The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-07
THAW DEAF TO
 JEROME'S PLEADING
Harry and His Mother En- gagged While District At
 torney Sums Up
WAITING FOR THE VERDICT
Special from United Press.)


 Court House, White Plains, N. r., Aug. 1.-The last words for and against Harry K. Thaw were spoken today when District Attorney Jerome and Attorney Charles Morschauser summed up the evidence of the past two weeks. Justice Mills will prob ably announce his decision on Thurs day and it would not be surprising if it were very favorable to Thaw. There are many who believe that even if Thaw is declared still insane Justice Mills will not send him back to Mat teawan but will confine him to some other state institution for observation and final parole if his conduct be- comes such as to earn it.
 Speculation as to the outcome of the case is rife, but Justice Mills has not, by word or deed, intimated what will be his decision. That Attorney Nor schauser planned the closing of his case with great care was admitted.
 Immediately after court was called to order Jerome began his summing up. He reviewed the two murder trials at length and said that all the witnesses at both trials, with the ex- ception of Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, ap- peared to be trying to tell the truth. He declared that Thaw's whole life bears out the paranoia diagnosis.
 While Jerome outlined a tainted mental heredity." Mrs Thaw, the mother, occupied her time by reading a magazine and Harry and his lawyer conferred earnestly. The Thaw party paid absolutely no attention to Je- rone's clear, sharply outlined charge of insanity.
 While District Attorney Jerome was speaking Mrs. Thaw distributed to the newspapermen a statement attacking several of the alienists for the state. The statement was very long and re- lated to the attitude of the 14 experts who, Jerome said, had pronounced Thaw insane during the former mur- der trials. Jerome in his speech in- dulged in some spectacular oratory but spoke ir a quiet conversational tone. He outlined at great length the testimony which he said bore out his the following delusions: that White at- tackled young girls, that the killing of White was an act of Providence, that White hired the Monk Eastman Gang" to hound Thaw and that his lawyers and the alienists were in to railroad" him to an aslyum.
 He characterized Thaw's conduct in the courtroom and on the witness stand as that of an insane man and attacked Thaw for his refusal to al- low the aHenistst to examine him.
 Jerome's talk lasted for an hour end a half and he concluded: Here is a man acquitted of murder because of insanity three years ago, adjudged insane a year ago, and pronounced by three experts to be insane now. I do not think he should be turned I loose into the world without an op- portunity being given for a further medical examination from day to day in some institution by competent men,
 Attorney Morschauser began his summary by calling Justice Mills att tention to the fact that Thaw's men, tai condition at the time of the. kill Ing was not at issue. He reVfe1ed- the testimony of the alienists and his B lay witnesses who swore that Thaw was distinctly rational. He then took up- the story of Thaw at Mattewan. After claiming that the horrors of fife there, as outlined by Thaw's ag- ed mother on the stand, would cer- tainly have brought out any irration- ality, Morschauser said Dr. Baker, of Matteawan had been unable to cite a single instance of his irrational con duct.
 Morschauser said that the testimony | To rthe defense at the Thaw trials was the result of ''ralxing and scraping for every scintilla of evidence that might l be exhorted or exaggerated into an in 1ication of insanity in the boys life"
 After Morschauser had spoken about l m hour, the noon recess was taken. l He said he wished to speak at least 1 another hour after lunch 2 ---.--. |