The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-01-31
mi IS HIS AIM
CONTINUED from First Page.)

"As to the woman, If my manner
was n Of disapprobation. that is not
evidence. Neither I nor the woman
is being tried. Harry Thaw is on
trial for the murder Of Stanford
White. The defense is that he was
insane on the night OF June Is, 1906,
that he was not generally insane OF
is insane now. All you have to deal
with, all I have to deal with, is
whether or not at a particular time
and place this defendant was insane
whether when he shot and killed
Stanford White he knew that the act
was wrong and against the law Of the
land"
II shall endeavor," Mr.. Jerome
added coldly, ito dissect the evidence
in this case, to trace It step. by step
and to show you that the burden the
law places upon the defense Of prov.
ing the insanity Of this defendant has
not been met"
Murder as Defined by Law.
Jerome explained the different de.
grees Of murder defined by the law
and said in this case the only verdict
possible under the circumstances was
murder in the first degree, murder in
the second degree, manslaughter in
the first degree, or not guilty on the
ground Of insanity.
The district attorney declared Thaw
plainly had a motive for killing Stan
ford White. Every act Of his for
two years before the tragedy pointed
to his deadly and consuming hate OF
the man he killed. Thaw believed
that White had drugged and mis-
treated his wife. He knew that
White had kept him out Of a New
York club. He knew that White had
threatened his life, II the stage door
man is to be believed. He knew Just
a month before the tragedy White
had told Mackenzie that he heard
Thaw and Evelyn were not living
happily together and he would get
the girl back.
ut matters not whether you be.
lieve the girls story Of the drugging
or not" declared Mr.. Jerome. THE
relations Of this middle.aged married
man with the girl Of Is cry out to
heaven and no decent man can say a
word In defense.
No Defense for White.
II certainly have no intention Of
doing so. But with all the things /
have pointed out to you, II there was
no motive in the heart OF this de-
PENDANT, l can imagine nothing that
can create a MOTIVE"
In his speech last year, MI. Jerome
passionately defended Stanford
White. declaring that, his spirit how
cred ever near the court room, crying
out to be heard in defense, crying out
for some n to tell the truth and pro-
tect a character Evelyn Nesbit had
sought to blacken.
The prosecutor today took up one
by one the acts Of Thaw on the roof
garden Immediately following the
tragedy, asserted they all pointed to
q full knowledge OF what he was do
ing, that his eyes fell on the mon
ster" who had done him many
wrongs, against whom he had many
grievances, and the premeditated muir
der came to startle the whole world.
Thaw's movements were character
lied by the utmost elaboration. Mr..
Jerome said:
I'VE find Thaw armed in the gar
den-armed for a single purpose,
armed for the man he walked UP to
and killed by three bullets.
"Is there anything insane about all
this? He was nervous as a child. he
had fits and tantrums; he did not like
algebra: he was always pale with
staring eyes: he may have had out
bursts here and there; but what has
all that to do with this case? You
are to consider only II Thaw had the
capacity to know he had a pistol in
hist pocket. II he knew It was Stan
ford White toward whom he was
walking and If he knew the act was
against the law. That is ALL"
Reviews Evidences.
Mr.. Jerome reviewed In great de-
tail the evidence presented as to
many alleged irrational outbreaks by
Thaw and declared he could find in
them no trace Of brain storm, or ma,
niac-depressive insanity.
"But II you gentlemen cam" he
added. Il beg you to give the defend
ant the beneat Of It. We Ill have had
tantrums In our childhood when We
were aishted. but were We insaney