The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1908-01-31
THAW'S INSANITY
Oppressive
so DR.. SNYDER RUSSELL WELLS
OF LONDON DIAGNOSED
HIS CASE IN 1899.
Three AIienists Heard-Jerome Re.
trains from Batting These Wit
nesses-Defense Closes and End Of
Trial Is in Sight.

New York, Jan. 28.-The Thaw de-
tense closed it's case Monday with
'manic-depressive" insanity as the ex-
PLANTATION of the death of Stanford
White at the hands of the young Pitts
burg millionaire.
Tuesday the prosecution will begin
it's evidence in rebuttal, and the case
should go to the jury by Wednesday
night or Thursday noon. District At
torney Jerome Tuesday will apply for
the appointment of commission to
take the testimony of Abram Hummel,
in the penitentiary on Blackwell's is
land, and who is said to be too i'll to
appear in court. Mr.. Littleton of the
defense said he would oppose any such
action, whereupon Justice Bowling an
nounced that if necessary he would go
to the island himself Tuesday night
in company with the defendant and
his counsel to preside at the taking of
Hummel's testimony. The jury, it
was stated, would not be compelled to
take the night trip across the river.
Thaw seemed delighted at the prospect
of the outing-even to the grim
shores of New York city's penal col
ony-and smiled broadly at the courts
suggestion.
Jerome Mild with Alienists.
Mr. Jerome disappointed crowded
courtroom when he refrained from his
tactics Of last year in batting the ex-
pert witnesses for the defense, three
of whom-Drs. Wagner, Evans and
Jeliffe-declared that Thaw, at the
time he killed Stanford White was suf-
fering from such defect of reason as
not to know the nature or quality of
his act or that the act was wrong.
The prosecutor contented himself
with drawing from the alienists the
fact that last year they swore it was
during brain storm" that Thaw
committed the homicide He also read
from the affidavit made by DR.. Wag-
ner before the lunacy commission last
year giving conversations had with
Thaw in court which tended to show
that the defendant had distinct recol-
lection of occurrences on the roof
garden Immediately preceding the
tragedy.
What "Manc-Depressive" Is.
It was left to Justice Bowling to
make a most important inquiry of the
act nature of 'manic-depressive" in
sanity and if the attacks were likely
to recur He also asked if person
suffering from this form of insanity
would likely to commit assaults. He
learned that 1t was recurrent form
of mental disorder, the attacks coming
suddenly and without warning, a
period of insanity being followed by
a maniacal outburst, then by period
of complete depression and then by
another lucid interval.
1t seemed that the presiding judge
was securing information upon which
to predicate judicial action in the
event Of a verdict Of not guilty on the
ground of insanity or Of straight ac-
quittaly Even In this latter event, it
was pointed out, Justice Bowling
would have the right to have Thaw
committed for examination.
An English physician, one Of the
three men of medicine who testified,
first gave the name of "manic-depres-
sive" or "sub-acute mania" to Thaw's
mental condition. DR.. Snyder Russell
Wells of London made the diagnosis
during an outbreak by Thaw in Lon.
don in 1899 when with a normal tenn
perature Thaw demanded that the
walls of his rooms in a nursing home
be torn down so that he might have
air and that 20 tons of ice be put in
the apartment to cool it.