Evening star., 1908-01-17
FAMILY FRIEND rs YEARS
Says Prisoner Was a Nervous and
Moody Child.
TELLS OF MOTHERS ANXIETY
Former Family Nurse Recounts Out.
breaks Of the Defendant-Door-
man Barrett on the Stand.

The defense at the Thaw trial
continued today to build up ifs
ever-tightening net Of irrationality
around the man accused of the
murder OF Stanford White. Two
important witnesses at the morn
ing session were Miss Alice {.
Fletcher of the archaeological bu-
reau of the Smithsonian Institution
at Washington. a longtime friend
of the Thaws and frequent visitor
at their home, and Miss Catherine
O'Neill, who nursed Thaw during
six years of his childhood.
Mrs. Evelyn Nesbit Thaw unex-
pectedly was called to the stand
just before noon, but was with
drawn a moment later to make
way for other witnesses.
NEW YORK, January 17.-Mrs. William
Tlaw. mother of the defendant. who
reached the city last night at 4 O'Clock
from Pittsburg. was at the courthouse
| early today. ready to take the stand
when called in the Thaw trial today.
| She plainly showed the evidences of her
| recent illness.
Evelyn Nesbit haw. his wife. is also ex-
| pected to take the stand today in defense
of Harry Thaw. accused of the murder Of
Stanford White. on the Madison Square
Garden roof on the night OF June %. 1905.
| Thaw's mother will tell of his boyhood
days and of various acts which the de-
fense hopes will help them in their at
| tempt to show that the young Pitts
burger was not mentally sound on the
night of the tragedy. At the last trial
| the elder Mrs. Thaw was not allowed to
| tell the story that she was apparent
| anxious to tell.
rs this all I am to tell?" She asked.
| apparently in surprise, when she was
! told to step down from the witness chair.
The lawyers told her that it was.
Shut or in Last Trial.
| But l wanted to say something else, I
| wanted to say something about heredty."
she insisted. But in spite of her insist
ence she was not allowed to testify long
er. What it was that she wanted to say
about heredity no one but the attorneys
for the defense know. Whether she win
! be allowed to tell her story this time,
story which is supposed to have to do
I with Harry Thaws young days and with
the trail of insanity in her family as we'll
/ as her husbands, cannot be told until the
plan of the defense is more fully out
/ lined.
| Evelyn Nesbit Thaw's story was told in
all its horrible detail at the first trial
| and it will be repeated at this trial un-
| less District Attorney Jerome is able tn
keep it out, as he will apparently try To
do. Both sides are primed with legal
arguments on this point and the calling
nf to ft,n cfut xx-ah
precipitate what will doubtless prove to
| be the great legal argument of the trial
Miss Alice c. .etcher of Washington.
| D. c., who said she bad been a frequent
visitor at the Thaw household in Pitts
burg and had known Harry h. Thaw for
twenty-six years. was the first witness
/ today. She declared that Thaw was an
unusual child-nervous and moocy. with
| wild and staring eyes. He seldom talked
| cohe-ently and was unable to carry a
sustained conversation.
Throughout the period you knew
Harry Thaw did his acts and appearance
| impress you as rational or irrational?"
| asked Mr.. Littleton.
| IRRATIONAL declared the witness
Incoherent Talk.
| Miss Fletcher told of seeing Thaw at
| his mothers home in 1903. Thaw said
! he had had awful experience: that
| he believed he had terrible disease OF
| the eyes. and thought he was going to
| die-in fact. he wanted to die He men,
| toned Evelyn Nesbit's name frequently
/ but his talk usually was too incoherent to
| follow. nis eyes looked without seeing,
apparently.
| On DISCRIMINATION Miss Fletcher
said that although a frequent guest at
| the Thaw's she had never known Harry
| to be placed under restraint in any way.
Mr.. Jerome wanted to know IL the wit
ness impression of Thaw was only of a
nervous. eccentric man or a person OF
| unsnaInd mind.
He impressed me always as a person
who was not rational declared Miss
Fletcher. "He often acted oddly, and
would leave his meals untouched
| While she had made no tests by which
| to Judge of the defendants senses as TO
taste. distinguishing of colors, etc. the
witness was not willing to admit that she
had noticed that his sense of perception
differed from the normal person.
did you ever counsel with his mother
as to Thaw's mental condition." asked
| the prosecutor.
Il remember his mothers anxiety and
her speaking to me about it..
Closely Questioned by Jerome.
DO you remember anybody you ever
discussed the matter with?'
II never discussed Harry Thaw with
anybody
Mr.. Jerome asked many questions as
to the ideas of irrationality the witness
entertained. and then started to inquire
as to whether she had ever before OBJ
served a young man very much In love
with chorus girl. when Justice DowinG
interrupted to say there was nothing in
the evidence so far to any chorus
girl.
Well" said the prosecutor had you
ever before observed young man who
told you of beautiful young woman
who had been greatly wronged?"
Miss Fletcher insisted that Thaw's talk
constantly was incoherent with frequent
shifting of subjects. She could not re-
call any particular occasion on which
there had been violent outbreak OF un-
intelligbility.
Testimony Of Former Nurse.
Catherine O'Neill, an elderly woman,
who was a nurse in the Thaw family Tor
six years and took charge of Harry *.
Thaw when he was between thre aud iour
years OF age testified as TO the childhood
of tho dafaudapf She described him