The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-06
THAW ON TRIAL.
Second Hearing of the Cele ebrat-
ed Case Begins.
All the Old Ground to Be Gone
Over Again.
1T MAY TAKE A MONTH
To Secnre a Jury That Will be
Acceptable.
u. w. Lit:1eton Appears as
Chief Counsel for Defense.

New York, Jan. 6.-The second trlai
of Harry X Thaw was begun tooaS
before Justice Downing in the state
supreme court and at the very outset
of the proceedings plea OF lnsaIh'y
at the time of the killing Of StahIoru
White was entered in behalf OF the
defendant. Last year the case was
fought out on straight plea OF not
guilty but plea of temporary insanity
was relied upon. One juror Charles
E. GrenmeIs, a ship broker, was ac-
cepted by both sides. at the close OF
the morning session. None of the
Jurors will be sworn until the box is
filled and all will be subject to per
emptory challenge until the joint oath
is administered. This arrangement is
a departure from last year. when each
juror was sworn as chosen
Neither District Attorney jerome
nor counsel for the defense would
hazard an estimate today os to the
time that will be required to find IL
satisfactory men. Eighty-s1x OF the
first 100 taIesmen summoned were.
present this morning.
Mrs. Evelyn Thaw was pursued Dy
crowds as curious as ever, and had TO
be escorted in and out of the court
house by a detail of policemen
New York Jan. 6.-Harry K. Thaw
today for the second time faces a trial
on a charge of wilful murder After
months of waiting in the Tombs, the
tedious work of securing jury TO Try
the young Pittsburger for the k1lnns
of Stanford White has been begun IN
the criminal branch of the supreme
court, the same room in which InaW
sat daily for nearly three months our
ing the previous trial.
Compared with the former trial, IN
terest in New York is at a low ebb.
The rearrangement of the court room,
has materially lessened the number OF
seats for representatives OF the press,
but the demand for room for reporters
has been considerably less than at the
former trial and there will be no trou-
BILE in accommodating all those VINO
are entitled to press seats, in spite OF
the reduced accommodations:
1t is probable that many tedious days
will be spent in securing jury. 1t has
already been decided that jurymen viii
be placed under lock and key from the
moment they are chosen until they nm
ally finish with the case, and this Will
add to the difficulty of finding a Jury
It will not be a surprise to the attor-
neys if a month or more is consumed
in securing the jury
District Attorney Jerome and Assist
ant Attorney Garvin will again repre-
sent the people in the case while Martin
w. LittIeton, a we'll known Brooklyn
attorney will appear as Thaw,s chler
counsel replacing Dolphin M1chael
DeImas, the California lawyer who
headed the defense'S corps OF lawyers
at the former trial
The prosecutions direct case Will be
brief The actual killing will be proved
and then the defense will have an op-
portunity to prove, if it can, that Thaw
was not mentally responsible when he
fired the shot which ended the life of
Stanford White. It is said that the
defense has subpoenaed large num-
ber of additional witnesses for this
trial, but it is believed that Evelyn Nes-
bit Thaw will be the principal witness
for the defense. That she will tell
practically the same story as she told
in the last trial is probable. but it is
rumored that the prosecution Will
cross-examine her more severely than
was done at the other trial Assistant
District Attorney Garvin is said to
have spent a greater portion of his va
cation in Europe last summer in going
over the route of the trip through Eur
ope made by Thaw and Evelyn Nesbit
before they were married and 1t is not
impossible that he secured information
there that may come out on the cross
examination.
been summoned. 100 of whom re-
ported today A second hundred will
report tomorrow and the remainder
on Wednesday.
Curious Crowds Gather.
The usual curious crowds were
gathered about the criminal courts
building this morning in the hope Of
he crossed the bridge of signs. In
the corridors of the court house there
was also a throng of several hundred
persons who had come to witness the
opening scenes of this new rehearsal
of an old story. A squad of fifty po-
licemen kept the passageways clear.
The arrangements were far better
than at the first trial when the crush
to get into the court room amounted
practically to a riot. The word that
women were to be barred had been
given out and there was none but
newspaper writer's on hand today. Last
year at the beginning OF the trial
women predominated in the court
room and it was their insistency which
caused much of the disorder of the
opening day.
Before the Thaw case was reached
Justice Dowling charged the January
grand jury and attended to the other
formalities of the new term.
Thaw was elated over the fact that
the day Of his new trial had at last
arrived.
Mrs: George Lauder Carnegie. his
brothers, called on the defendant in
the Tombs prison and brought him a
message of greeting from his mother
who is still too i'll at her home in
Pittsburg to come for the trial.
1t was the first time in several
months that Thaw had seen his sister
and brother and his greetings were
affectionate.
Mrs. Harry K. Thaw went direct
from her hotel to the court house.
There were the usual number of ru-
mors about the court house today.
one of them being that the first 100
names had been stricken from the spe-
cial jury panel of 500 on account of
the publicity given to their selection
Clerk of the Court Penny said there
was no truth in the report. One hun
dred taleSmen are under orders to