The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-16
THAW CRAZY
NINETY SECONDS
He Tells Matteawan Physician
He Was Mad Only at Time
of Shooting, If
at All.
GOES ON STAND TO-DAY
Head Physician nj Asylum Says Three
Months Observation Conyinccs
Him That Thaw Is
Insane.

Poughkeepsle, ~ Y, May Is, DIR.
Amos 7 Baker of Matteawan asylum
was the first witness to take the stand
today In the habeas corpus case Of
Harry *. Thaw. He was called by Dis
trict Attorney Jerome. not as an ex-
pert, but 10 give the court statement
Of Thaws conduct the three months he
was in the Matteawan institution.
Or. Baker related conversations with
Thaw, IN which the relator told Of cpl
lepsy and nervous ailments suffered by
sister and uncle. Thaw, the witness
said, also told Of the desultory way In
which his education was acquired At
seven years 81 age be said he had 81,
Nitus dance he described an attack ~
pneumonia at Monte Carlo. concerning
which he did not agree with the dag
nosis Of his physician
Thaw told DR.. Baker, tho latter said,
that he used tobacco al eighteen. used
alcohol In moderation, and denied ever
Using drugs The witness said Thaw de-
scribed his movements preceding the
shooting Of white his return from Eu-
rope and marriage to Miss Nesbit.
He gave his age as thirty.soven.
though he was thirty-four when ne
entered the hospital Asked what he
thought OF the verdict of the Jury in
his last trial, Thaw told tho witness
that some Of the doctors had greatly
exaggerated their estimates of his
condition. that they had In mind a
nephew Of his whom they had xlmin-
ed who travelled under tho same
name. and was often taken for him.
He said that his lawyers and doctors
did very clever work in conflicting
his defense DR. Baker said that
Thaw said to him:
III was ever insane In my tfe
the attack began one minute before
! shot White and erded half min
ute afterward.
The doctor repeated a description
which Thaw gave him of the house
alleged to have been maintained by
Stanford White and others He said
that these men plotted tp pat him
in an asylum to prevent him from ex-
posing their alleged misdeeds 10 the
public,
District Attorney Jerome who Is op-
posing Thaw's release rested his case
before the close OF the afternoon ses.
sion and Attorney James @ Graham o
Thaw's council called several witness.
es in rebuttal. among them Rev. Luke
i p. Eyers and Rev. John A. Wade
chapalns at the Tombs prison. both OF
whom testified that they talked with
Thaw many times during his conflne.
ment there and invariably found him
rational.
y DR.. George w Jacohv, qualifying aS
an expert, said that he has examined
Thaw twice during his stay al Mattea.
wan. once IN ~he pougnkeepsle Jail ant
in court today he found Thaw log
ical he said. with good memory ant
capable Of following an argument III
gavc his unqualified opinion that Thau
Is sane at present.
pr Jaeoby was under cross-oxamina
tton by Mr.. Jerome NJ tho evening SOS
sion, Dr, Graeme Hammond, anothe
expert alenist, the last witness nf th
session. declared that Thaw Is not
paranoiac and is sane now,
After halt Of half an hour for tn
arrival Of further witnesses for the re
lator, court was adjourned at o'cloc
tonight until . o'clock tomorrow
morning The expected witnesses dI
not put In an appearance
An interesting deve,opment OF tn
day was report attributed to A. Rus
sell Peabody of Thaw's counsel, tha
Thaw would go on the witness stan,
Experts called by Mr.. jerome earle
in the day testified that In their oplr
ion Thaw Is an incurable paranoia
and that his release would be danger
Gus to public safety.