Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-31
EXAGGERATED EGO LIKELY TO
HOLD SLAYER BEHIND BARS
COURT ASKS QUESTIONS HARD
FOR DEFENDANT TO ANSWER
Judge Claims Prisoner Has Not Per-
mltted Counsel to Conduct Case
Properly, and Client Admits
Interruptions
tcontinued from Page Ono,

opinions of the experts, but Thaw
seemed to have them just as accurately
fixed in his mind, and once or twice
corrected the prosecutor. He admitted
some Of the physicians might have
been right. Others, he said were
mistaken" One he declared presented
wllfully a distorted verdict.
The court room was even warmer
than yesterday, and Thaw had worked
with his counsel until 10:30 last night
examining a bundle of Jeromes docu-
mentary evidence, which he expected
to have explained today. Nevertheless.
he presented the air of a man whose
task is over, a calm confidence that
showed he was satisfied with his pre-
yious showing and assurance that he
was a match for the district attorney.
Thaw asked for the reports of sew
eral experts and pointed out several
alleged inconsistencies in their evil
dence.
WELL" began Jerome, "here were all
these trained specialists who thought
you were insane"
mot all of them," interrupted Thaw.
"I don't think DR.. Hamilton and DR..
White did.
Thaw said the allonists thought he
suffered from defective reason" and
Jerome jumped at his chance.
what did they mean by defective
reason'?"
"I think the term explains itself"
Explain it," insisted Jerome, what
do you think 1t means
Thaw looked down and was unable
to find words to frame his reply. He
seemed relieved when Jerome branched
to the decision of Judge Morschauser,
before whom 'Thaw made his first ef-
fort for liberty from Matteawan.
Didn't Judge Morsohauser declare
you were hopelessly insane?" demanded
the cross examiner.
"No," said Thaw. "He held that
had not proven myself sane"
Mr.. Morschauser asked a word with
his client and Jerome protested.
"This kind of thing has gone on from
the first" he said.
jerome Gets Angry
"This man gets up in the air and his
counsel interrupts to give him a chance
to recover himself"
whatever Judge Morschauser may
have said in his decision" asserted
Thaw, IT know that he thinks now l
am perfectly sane, for I talked with
him two weeks ago and he said So"
Explain what you mean when you
say you are legally sane, exclaimed
Jerome. sg.-
"I am Of the same opinion as told
the jury and as all the medical men
who have examined me in the last
three years are, and 1 know Judge
Morschauser is-that I am now sane
and there is no danger of the recur-
renee of my trouble"
do you think you were legally in
lsane when you killed White?'
"That Is my best opinion, but don't
know"
"What do you mean by being in
sane?"
'Defective reason" replied Thaw
and found too late he had brought the
discussion right back to its former
troublesome question.
What is defective reason'?" flashed
Jerome.
Thaw pondered and finally answered:
mot being responsible for my acts
Speaking Of the alienists, the witness
remarked:
"You can't blame them for doing
their best to make out good case for
me. They were being we'll paid for 1t. ="
The district attorney suddenly
switched to the testimony of Cllftord
w Hartridge and Susan Merrill. Thaw
denied he had ever rented rooms at
the latter's houses.
do you think you We're innocent or
guilty when you killed White?' asked
Jerome, nimbly jumping back again.
Justice Mills put the question this
"Do YOU think you are now an inno-
cent man in the eyes of the law?'
"As the law is laid down for jury, "
answered Thaw, II think 1 am inno-
cent"
Thaw murmured something about
"brainstorm."
Jerome asked about the story he
once scalded q girl in a hot bath tuo
and that he had taken girl named
Ruth Lambert automobiling in Paris
and brought her back naked with welts
from a beating.
"Crazy les said Thaw contemptu-
ously.
Refreshing his memory from manu-
script In his hand, the district attor-
ney recalled other scandalous stories
about the witness that came out during
his trials. Thaw's comment was the
same-''lies."
The witness was again at his ease.
Tales of cruelty in early youth
beating a boy and driving horse to
death, the former told the sanity COM
mission by cousin named Lyons, the
latter told by his brother, Josiah Thaw
the witness likewise denied.
Claims Rumors Exaggerated
His explanation was that his relatives
in their zeal to save him on the in
sanity plea, might have used or ex-
! aggerated "mere rumors."
'Wasn't it true that you were known
as Mad Harry?'" questioned Jerome.
Eyes, might have been called that,
but the same thing may be true of
almost anybody. For instance, I've
heard you called Crazy Jerome but
for that reason don't think you are
| insane"
why did you think you and your
wife might take Pittsburg by storm,
and that you might be senator from
| Pennsylvania % went on Jerome, re-
ferring to letter in which the witness
made this remark.
"I don't know. We would have set
tied down comfortably and got along.
| In my case money would not have been
as much of a handicap to political
career as in most cases."
my father" explained Thaw, "made
his money mainly in railroad building
and in starting steamship lines. In
other words, he made $40 for his coun-
try for every one for himself, and he
| gave twice as much to charity as he
gave to me and my brothers and sis
| ters."