The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-01-24
HER ORDEAL IS ENDED
Cross.Examination of Evelyn
ThaW Concluded.
LETTERS FROM Defendant
Placed in Evidence to Confederate the
Story Told by His Wife-Witness
and District Attorney Jerome En-.
gage in a Verbal Battle.

anu DiStTiCt Httoiuey SS'oHS Ell
gage in Verbal Battle.
New York, Jan. 22.-District Attor-
ney Jerome's long and severe
cross-examination of Mrs. Evelyn
Nesbit Thaw at the trial of her
husband has ended. The attor-
neys for the defense afterward
succeeded in placing in evidence
letter written by the defendant in
the fall OF 1903, which completely cor
roborated the claim that the girl who
was to become his wife did tell him
the story of her relations with Stan
ford White much as she has related
it upon the stand at this and the for
mer trial
This letter was one of dozen
which were read to the jury as tend
ing to corroborate young Mrs. Thaw's
testimony and as further tending to
show the effect her story had upon
the defendants mind. Most of these
letters 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.. Je-
rome objected to their Introduction
into the record, but was overruled by
Justice Bowling after Thaw himself
had made waiver of the confidential
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 adj
dressed to Mr. Longfellow 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 let
ters intended for the young woman
Thaw constantly bespoke his love and
respect for her. Many of the SEN
fences rambled on incoherently and
there were many scratches, erasures
and iuterlineations.
Repetition of His Wife's Story.
The first letter Mr.. Littleton read
was repetition, largely in the de-
fendant's own words, of the story the
Nesbit girl says she told him in Paris
in 1903 In it, however, Thaw refers
to two "drugged champagne" Incl
dents-one at the Photographic studio
in Twenty-second street and the other
in the Twenty-fourth street house
whereas Mrs, Thaw twice testified
that while luncheon and wine were
served during her posing at the pho
toCraphic place, nothing out of the
ordinary occurred. Thaw's letter cor
roborated Mrs. Thaw in that he de-
clared 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 than formerly and his voice
lacked the high, hard pitch which
filled the courtroom at preceding ses-
sions. The cross examination resolved
itself for time into verbal battle
between prosecutor and witness and
there were several lively tits which
ended only when Justice Bowling took
a hand.
The defense is nearing it's close.
Thaws will and the codicil made at
| the time of his marriage to Evelyn
Nesbit, both of which were introduced
last year as further evidence of ir-
nationality on the part of the defen-
dant, will be proved and introduced as
evidence. Then will follow the testi-
mony Of Miss Belle Moorehouse Law
renee of California, who was Thaw's
! teacher when he was six years old
and could not talk intelligibly, it is
said Miss Lawrence kept dairy in
which there are many entries con-
corning young Thaw and an effort
! will be made to get this in evidence.
Mrs. William Thaw is then expected
to complete her testimony. The in
sanity experts should be reached not
later than Thursday afternoon and
the defense hopes to close its case by
Friday night. A week later Tbaw's
fate should be in the hands of the
/ i1ry