The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-01-23
MRS. EVELYN THAW
REPEATS HER TALE
JUSTICE BOWLING REFUSES TO
EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC.
Mr.. JEROME IS PlTiLEss
Breaks Up Story by Objections and
Subjects the Witness to a
Severe cross-Examin-
alton.

New York, Jan. 21.--Mrs. Evelyn
Nesbit Thaw told her story Monday
for the second time. The repetition
| lacked the vitality of the first recital,
but the great crowd in the courtroom
where her husband, Harry Kendall
| Thaw, is on trial for the killing of
Stanford White, listened intently to
| every word.
Justice Bowling had ruled that he
! found no warrant in the law for clos
ing the doors against the public, and
there was great clamor for admit
| tance from throng which hung about
the building all day long. District At
torney Jerome, falling in his move to
exclude spectators, took occasion,
when it came his turn to cross-ex-
anime the witness, to bring out all of
the details of the first trial which Mr..
| Littleton of the defense had omitted
on his direct inquiry of the witness.
Mr.. Jerome also sought to block Mrs.
Thaw's testimony in its entirety on
| the ground that conversation which
occurred three years before the
tragedy could not have any bearing on
Thaw's mental condition on the night
of the homicide. Justice Bowling
overruled the objection.
Jerome's Disconeerting Tactics.
Mrs. Thaw was on the stand all day
long, and Mr.. Jerome announced when
| adjournment for the day was taken
| that his cross-examination would oc-
cupy greater part of Tuesdays ses-
| sions.
Mrs. Thaw's story was broken into
bits by constantly repeated objections
from the prosecution, who sought to
exclude all details on the ground of
immateriality. The frequent objec-
/ tions led Justice Bowling to request
Mr.. Littleton to cut his examination
as short as possible. Mr.. Littleton
took this course only to find that on
cross-examination Mr.. Jerome insisted
upon reading from last years record
nearly every word the witness had
| then uttered. He did this under the
privilege of framing new questions.
Mr.. Littleton objected to it, declar.
Ing that the District Attorney, by read
ing the former testimony in a dis
agreeable manner, was trying to dis
credit the witness in the eyes of the
jury when he could not discredit her
in any way by direct question.
Severe Ordeal for Witness.
Mr.. Jerome made no attempt to dis
guise tone of complete contempt in
reading the testimony. Contempt also
characterized most of the questions he
put to the witness, whom he attacked
In the loudest voice he has yet used at
the trial. Mr.. Jerome plunged at once
into the more intimate details of the
testimony and made no delicate choice
Of words in framing his interrogations.
| Mr.. Littleton's objections on the
ground of "offensiveness and impro-
priety' frequently were sustained by
the court
| Mrs. Thaw matched wits against
both District Attorney Jerome and his
assistant, Mr.. Garvan, who was ever
at his chiefs elbow with new sugges-
tons. She fenced with them as
skilfully as she did year ago, and at
times reflected the mood of the dis.
trict attorney by answering him in a
voice pitched in as loud key as his
own The prosecutors pitiless and
aggressive questions often struck fire
and once when Mr.. Jerome demanded
to know If the young woman had told
Thaw certain things, she replied hotly:
Eyes. l told him. but did not use
the language you are using"
| Don't argue with me, madam" "
shouted Jerome, who then had the re.
ply stricken from. the record.
Says Thaw Took Poison.
| But one new feature appeared in
the testimony of the witness. This
was when she told about Thaw swal.
lowing the contents of a bottle OF
laudanum at Monte Carlo in 1894 in
an attempt to end his life. Previous.
ly to this, at the Grand hotel in New
York, Thaw had talked of suicide, his
wife declared, and had suggested that
she also should take poison as both
tueh HFeS Hdu peSh Iulneu. MIS-
Thaw said she humored Thaw at the
time and diverted his mind She was
out of the room when he finally took
the poison in Europe.
why didn't you tell US about this
at the first trial?' demanded Mr.
'Jerome.
Because Mr.. Delmas said It might
make Harry out too crazy the wit,