Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-08-18
THAW BACK TO MATTEAWAN.
He Staggcrs Backward and Falls
Onto Cot When News Comes.

premc Court, and ordered to be sent
| back TO the Matteawan Sta:c Asylum
| for the criminal insane Immediately.
The order Of Justice Mills was
| turned over to the Westchester coun-
| ty authorities by the clerk Of court,
| and Thaw himself, in Jail at White
| Plains, was Informed Of the decision.
Arrangements were made to take
him back t. Matteawan to-day. JUS
tice Mills, I'm his decision, finds that
Thaw is now insane and unable to
properly care for himself. The de-
cision contained 5000 words, and
thoroughly covered the insanity
hearing that had been held before
Justice Mills.
Thaw awaited the decision in his
cell in the jail at White Plains. He
was plainly nervous, and paced up
and down, almost unnerved. Ar
rangements had been made to let
him know the decision as soon as 1t
was made public by the clerk of the
court. When he learned his fate,
Thaw stopped his nervous walk up
and down the cell and stood stock
still. He did not seem to compre-
hend what had been told him.
Then, when he realized that he
gered backward and fell upon the
cell cot He covered his face with
his hands, and for time could not
be aroused. Mrs. Mary Copley
Thaw, the prisoners mother, and his
sister, the former Countess of Var
mouth, were almost overcome at the
news. Alice Thaw tried to comfort
her mother, but the aged woman,
who has battled so long and so un-
tiringly for her son. showed plainly
that the decision was a terrible blow
to her.
Some Other Institution.
Immediately after the decision OF
Justice Mills had been filed with the
county clerk he informed counsel for
Thaw that at his chambers in Mount
Vernon on Friday he would listen TO
argument on the part of the Thaw
lawyers as to why the patient should
be committed to some other State
institution other than Mattcawan
Lawyer MOrSchauSer at once inform
ed the court that he would appear
before him tomorrow and argue the
matter, stating that although Jus
tice MiilS's decision ordered Thaw
back to Matteawan, he believed that
he should be contend to some other
institution than the one in which he
has been confined for the past year.
Decision was Strong One.
Justice Mills's decision was the
strongest against Thaw that has
been hapded down by any judge
since the two trials of the prisoner.
His decision can be 5ummed up as
follows:
That the insaT ity that Harry X.
Thaw was afflicted with in June.
1906, the date of the shooting of
Stanford White, was chronic delu-
Sivc insanity, generally hnown as
paranoia; that Harry *. Thav has
not yet recovered, and that in para
noia recovery is very doubtful.
Danger to Public Safety.
That the enlargement of Harry K.
Thaw now would be danger to pub
lie peace and safety.
''Therefore,' he said, 81 dismiss
the writ of habeas corpus and re-
mand Harry X. Thaw to the custody
OF the defendant by whom he was
produced. (Dr Baker, Of the Mat
teawan asyumD.
In his decision Justice Mills said
that he based his belief that Thaw
not very strong, trace of insanity in
Thaw's ancestry. He quoted the let
ter that Mrs. Mary Copley Thaw
wrote to Prof. Beck when Thaw was
eleven years old. In this letter the
mother said that she feared her
sons mind might be affected.
Perhaps it is not all badness"
she wrote, but an affection Of the
brain"
Thaw Believed Evclyn's Story.
The court laid stress on the fact
that Thaw believed the story of
Whites actions told to him by Eve
lyn Nesbit. In regard to this, Jus
tice Mills said:
'ln 1901 Harry Thaw met Eve
lyn Nesbit, became enamored of her
and subsequently married her. She
was the mistress OF Stanford White
He knew this. She told him various
wild and grossly improbable stories
OF the inception of her acquaintance
with White. Thaw was far from II
moral man, as is shown by the story
OF Mrs. Susan Merrill, but he had
implicit faith in the stories told him
by the woman he later married. That
he should believe these stories is, to
my mind, evidence that he was suf-
fcring from dclusion."
The Crime.
(llarry Thaw shot and killed
Stanford White, architect, June 20,
1906, on the Madison Square roof
garden during the performance of
Madam Butterfly. musical comedy.
He was tried later and miStrial re-
suited. On the second trial he was
acquitted Of murder. but sent to
Mattcawah asylum for the insane.
He has made repeated attempts to
regain his liberty. The killing was
result of Whites alleged attentions