Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-05-16

paranoiac and not fit to be at large.
eliminating the killing of White from
his conduct would you have committed
Thaw as an insane person on what you
saw of him?" asked Mr.. Graham
II would have hesitated to do so on
what / saw and knew Of him when he
was received at the hospital" answered
DR.. Baker. "but I would not hesitate to
commit him on the knowledge l have of
him now"
MI Graham asked questions that sug-
gested harsh treatment Of Thaw. They
concerned the removal of the door of his
room. Dr. Baker admitted that the door
was taken off, thus depriving Thaw Of
privacy.
"rell why" interposed Mr.. Jerome.
because Thaw and his counsel violat-
ed the rule of the hospital against smok-
ing" said the doctor. 1--WE did more.
We put Thaw back in the ward with 9TH
er patients and Withdrew from his coun-
sci permission to visit him in the ward" I"
Justice Morschauser stopped this line of
questioning. saying that the conduct OF
the institution was a matter for the State
Lnnacy Commission to regulate and that
as far as this inquiry is concerned tho
question of the harshness or propriety
of the rules of the hospital is not an
4 issue.
Further cross-eXamined by Mi Glaham,
| DR.. B2ker said that seven patients had
been discharged from Matteawan under
| habeas corpus writs. The first suhse-
| uucntly committed suicide, another COM
mitted a forgery and a third began at
once to advertise for wife, and when
the witness last heard from him he had
not succeeded in obtaining one.
I,r. Baker said he had observed no
hallucinations in Thaw's conversation
M jerome next called DR.. Carlos f.
| Macdonald, who qualified yesterday as
an expert in insanity. DIR. Macdonald
| testified that after long observation of
Thaw and reading his letters, codiCil and
| the testimony at the homicide trial, Thaw
in his opnion is an incurable paranoiac
where confinement is demanded by con-
siderations of public safety Court then
took recess, Mr. Jerome intimating that
| he would rest after DR.. MacDonald's eX-
antina ton had been completed. reserving
| the. right to call other experts in sur
rebuttal.
| In giving his reasons for ordering Thaw
placed in the open ward, DR.. Baker said
that he detected Thaw paying money td
an attendant. This was understood to be
for the privilege of smoking in his room.
4 At the opening of the afternoon session
Dr. Macdonald was cross-examined by
| Mr.. Graham.
He WIS asked if he expected to be COM
pensated for his testimony. Il will ad-
nit that I am going to have the doctor
/ Nn,.y,
ty at SIS an hour" said Mr.. Jerome, 80
please hurry, Mr.. Graham
| This admission that New York would
pay the experts relieved local arprehen-
sons to some extent the public having
been told at the first hearing that the
trial would cost DutChess county 100000.
| Dr.. Macdonald said that DIR. Flint, DR..
4 Mahon and he went to see Thaw at the
request Of the district attorney, but TEaw
| refused to answer any questions or to
submit to examination. The opinion of
the witness was therefore formed from
observing in court and from examination
| of documents and family history. DR..
Macdonald said:
''In the courtroom Thaw walked with a
peculiar gait. what DR.. Flint had called
a strut His manner was pompous and
esotistical He seemed to want to dom.
j mate and control his counsel. He had a
peculiar stare which momentarily oc-
CURED and disappeared. He had the fa-
cial expression which is difficult to de-
scribe, yet is perfectly recognizable to
those accustomed to observing the in
sane. There was twitching Of facial
muscles and lips. especially when the mo.
mcntarv stares occurred
Mr.. Graham--"Is his appearance the
same now?"
DIR. MacDonald-"H is more passive
than at his first trial"
Mr.. Graham requested DR.. Macdonald
to go over the Thaw letters as Or. Flint
did yesterday and read the various pas
SaSeS which he regarded as ind;ca tive OF
insanity. The witness read many quota
tions from the Thaw letters of 1909 to
I.ongfellow and Evelyn Nesbit Thaw. He
said that the letters contained many of
the yituperative adjectives usually en-
pIoyed in writings Of paranoiacs COM
planning of imaginary prosecutors. The
witness admitted that the parts of the
letters which he regarded as abnormal
would not be sufficient in themselves to
warrant judgment Of paranoa. but they
are sufficient when considered in associa-
tion with other facts and the history of
the case.
Er. Macdonald said he regarded the
provisions of Thaw's will giving legacies
to alleged victims OF White as irrational
and dclusonal. Even if the allegations
concerning Whites conduct had been
true. the witness said he would still re-
gard the will as irrational. Paranoiacs
go about seeking redress for imaginary
wrongs and when they fail to find it they
take matters into their own hands and
redress the imaginary wrongs frequently
by homicide.
1.-The delusions of paranoiac are log
| ical in form but based on wrong prem
ises beginning with imaginary grievances
over which he morbidly broods until de-
lusions develop Later they develop an
imaginary change Of personality they
imagine that they have mission to per-
form and in this stage they themselves
4 become persecutors.' The cross-examina-
ton of DR.. Macdonald was finished at
3.2a and recess was ordered. s-.---