The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-01-17

Witnesses Testify to Actions of TiiaST
csa the Day of the Tragedy-Siore
Delving Into History OF Prisoners
Family-ResuIt of Acquiral Upon
the Insanity Plea.

New York, january 15.-Adhering
strictly to their promise to interpose
NO other defense than that of insan-
ity in behalf of their client, the at
torneys representing Harry 4. Thaw
at his trial today continued the examl-
nation of witnesses who swore tat
young Thaw at various times In his
life appeared to them as irrational and
mentally unsound.
practically all the testimony was
entirely new to the case and had to
do with acts dorte on the day of the
tragedy itself Then came the declara-
ton of the ten, men who sat on the
coroner's jury during the inquiry into
Stanford Whites death, all of whom
declared that the defendant the day
following the shooting acted irration-
ally. His manner and appearance were
such as to dause inquest jury to dis
euss his state of mind after their for
NAL verdict had been rendered.
In the days testimony there was
more del1ng into the history of the
Thaw family, Alfred Lee ThaW, OF
Richmond, Va, third cousin of the
defenda1t, taking the stand and tell
ing of tie taint of insanity which had
caused His father and brother to die in
the asylum.
Sonae of Thaw's alleged eccentri-
cities, were related today by Christie
ph9r Baggan, steward of the New
vnlGI~ wx1~;- aI,,J Inv tToti
Stein. a telephone operator, and
aAugust Weber, former butler in the
4 Thaw household. Thaw spent por-
ton of the afternoon or June 25, 1906,
at the whist club and at that time-a
few hours before the tragedy-was pic
tured by the steward as being highly
nervous and as frequently exclaiming
"this is awful" Five days before the
tragedy he asked the steward to have
valuable package put into a safe At
ter the shooting the package was open
ed and found to contain three cigar
cites wrapped in tin foil. District At
torney Jerome in cross-examining the
clubs steward brought out the fact that
Thaw played bridge there with many
prominent men. The witnesses declar-
ed he was not supposed to know what
MIR. Thaw, Mr.. Gates, Mr.. Schwab and
the others played for, but he was sure
nothing but mineral water was ever
served at the tables
The telephone operator told of Thaw
putting in rs calls one morning at the
Grand hotel and then forgetting all
about them.
The butler told many details of
Thaw's life at homo in 1908 and was
still under examination when adjourn
ment was taken.
The separate incidents of alleged ir-
rational conduct on the part Of the de-
fendant was being put in evidence by
MIR. Littleton as the foundation of
, the expert testimony that is to come.
He also hopes to accumulate such a
mass of testimony as to Thaw's erratic
conduct as to make it impossible for
the district attorney to fulfill the task
the law places upon him of proving
Thaw sane beyond every reasonable
doubt"
DR.. Horatius c. Wood Philadelphia
was called to the stand as the first
witness today. Dr. Wood made an ex-
animation some years afo of Harriet
Alice Thaw, a relative of the defend
ant. DR.. Wood said that Miss Thaw
was OF unsound mind.
christopher Baggan, a steward at
the New York whist club, testified that
Thaw was in the club room on June 20,
1906, five days before the roof garden
tragedy. Although the day was hot
Thaw insisted on taking a screen with
him wherever he went about the
rooms.
Miss Matilda Stein, who was a tele-
phone operator at the Grand hotel I'm
1908 and 1904 when Thaw was a guest
there. testified that she knew Thaw
under the name'of Farr. She saw him
often and his eyes were always buIg-
ing and staring. His manner was IRA
toaaI. Thaw put in seventy-five tels-