Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-03
ALIENlST SAYS
THAW IS INSANE
AND IRRATIONAL
EXPERT AT MATTEAWAN GIVES
DAMAGING TESTIMONY
DOCTOR SAYS PRISONER HAS DE-
FEcTlVE MEMORY
Claims After Slayer of White Had
Been In Asylum One Month
He Showed Abnormal
Signs
(By Associated Press.)

Attorney Jerome today at the hearing
by which Thaw hopes to obtain his re-
lease.
Aside from this testimony, a two-foot
y stack of canvas bound books labeled
The People versus Harry Kendall
Thaw''-records of the murder trial
was introduced by Mr. jerome.
Mr.. Jerome expects to be through
with the states alenists tomorrow.
and Charles Morschauser, Thaw's law
yer, will put his client on the stand,
Iossibly late tomorrow afternoon.
DR.. Baker read from the hospital case
book. saying that Thaw's heart, hear
ing and eyesight were normal, that he
had been accustomed to life of lux
ury and idleness.
At that time February 2, 190S the
record said, Thaw laughed and talked
"in silly manner about his trial and
his acquittal," then just ended, but
this phrase was not allowed in the evil
dence.
"He appears to be amused by what
he thinks was oVerwork by his physl-
clans and lawyers at the trial" con-
tinues the record. He admits the evil
dence offered shows he was insane but
says the district attorney was not In
possession of the facts in the case he
greets everyone in a very silly and
pompous manner"
Exhibits Defective Memory
DR. Baker said Thaw exhibited de-
fectiVe memory having forgotten the
date of his marriage. After the first
examination at MatteaWan the patient
refused to discuss the killing of White,
referring the doctors to his lawyers.
During the first month he insisted that
he would be kept there for thirty days
only, under observation and then re-
leased on a writ of habeas corpus.
Perverted practices, Thaw told DR..
Paker, were no more evidence OF insan~
ity than taking a cordial after dinner.
His attitude toward the shooting Of
White apparently underwent little
change at the asylum. Once he eX-
rained that the shooting resulted from
the same state of mind that occurs IN
any ordinary individual when placed
on the brink of a preciplce. lie sali
he was insane only during the mo
ments of the shooting. When Thaw
huJ been there a month DIR. Baker told
him he had noted certain abnormal
signs in his conduct, and could set 70
date for his probable release IN Aprll
ThaW offered a keeper $500 for the de-
lection of any one tampering with MS
clothes. The witness presented thirty
five newspaper clippings found IN
Thaw's pockets, nearly all OF when
according to Mr.. Jerome, related to
sexual matters.
AT the conclusion of his direct exam
ination DR.. Baker declared that Thaw
was irrational at the present time.
Court Room Is Packed
The third week of Thaw's habeas
corpus proceedings to gain his release
from the state hospital for criminal
insane opened today. Expectation
that Thaw and his wife might take the
stand again packed the court room
Thaw appeared refreshed by his rest
of two days.
District Attorney Jerome took up the
reading of testimony in the second
trial where he left off Friday From
the several bound volumes he selected
the evidence of Catherine O'Neill
former seamstress in the Thaw house
hold at Pittsburg. This related chief
ly to Thaws actions during childhood
particularly his fits of passion.
The story of Thaw's childhood and
the Influences affecting his birth as
told by his mother then followed.
Mrs. William c. Thaw, who sat be-
hind her son. seemed about to lose
control of herself. Her face flushed
and she used her fan to hide the
twitching : her lips. Her testimony
presented Thaw as a victim of ex-
treme nervousness from birth.
Jerome read successfully the testi-
mony regarding the prisoners mental
& condition given at the trlal by MISS
Belle MorehOuse Lawrence, his kinder
garten teacher in Pttsburg; Abraham
X Reck, whose school he attended in
1SS1-82 with Alice c. Fletcher, an old
family friend; Christopher Baggie'
steward of Thaw's whist club in New
York, where, just before ne killed
White. the young man deposited three
cigarettes in the safe; Amy Gosette,
trained nurse who attended him at
Montreal: Dr. Charles A. HALEY, a
physician who attended Thaw when he
was sick on train between Albany
and New York in 1906; Anthony Com
stock and DR.. Horatio C. Wood VINO
told of the insanity of members OF
the Thaw family.
Tells of His Sobbing
From the testimony of Evelyn Thaw
the district attorney selected hrst
those portions which referred to her
husbands actions when she told him
. of her treatment by White and es-
I pecially his wild sobbing
y He read also of Thaw's alleged at
tempt to kill himself with laudanum in
paris hotel and of the killing of
White. other trial witnesses, from
whose testimony extracts were given,
were August Wiener, the Thaw butler
IN washington; Charles f. Kohler one
of the prisoner's teachers at Wooster
university; Martin Green, Thomas
Hanly. a New York newspaper man
who saw the shooting; Matilda =.
Stein.
Grand hotel, Paris; Caroline Lowrey
witness of the shooting: William A.
Johnson, New York newspaper man
who saw Thaw just before he killed
white. and Lionel Straus, witness Of
the shooting.
All said Thaws actions when they
met him were irrational. A long list
nf persons who saw the prisoner just
after the shooting and told of his wild
annearance and behavior were dis
missed by Jerome with few words
each .a4., 1,oe,,,o
some of Thaws examinations before
the sanity commission in March. l9Oh
fol1owed 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.
Concealed His DeIusions
"Our purpose" Mr.. Jerome told the
court. sis to show that concealment OF
delusions is by no means an uncommon
thing among paranoiacs and that TINS
act of Providence idea was used by