The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1909-07-15
EVELYN IN TEARS, !
AIDS HARRY THAW
Called by State, Wife Helps Hus-
bands Case. .r
WEARS HER GIRLIsH DRESS
Refuses to Admit Slayer. Of White
Threatened Her and Weeps as
u Court CompeIs Answer +, =.
+ - to Question. ~

White Plains, N. Y, July 14.-Eve-
iyn Nesbit Thaw, as pretty as ever,
petulant and school-girlish, and
dressed in the familiar blue which she
affected SO much during the trial of
her husband, Harry X. Thaw, for the
murder of Stanford White, was on the
stand for more than an hour before
Justice Mills in the supreme court,
subpoenaed by the state in its fight
to keep Thaw in the asylum for the
criminal insane at Matteawan.
But for the absence of the dainty
Elton collar, which Mrs. Thaw wore
so much during both of the murder
trials, she appeared much the same
as she did when Jerome was trying
to send Harry Thaw to the electric
chair. She is little more mature,
perhaps, but she showed the same
girlishness that won sympathy for her
while testifying heretofore, and at
times she was petulant to the extent
of tears. ~
i And though called by the state in an
endeavor to prove Harry Thaw IRA
tional, what Roger Clarke, the deupty
attorney general, drew from her lips,
created rather a favorable impression
for her husband. She was excused
from the stand shortly after four
o'clock, but was re-subpoenaed by the
state to appear again to-day.
F., Refuses to Admit Threats.
Upon the ultimate outcome of Eve
MI, Ro,hk
largely rests. Mr.. Clarke tried hard
to get her to admit that Thaw had
threatened her life when she visited
him on one occasion after his COM
mitment to Matteawan. But turning
appealingly to the court, she repeated
ly refused to answer his questions,
and after a clash between counsel,
Justice Mills ruled that he would hold
the conversation in which the threat
was supposed to have been made a
confidential one between husband and
wife, and therefore privileged until
the state presented proof to show that
Daniel O'Reilly, the New York lawyer,
who was present at the time, was
not then acting as counsel for both
Mr.. and Mrs. Thaw. This, Deputy
Attorney General Clarke promised to
do, and Mrs. Thaw was excused after
identifying papers in her husbands
handwriting.
Aside from Evelyn Thaw's appear
ance, which was the sensation of the
day, the testimony was much like
that previously given-accounts by
witnesses called by Thaw's counsel,
all of whom attested to his apparent
soundness of mind
Great Crowd to See Her.
The eagerness to see Mrs. Thaw
was lust as intense as when she APP
peared daily at the criminal courts
building. A throng of curious spec
tators crowded into every available
foot of space of the new court room,
the rumor having gone out earlier in
the day that she would testify. When
she left the stand such a crowd fol
lowed her that she had to take refuge
in the district attorneys office.
a When she first entered the court
room and made her way to the stand,
there was buzz of excitement and
a ripple of comment; but she showed
little concern. On the stand she was
reluctant to answer Mr.. Clarke's ques'
lions. The tears came to her eyes
once when Justice Mills ruled against
her, and she turned to him and said
81 guess will have to obey, for I can
not afford contempt proceedings or to
go to jail Ny husband is not paying
me anything now, and l haven't
enough money to hire counsel"
Other Witnesses Help Thaw.
On the whole, however, she told lit
tie IL anything to show that Harry
Thaw is insane, while score or more
of lay witnesses, who had observed
Thaw at various times since his com
mitment to Matteawan asylum spoke
: in his favor. The witnesses consisted
of citizens from Peekskill and Pough
keepsie, where Thaw was incarcerated
for several weeks in the Jail pending
former habeas corpus proceedings, at
PENDANTS from the asylum and various
friends of the Thaw family who had
visited the prisoner. They all testi
lieu tHdl hiS'CohNSi Se'tioh anu oSSiohs
appeared to them to be entirely ra
,tional. r5N 'rff .""
Perhaps the most favorable bit OF
testimony for Thaw to-day was that
of Frank Toomey, his bodyguard fol
five or six months at Matteawan. He
said that Thaw had exhibited no ira
tional tendency during that. time. He
admitted that Thaw had severely criti
cised the management of the institu
.tion at times, and had used harsh
names in referring to some of the
physicians in authority.
Telephone Monopoly Wins Again.
New York. July 14.-By decision
of the appellate division of the su