ahla
/ to hold his own, the witness .'guessecl.t.3l
4 The witness said Thaw had been
/ more or less nervous eyer since ha
had known him, Thaw was az thai
| telephone for the better part Of an
! hour the day az the agedy.s and tia
| witness heard him repeatlng ''this Is
awful" is
His Manner Irrational,
Miss Matilda Stein, who was a tele-
| phone operator at the Grand Hotel In
| 1908 and 1901, when Thaw was a guest
there. testified that she knew Thaw
under the name OF Farr. She saw him
i often and his eyes were always srarlH q
and bulging. His manner was IRA
4 tlonai..g One morning Thaw put IN
seyenty.tlye telephone ca Us In less than
/ three hours. One morning he ordered
4 his breakfast three times in twenty
minutes, en- cross-sSaminatlol M,ss
Stein said Evelyn Nesbit also was
4 guest5at the Grand under the name oa
i Miss Farr
i Mrs, carolSn LoWery and ~. g