Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-02
THAW WITNESSES TOLD
Testimony of Family and AS
sociates Read by Jerome.
HIS MOTHER is PERTURBED
Her Story of His Childhood Re-
peated in Court.
WIFE'S TALE OF ECCENTRICITY
Evidence Given by Teachers. Physi-
clans. Servants and Others
Recited Again>
WIFE'S TALE OF ECCENTRICITY

WHITE PLAINS, \. Y. August o.-The
third week of the supreme court hearing
on Harry X Thaw's habeas corpus pro-
ceedings to secure his release from the
state hospital for the criminal insane
opened today.
Expectation that the Matteawan prison.
err or his wife might take the stand at
any minute packed the courtroom long
before 10 o'clock when Justice Mills
opened the morning session. Tbaw ap-
peared refreshed by the two days rest
that have INTERVIEWED
| District Attorney Jerome took I'D the
reading of testimony from the second trial
where he left Off last Friday afternoon
From several bound volumes of court
minutes at his elbow he selected that con-
tanning the evidence of Catherine O'Neill,
a former seamstress in the Thaw house
hold at Pittsburg
This related chiefly to Thaw's acts dur
ing childhood particularly his fits of pas
SION Mr.. Jerome explained that this was
the only means of getting such testimony
oefore the court and in the record.
Mothers Testimony Moves Her.
The story of Thaws childhood and the
his mother followed
her son, seemed about to lose control of
| herself
Her face flushed, and she used her palm
leaf fan TO hide the twitching of her lips.
Her testimony presented Thaw as a VIC
tim of extreme nervousness from birth
| Jerome read successfully testimony re-
garding the prisoners mental condition
given at the trials by Miss Belle More
house Lawrence. his kindergart en teacher
in Pittsburg: Abram r. Beck. whose
school he attended in 1ss1-1sS2: Miss Alice
c. Fletcher. an old family friend: Christie
pher Baggie, steward of Thaw's whist
club in New York, where, just before he
killed White. the young man deposited
three cigarettes in the safe: Amy Gozette,
trained nurse. who attended him at
Monte Carlo: DR. Charles A. Bailey.
physician Of Albany, n. Y, who attended
Thaw when he was sick on a train be-
tween Albany and New York in 1906: An
ithony Comstock and DIR. Horatio c. Wood.
who told of insanity Of members of
| Thaw's family.
Wife's Tale of Eccentricities.
From the testimony of Evelyn Thaw
the district attorney selected first those
portions which referred to her husbands
actions when she told him of her treat
ment by White, especially his wild Sob
bling. He read also her story Of Thaw's
alleged attempt to kill himself with
laudanum at a hotel in Paris. and of the
Y
Other trial witnesses from whose testi-
mony extracts were given were August
Weber. the Thaw butler in Washington;
Charles Koehler. one OF the prisoners
| teachers at Worcester: Martin Green,
| Thomas Hanley, New York newspaper
man who saw the shooting: Matilda
Stein telephone operator at the Grand
Hotel. Paris: Caroline Lowrey. witness
| of the shooting: William A. Johnson, a
New York newspaper man who saw
Thaw just before he killed White. and
Lionel Straus witness of the shooting
All said Thaw's actions when they met
| him were irrational.
/ A long list of persons who saw the
prisoner just after the shooting and of
his wild appearance and behavior were
dismissed by Jerome with a few words
each.
Exaggerated Ego" Evidence.
Some of Thaw's, examinations before
the sanity commission in March, 1907.
followed. He told these commissioners
that his expression, IAN act of Provi-
dence.'' referring to the death of White,
had no special significance, being used
| only for convenience
| Our purpose, Jerome told the court,
lis to show that cOncealment of delu-
sions is by means an uncommon thing
among paranoiacs. and that this act of
/ Providence idea was used by the pris-
oner the very commencement of the
thing
The sanity commission. Jerome's read
ing of the report showed, tested Thaw
repeatedly this point. To them he ex-
planned that he advised Attorney Del
mas to picture him as a"tool of Provi-
dence." principally because it was pop
/ uar attitude.
Thaw's assertion to the commission
| Everything done in this case is under
my authority a stir in the
courtroom. in view of Justice Mills re-
cent hints regarding Exaggerated ego"
fak INT \,
jerome still reading.