The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-16
.SWEARS THAW WAS ECCENTRIC Witnesses Tell of His Acts. MUCH NEW TESTIMONY LHtIeton is BuiIding on Insanity
 Plea. steward at Club Testises that Defend- ant Had Three Cigarettes Put
 In safe--Judse Receives
 Letters.

5
 New York. Jan. 15--Adhering to their promise to interpose no other defense than that of insanity in behalf of their client, the attorneys representing Harry K. Thaw at his trial today con tinued. the examination of witnesses who swore that young Thaw. at various times in his life appeared to them as mentally unsound.
 Practically all of the testimony was new to the case and had to do with acts down to the day Of the tragedy itself.
 Then came the declaration of ten men who sat on the coroners jury during the Inquiry Into Stanford Whites death, |, all Of whom declared that the defend- ant the Say. following the shooting act- ed irrattonalIy. His manner and ap- pearance were such as to cause the In. quest jury to discuss his state of mind after th cir fomal verdict had been reh- dered.
 In the days testimony there was more delving into the history 0f the Thaw family, Alfred Lee Thaw of Rich mond, va., third cousin of the de- fendant, taking the stand and telling of the train of insanity which had caused his father and brother to tie in State asylums.
 Some of Thaw's alleged eccentricities. revealed for the first time, were te- lated today by Christopher Baggan. steward of ate New York Whist Club; by Miss Matilda stein a telephone op- crater. and by August Weber. former butler in the Thaw househoid.
 Eccenfrfcftfes ak Thaw.
 Thaw spent portion of the after noon of June 2S. 1906. at the Whist Club and at that time, few hours be- fore the tragedy, was pictured by the steward as being very nervous and as frequently exclaiming "this is awful" He asked the steward Co have a val uahle package put Into the safe. After the ahooting, the package was opened and found to contain three cigarettes wrapped tn tin fotl. 'sssg
 District Attorney Jerome. in croea- examsntuE the club steward, brought out the fact that 4haw played bridge with many promfnent meA. The wit- ness declared he was not supposed t0 know what Mr. Thaws. MT. Gates, MT. Schwah and others played for, but he was sure nothing but mineral water was ever served at the tables.
 The telephone operator. told of Thaw putting in seventy-Ave calls one morn. ing at the Grand Hotel and then for- getting ail about them.
 The butler told many details of Thaw's life at home in 1903. and was stiIl under examination when adjourns ment was taken.
 The separate incidents of alleged tr- rational conduct on the part of the de- fendart are being put in evidence by Mfr. Litleton. as the foundation for the expert testimony that ts to come. He hopes to accumulate such a mass of testimony as to Thaw's etratic con. duet as to make 1t impossible for the District Attorney to fulnll the task the law places upon him of proving Thaw sane, 'beyond every reasonable doubt" Criminal lawyers of prominence who are following the case outlined by the defense and who are taking Into con- alteration the fact that a speci6c plea of insanity has been entered this year, declare that acQuittal under the cir- cumstances can come only with the added clause. "on account of insanity of the defendant at the time the act was committed" This. 1t Is declared, would compel the presiding Judge to commit Thaw to Matteawan Asylum. from whence q fight to prove his present sanity and thus gain freedom would have to be conducted through habeas corpus pro- ceedings.
 Letters to Judge.
 An elderly nam named Cole White | was arrested this afternoon for writ I ing threatening letters to Justice Dow ling about the Thaw case and was sent | ward for observation. White signed
 the letters by covering his hand with
 ink and leaving the imprint on the
 paper. Whites letter was more amusing
 than threatening. Tn one he wrote: Nobody in the world knows why
 Stanford White lost his life. l, Cole | White. must know or lose my own
 life. Will you send me card of adnis-
 sion to the trial an send it to Cole | White, care general delivery. New York city and oblige?
 The last letter which preeipitated
 the arrest was sent to Justice Dowl- ing today and was as follows: T am the man. Cole White. who
 wrote you two letters and have re- ceived no answer. I am the Cole White who must find out why Mir. White lost his life .or lose my own life. Win you see me and let me | speak for a few minutes and then you
 will know whether I am right or