The Washington herald., 1909-07-28

White Plains, July 27---s isle Nor
! riI, who described herself as a defense
less woman. at present out Of Job, said
on the witness stand in the Thaw hear
ing here to-day that once she had dis
bursed large sums Of money at the d.
/ rectlon Of Clifford W. Hartridge and the
late Russell Peabody. counsel for Thaw
in his trials for murder, 10 200 and more
women. She said that her purpose and
theirs had been to protect Thaw and his
family from the scandal following reve-
latlons which these women otherwise
might have made.
The defeuseless Mrs. Morrill, declared
that on two occasions when Harry Thaw
was a lodger IN an apartment house she
was conducting she had surprised him in
the act OF beating with whips women
whom he had in his rooms. Many other
women had told her that they had suf-
! fered the same treatment at his hands; in
fact. that was the reason. as Mrs. Nor
rlu saw it. why II had been necessary to
salve so many wounds with so much
money.
He beat 'em on their barred flesh.
was the way the witness described what
she had seen in Thaw's rooms And
when I caught him he put on his hat and
rushed out Of the house Ike a madman." q"
man."
Distributed Much Money.
Mrs. Morrill, admitted on cross-exami-
nation that she had been very systematic
/ in the distribution Of all that money
Whenever she gave one Of these girls
s.. ECO in $1,000 bills, or that one $1,000, she
entered an account Of the transaction
with the name date. and amount, IN one
Of her little memorandum books. All Of
I these books, containing the full account
Of the expenditures made. she had given
to Mr.. Hartridge for safe keeping last
( october.
Mr.. Hartridge, who ceased 70 be
| Thaw's counsel after the first trial on
/ the murder charge, now has suit pend
| ing against Mrs Mary Copley Thaw In
/ the United States Circuit Court for the
recovery Of $4,000 additional counsel fees.
/ In a statement which he made recently.
/ the lawyer said that he had been forced
/ TO spend upward OF $4,000 in Thaw's IN
/ terest for the Cancellation Of 200 and
more women
/ After all Of the sensation and the neck
| craning over the testimony Of Mrs. Nor
! rill had passed. Harry Thaw wrote ont a
4 brief statement for the newspaper men.
| saying that everything to which she had
/ testified had been false, and that his
/ counsel could prove fl false Thaw him
self had taken a leading part I'm the cross
: examination OF this witness. and on sew
/ eral occasions, after he had leaned over
! his counsers shoulder IN whispered con-
1 sultatiOn. MOrschaUser Quizzed the wom-
an about some Of the 200 subsidized peo-
/ pie whom she had not mentioned by
l name.
Strive for Dramatic Eject.
The coming Of Mrs Morrill, was timed
for a dramatic period. Just after Je-
rome had finished a searching cross-ex-
animation Of DR.. Britton d. Evans at
the opening Of the afternoon session he
rose and asked permission Of Justice
/ Mills 10 cell out OF season a witness who
did not live in the country. and who.
through private reasons. he could not
! hold in the house of detention. Justice
| Mills gave his consent, and a court officer
went out IN the corridors with the name
/ Mrs morrill, on his lips
Justice Mills filed In a vacant moment
/ OF tension.
81 see that there are many women in
| the court room" he said ''(o woman
can stay here who is not ready To hear
anything. l will not order the women out.
for I believe in an open court: but If any
woman wishes 10 go now she may"
Just FIVE of the hfty-Odd women. old
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