The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-01-31

Hypothetical Question OF 10000
Words Asked tho Experts by Lit-
: tlefcn-Abe Hummsfs Testimony
TO ne Taken Today.

Words Asked the Experts by lat
tlefcn-Abc HummerS Testimony
Co he Taken Today.
New York. January T.-The Thaw
defense closed its case today with
maniac depressive' insanity m the
explanation oe the death OF Stanford
White at the hands OF the young Pitts
burg millionaire. Tomorrow the proc
ecution will begin its evidence In re-
buttal and the case should 60 20 the
jury by Wednesday night or Thursday
noon. District Attorney Jerome to-
morrow morning will apply for the ap-
pointment OF n commission To take the
testimony OF Abraham hummel. the
disbarred and convicted lawyer. who is
confined in the penitentiary on Black
wells island and who il said TO be too
i'll 10 appear in court Mr.. Littleton
said he would oppose any such action.
whereupon Justice Dowling announced
that IL necessary he would SO to the
island himself in company With the de-
: fendant and his counsel 90 preside at
the taking OF Hummel's testimony.
The jury. II was stated. would not be
compelled 10 taae the night trip across
! the river. Thaw seemed delighted at
the prospect OF the outing.
II was left TO Justice Bowling 60
make a post important inquiry of tho
alienists. He desired TO know the cx-
act patnra nf nj In
sanity and Il the attacks were likely
10 recur. He also asked IL a person
suffering from this form OF insanity
would be likely TO commit assaults.
He learned that II was recurrent
form OF mental disorder. the attacks
coming suddenly and without warning.
= period Of insanity being followed by
a maniacal outburst. then by a period
OF complete depression and then by
another lucid interval. II seemed that
the presiding judge was securing in
format n upon which TO predicate
judicial action in the event of n ver-
dict Of not guilty on the ground of
insanity or OF a straight acquittal.
Even in the latter event Justice Dow
ling would have the right To have
Thaw committed for examination.
An English physician. one OF the
three foreign men Of medicine who tes-
titled today, first gave the name OF
maniac Oppressive" or "subacute
mania" TO Thaw's mental cond lion.
DR.. Sydney Russell Wells OF London
made the diagnosis during an outbreak
b. Thaw In London I'm 1899.
Mr.. Littleton's Hypothetical question
which was answered by the three ex-
perts, was a complete Resume OF the
evidence, with the exception, IA Dis
tTict Attorney Jerome pointed out OF
the testimony of James Clinch Smith.
brother-in-law of Stanford White. who
talked with Thaw for fifteen minutes
just before the shooting on the roof OF
Madison Square Garden. The question
contained some 10000 words
Dr. Charles Francis Bingaman. the
Thaw family physician Of Pittsburg
was put on the stand when court op-
ened today. DR.. Bingaman told OF the
early symptoms OF nervousness in
to attend the boy when he was three
years old At that time his nervous
ness often bordered on commissions
The attacks usually followed various
other childrens diseases.
The third of the foreign witnesses
was DR.. Burton Browne. of London. II
was In March 1902 that the witness
was called TO attend Thaw in Rome.
He diagnosed the case as one of sim
pie or mild mania There was no evil
'1ence of alcoholism. The mania last
ed about &c hours.
Dr.. Maurice Guaga Of Paris. who at
tended Thaw in Paris in the spring OF
1904 when he attempted suicide by
swallowing laudanum described Thaw's
condition but said he had not dag
nosed it as laudanum poisoning. At
first he thought 1t was ptomaine pois-
oning.
DR.. Smith Ely Jelliffe OF Columbia
University. was sworn and 1t was
agreed that the hypothetical question
should be read to him, DR.. Charles G..
Wagner, of Binghampton. N. Y, and
Britton ID. Evans Of Morris Place, N.
j., at the same time. Mr.. Llttleton
took one hedr and forty five minutes
70 read the question.
After a half hour recess DR. Wagner
was called and he said In answer to
the question that he believed Thaw
was suffering from defect OF reason
when he killed Stanford White. DR..
Wagner was asked TO explain manic
depressiye' insanity to- the jury. The
witness said it was circular form OF
insanity. where periods OF maniacaI
violence were followed by spells OF
depression or melancholia and then by
a period Of sanity. the same process
recurring from time to time.
Doctors Evans and Jelliffe each stat