The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-01-23
LETTERS UPHOLD
MRS. THAWS STORY
MissIvEs FROM DEFENDANT ARE
PUT IN AS EVIDENCE.
JEROME IS ovERRuLED
vainly objects to Their Introduction
Young Wife's cross-Exanilna-
ton Ends - Defense
Nearly Through.

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 came
to an end late Tuesday. The attor-
neys for the defense then succeeded
in placing in evidence letter writ
ten by the defendant In the fall OF
1908, which completely corroborated
the claim that the girl who was to be-
come his wife did tell him the story
of her relations with Stanford White
much as she has related 1t upon the
stand at this and the former trial.
This letter was one of dozen which
were read to the jury as tending to
corEoborate young Mrs. Thaw's testi-
mony and as further tending to show
the effect her story had upon the de-
PENDANTS mind. Most OF these letters
we're 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.. Jerome OBJ
jected to their introduction into the
record Tuesday, 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.
Contents of this Letters.
Some Of the writings were addressed
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
tiers 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 interlineations.
The first letter Mr.. Littleton read
was repetition, largely, in the de-
PENDANTS own words, of the story the
Nesbit girl says she told him in Paris
in 1908. In 1t, however, Thaw refers
to two "drugged champagne" incl
dents--one at the Photographic studio
IA Twenty-second street and the other
in the Twenty-fourth street house
whereas Mrs. Thaw twice testified
that while luncheon and wine we're
served during her posing at the photo
graphic place, nothing out of the or
binary 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.
Jerome Becomes Quieter.
Mr.. Jerome was much quieter in his
handling of young Mrs. Thaw on the
stand Tuesday and his voice lacked
the high, hard pitch which filled the
courtroom Monday afternoon. The
cross-examination resolved itself for
time into a verbal battle between
prosecutor and witness and there were
several lively tits which ended only
when Justice Bowling took hand.
The defense is nearing It's close.
Wednesday Thaw's will and the
codicii made at the time of his mar
rage to Evelyn Nesbit, both OF which
were introduced last year as further
evidence Of irrationality on the part Of
the defendant, will be proved and in
troduced as evidence. Then will fol-
low the testimony of Miss Belle Moore
house Lawrence Of California, who
was Thaw's teacher when he was six
years old and could not talk intelligi-
bly,, 1t is said. Miss Lawrence kept
diary in which there are many en-
tries concerning young Thaw and an
effort will be made to get this in evil
dence. Mrs. William Thaw is expect.
ed during the day to complete her
testimony. The insanity experts
should be reached not later than
Thursday afternoon and the defense
hopes to close its case by Friday
night A week later Thaw's fate
should be in the hands of the jury.