The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-01-22
EVELYN ENDS HER
LONG ORDEAL ON
WITNESS STAND
ThaW's Letter to Girl Placed in.
Evidence
DEFENCE NEARING ITS END
Many Documents Filed With Court
to Substantiate Story Of Wrong
by Stanford White.
DEFENCE NEARING ITS END

NEW YORK, Jan. 22.-Distrlct At
torney Jerome's long and severe cross
examination of Mrs. Evelyn Nesblt
Thaw at the trial of her husband came
to an end at the trial here.
The attorneys for the defense then
succeeded in placing in evidence let
ter written by the defendant In the
fall Of 1903 which completely corrobo
rated the claim that the girl who was
to become his wife did tell him the
story Of her relations with Stanford
White much as she has related II upon
the stand at this and the former trial.
This letter was one of dozen which
were read to the jury as tending to
corroborate young Mrs. Thaw's testi-
mony and as further tending to show
the effect her story had upon the de.
were read to the jury in the former
trial and were considered as one of the
strongest bits of evidence in the hands
of the defense.
Mr.. Jerome objected to their intro
duction into the record, but was over.
ruled by Justice bowling after Thaw
himself had made waiver Of the con
fidential relation of counsel and client
when Frederick w. Longfellow, his
former attorney, appeared on the stand
to identify the letters.
Some of the writings were addressed
to Mr.. Longfell0w, and others had
been sent to him to be delivered to
Miss Nesbit. They all contained many
references to the girls history and to
her experience, and in the letters in
tended for the young woman Thaw
constantly bespoke his love and re-
spect for her. Many of the sentences
ranbled on incoherently, and there
wese many scratches, erasures and In
terlineations.
The first letter Mr.. Littleton read
was largely repetition in the defend
ants own words Of the story the Mes
bit girl says she told him in Paris In
1903. In 1t, however, Thaw refers to
two "drugged champagne" incidents.
one at the Photographic studio in
Twenty second street and the other in
the Twenty-fourth street house, where
as Mrs. Thaw twice testified that while
luncheon and wine were served during
her posing at the Photographic place
nothing out of the ordinary occurred
Thaw's letter cOrroborated Mrs. Thaw
In that he declared It was In the
Twenty fourth street house that she
and Stanford White first were alone.
Mr.. Jerome was much quieter in his
handling of young Mrs. Thaw on the
stand. and his voice lacked the high
hard pitch which filled the courtroom
on previous sessions. The cross exam
nation resolved itself for time into
a verbal battle between prosecutor
and witness, and there were several
lively tits which ended only when
Justice Bowling took hand.
The defense is nearing its close
This morning Thaw's will and the cod
icil made at the time of his marriage
to Evelyn Nesbit, both of which were
introduced last year as further evi
dences of irrationality on the part OF
the defendant. were proved and intro
duced AS evidence.
Then followed the testimony of Miss
Belle MoorehOuse Lawrence of Cali
forna, who was Thaw's teacher wheI
he was six years old and could no
talk intelligibly. 1t is said. Miss Law
renee kept diary. in which there arr
many entries concerning young Thaw
and an effort was made to get this IL
evidence. Mrs. William Thaw is ex
pected during today to complete he
testimony The insanity experts should
be reached not later than tomorrow
afternoon, and the defense hopes T.
close its case by Friday night A weel
later Thaw's fate should be In thu
hands of the jury.