Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-01-03
HARRY K. THAW
COUNTING THE DAYS
CONTINUED from page one }

| tory or literature will be gone
over again for the benefit of court
and jury and curious auditors and
sensation-hungry newspapers. Again
the little child-woman will recite the
tale of the drugged wine and the
mirror-lined room and OF the terri
bic wrongs she is alleged to have
suffered at the hands OF the wealthy
architect. Again she will lay bare
her quivering heart and tell the in
most secrets OF her soul. soiled by
early associations forced upon her
by an ambitious mother and design
ing friends. Again New York will
revel for a time in the tales OF that
gay Bohemia of wealth and culture
where virtue Is laughed to scorn and
little, slender girls are the favorite
prey OF men of money and position.
This piteous tale of the life Of
Evelyn Nesbit, the childish artists
model will be retold, not as the
basis of another appeal to the "un-
written law" but to show the terri
BILE mental effect upon Thaw of the
relation of these wrongs suffered by
his wife. The story is to furnish
proof to the jury of the sudden mad
ness that came upon Thaw and trans
formed him for a short time into
revengeful, blood-thirsty lunatic,
with no room in his mind but for the
one thought of vengeance upon the
man who had betrayed his wife.
Attorney Littleton will maintain,
from his first speech to the jury,
that Evelyn Thaw's testimony alone
shows conclusively Thaw's mental
and legal responsibility at the time
of the commission OF the crime. All
other circumstances tending to prove
Thaw insane will be marshalled be-
fore the jury, and greater stress will
be laid upon these than upon the
theoretical testimony of experts and
alienists.
BY combining the defense strictly
and closely along lines OF the tech
nical and logical proof of insanity,
| "a
cided advantage over District Attor-
ney Jerome and his staff of alienists.
1.-THE fact that the alienist for the
prosecution swore at the first trial
that Thaw was insane, from the
standpoint of medical science, but
that he was legally sane, will be
urged ASIA very close distinction on
which to send man to the electric
chair, the prison or the madhouse.
Strong stress will be laid by Mr..
Littleton upon Thaw's semi-religious
fervor previous to the commission of
the crime, which led to the belief
in his mind that he was the chosen
agent of Providence and that it was
his mission and his duty to remove
| from the world man whom he look
ed upon as an inhuman monster.
Thaw's remarkable last will and tes-
| lament by with he devoted a fund
to the discovery and punishment of
his assassins, and a large sum for
caring for the young women whom
he declared had been the victims of
| Stanford White, will also be intro
duced as an evidence of Thaw's in
sanity
| Opinions differ as to the length of
time which will he required to sc.
cure a jury. 1t is reasonably certain
that there is not to be found in New
York an educated man, qualified to
act as juror in a case as important
as this, who is not more or less ia
miliar with the case and the testi-
mony adduced at the previous trial.
Interest in the case has been so uni
versal, too, that nearly all have
| formed opinions as to Thaw's guilt
or innocence, opinions which would
probably be difficult to eradicate.
These opinions are probably gov
] erned largely by the newspapers
which the prospective jurors have
read. What is commonly called the
New York yellow press" has played
up every fact favorable to Thaw and
the habitual reader of such journals
would naturally be possessed of a
firmly fixed opinion that the young
Pittsburg millionaire is much
wronged man and should Immediate
ly be given his liberty. The conserva-
tive press, on the other hand. has
occasionally lapsed from its attitude
of judicial calm to denounce Thaw
and to defend the maligned memory
Of Stanford White, at times painting
him as a white-souled angel whose
angelic robes have been soiled by
the calumy Of a malicious and men
dacious woman.
The great mass Of New York men
reflect one or the other of these
opinions IN their conversation re-
garding the Thaw case. The hui
man interest stories which enter
prising reporters have woven. with
Harry and Evelyn Thaw as hero and
heroine. have won the sympathies of
many thousands Of men and this fact
will likely be much I'm evidence when
the attempt to get a jury begins ON
Monday.
/ HfI1fnr-