Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-01-17
EVELYN THAN CALLED
AND THEN EXCUSED
Littleton Creates Surprise By
Summoning Prisoners Wife
to Stand Today
MORE INSANE ACTS ARE SHOWN
Defense strengthening Daily Its Show
mo a. to Defend ants Mental Def
ciencies-Jsrome Has Lively Tims
With polio. officer Called as .
Witness.


Witness.
New York, Jan. 17.-Miss Allies
Fletcher, of Washington, d. c.. who
said she had been Il frequent v1sltoi
lin the Thaw household in Pittsbure
and had known Harry X. Thaw fol
twenty six years, was the first witness
lin the trial today. She declared ina"
was an unusual child--nervous and
moody. with wild and staring eyes
He seldom talked coherently and was
unable to carry on sustained conver-
sation. His acts impressed her as IRA
tional. On cross examination Miss
Fletcher said that altho frequent
guest at the Thaw's she never had
known Harry to be, placed under re-
straint in any way.
Jerome wanted to know II the wit
ness Impression of Thaw was only OF
a nervous, eccentric man, or person
OF unsound mind.
HE impressed me always as per-
son who was not RATIONAL declared
Miss Fletcher. "He often acted oddly
and would leave his; meals untouched
Did you ever counsel with his
mother as to Thaw's mental condi-
tion?" asked the prosecutor.
Il remember his mothers anxiety
and of her speaking to me about it.
do you remember anybody you
ever discussed the matter with?'
Il never discussed Harry Thaw with
anybody"
Jerome asked many questions as to
the ideas Of irrationaFty which witt
ness entertained, and then started to
inquire as to whether she had ever
before observed that the young man
was very much in love.
Had he told you of a beautiful young
woman who had been greatly
Wronged?"
NO.
Miss Fletc..er insisted that Thaw's
talk constantly was incoherent, with
frequent shifting Of subjects. She could
not recall any particular occasion on
which there had been violent out
break of unintelligibility.
Catherine O'Neill, an elderly woman
who was nurse in the Thaw family
for six years and took charge Of Har-
sry when he was between 3 and 4 years
8of age, testified as to the childhood of
defendant. She described him as very
nervous and moody. He would have
nervous outbreaks which would end in
complete collapse. Thaw, she said,
suffered from st. Vitus dance following
scarlet fever
Littleton here caused ripple of ex-
citement by calling Evelyn Nesbit
Thaw to the stand. She was clad i'll
her blue school girl dress. She ap-
peared promptly and walked briskly to
the witness chair, where Clerk Penny
administered the usual oath. While
she was sitting with anxious face ready
for her examination Littleton changed
his tactics and asked her to withdraw
for the time being to make way for
Policeman Thomas F. Lynch, doorman
at the Tenderloin police station at the
time Thaw was confined there. Lynch
repeated the testimony he gave at the
first trial. Thaw's action at the sta
0ion impressed witness as irrational.
Doorman Barrett, who was on duty
at the station when Thaw was first
brought there, also testified that Thaw
acted like an irrational man. Barrett
declared. on cross examination, that
Thaw when arraigned at the sergeant's
desk in the police station, appeared
like "a man who had been stabbed or
shot himself. His eyes were some
thing terrible" exclaimed the witness.
s'They stuck out like two hard boiled
eggs" The officer and district attor-
ney renewed the battle they had at
the last trial, and the cross questioning
continued at great length.
Mrs. William Thaw Appears.
Mrs. William Thaw saw her son for
the first time in months during the
noon recess. The meeting was affec-
tionate. Evelyn Thaw came in during
the interview, and it is said that she
was cordially greeted by the elderly
woman.
When Jerome had finished with the
policeman, Mrs. William Thaw was
called to the stand Her testimony
closely followed that Of the last trail,
beginning with the return of her son
to his Pittsburg home in November,
1903, after Evelyn Nesbit had told him
her story in Paris, that summer.
Usually Harry came home buoyant
and joyously." she declared, .but this
time there was not a smile"
Mrs Thaw said she asked her son
what was the matter. Il can't tell
yor, mother" he replied. II never can
tell you" The mother then repeated
what she related on the stand last
year as to her son crying and moaning
during the night: Of his frequent play
ing at the piano, when the music
would begin loud and then die away,
until finally it would stop, Thaw SIT,
ting a long while at the instrument
with his head cast down. Mrs. Thaw
said she frequently asked the son what