The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-04
AIIsnilts Testify That He Is.
ASsur5dIJ Insane
THAW SOMEWHAT WORRIED,
One of the Alenists Who Quzzed
Thaw Is Upset by Defendants :
Counsel Who Asks Him II
About His Book. Il

White Plains, n Y, August 3.-Three
of those medical men known as alien
lists who. have become such familiar
part of modern criminal court procedure
united in the supreme court today to
y make it unpleasant for Harry K. Thaw
who killed Stanford White and was ad-
judged insane but now demands his, re-
lease from the Matteswan asylum for
the criminal insane, as a mentally nor
NAL man.
All three testified that he was insane
and when Thaw took the stand briefly
after some disconcerting testimony he was
plainly ruffled and nervous, but Mr.. Je-
rome dismissed him after a few COM
paratively unimportant questions.
OF the alienists who testified, DR.. Aus
tin Flint, DIR. William Hirsch and DIR.
Amos T. Baker, the last named gave
testimony of the most Importance. He is
acting superintendent physician of Mat
teawan, and appears as witness with
out compensation the only alienist in
the case with this distinction.
Justice Mills called attention to this
fact and took a hand in questioning him.
DR.. Baker said in his opinion Thaw
was not only insane now, but danger
Gus person to be at large. Shortly after
this Mr.. jerome quickly called Thaw to
the stand. He was pale and apparently
shaken. The district attorney put some
rather incoherent notes written by the
prisoner in evidence and asked him to
explain them. After parties back and
forth and laborous explanations by Thaw
as to the meaning of certain writings.
he said:
| And | want you to know Mr.. Jerome,
| that many of these notes you call sug-
| gestfons were written at the request OF
my lawyers"
| do you mean to tell us, who observed
you in both homicide trials" asked Mr..
| Jerome that you did not believe you
| knew more about the case than your law
| yers did?'
Il do" was the quick reply from Thaw.
He admitted that he did offer some sug
gestions to his lawyers.
Thaw was excused after a bit more of
this ordeal and DR.. Austin Flint was
called. DIR. Flint described a paranoiac
as a person dominated by certain delu-
sions, whose mental and physical state
might not otherwise be affected except
in so far as these delusons influence
him.
"Paranoiacs," he concluded, impressive
ly, never recover.
DR.. Hirsch varied the general verdict
by calling Thaw a degenerate paranoiac.
Thaw's attorney attacked this testimony.
In DR.. Flints case he endeavored to show
that he had given contradictory tesH-
mony in two previous cases where he ap-
peared as an expert. He caused DR..
Hirsch some unhappiness by inquiring
about a book he is writing.
do you, in this book. claim that Jesus
Christ was a paranoiac?' he asked. The
alienist's reply was that he would not
like to give opinion
The alienists today delivered their opin-
ions of Thaw in answer to Jerome's hypo-
thetical question, only small part of
which was read.
The states alienists will probably occupy
the centr of the stage for two days more.
Mr. Morschauser will continue tomorrow
his examination of DR.. Flint or DR.. Hirsch.
DR.. Carlos r. Mcdonald has yet to tes-
tify. He will be called by Mr.. jerome.