The Washington times., 1913-08-25
THAW WSHOULDCOP
ME. SAYS CHALONER
Author of Who's Looney Now?
Says Fugitive Has Chance
to CIinch Liberty.

RICHMOND. Va, Aug. Is Harry
Thaw is sane and will clinch his lib
erty if he will follow my advice"
This was the statement today of John
Armstrong Chaloner. himself a fugi-
tive from a New York insane asylum.
He denied that he advised Thaw to come
to Virginia, where Chaloner is now
legally sane, although declared a luna
tic in New York.
Il believe Thaw owes it to the public
to have his sanity investigated" Chalo-
ner continued. Il had my sanity in
before a jury in Virginia. l believe
Thaw is sane today. But don't know
it. He was insane when he shot Stan
ford White; that I oeheve.
Il am no friend of Thaw's. l don't
know him: never wrote him letter.
And I'm not in sympathy with the idle
rich. But l am a law writer and l am
vitally interested, more so than in any
thing except my salvation in the next
world, in publication of the Augean
stables of the lunacy law. Every state
in the Union has illegal lunacy laws.
Is In Sympathy.
so help me God. never wrote let
ter to Thaw asking him to come visit
me at Gotham, Va. That is rank
canard. But 1 am in sympathy with
his efforts to secure permanent liberty
Chaloner gave this bunch of advice TO
Thaw and his lawyers:
What Thaw should have done was
this:
If he was a party to his escape. he
should have had tug boat meet MIN
at the Connecticut coast opposite the
New York border across the line. Ihat
tugboat could have carried him to some
point on the Pennsylvania coast and
then he should have had jury or
commission to give him the first fair
trial that he has had on his sanity IN
years.
Tie was very shortsighted because he
In my escape from Blooningdale,
set standard of Jail delivery Of alleged
lunatics.
My book. Four Years Behind the
Bars has been before the public so
long there is no reason for Thaw ana
his lawyers being in ignorance OF my
plan of campaign. There was nothing
else for him to do, but to folio" my
Should Have Tests.
As soon as an alleged lunatic has
made good his escape, he should go to
a free State, where he can get trial
on his sanity by jury-not by doctors
and allenists AS soon as he Is on free
soil the proper thing to do is to have
his sanity investigated, and then go De
fore a jury.
IT'S about time, SO help me God.
that Thaw's lawyers wake up to the
fact that | have written the strongest
work on lunacy procedure, known as
The Lunacy Law of the World A
copy is in the Congressional Library at
Washington. 1t has received the high
est praise of law reviews of the country.
Please don't think I'm patting myself
on the back in saying this. I'm merely
wrapped up in reforming the lunacy
laws.
This book is a revelation. 1t took
me years to write il, and il contains
the lunacy law Of every state ana mosI ,I
of the foreign countries. That makes
me competent to talk about lunacy
laws.
so help me God, have proved be-
yond a shadow of doubt that the Con-
stitution of the United States throws
around everybody whose liberty is
threatened. protection of due process
Of law, which means trial by jury.
Should Have Jury.
"Thaw has never had a trial by jury
since he was tried for shooting Stan
ford White The facts are he should
have jury. But not by habeas cor
DuS proceedings, Wnlcn are DeIore
Judge without jury. and are, there
fore. Illegal.
''Thaw's lawyers ought to wake up to
that. Let them take trip to Wash
ingtOn dip into the law by reading
my book and get down to brass tacks
at once. The book is out of print, and
Judge Peters won't let me reprint it.
only have one copy of my own. But
Thaw's lawyers ought to learn the law
from the copy in the Library of Con-
gress.
When Thaw's lawyers learn the law
on lunacy proceedings, they could have
a trial by jury in Vermont. and II they
appeal to the Supreme Court of the
United States.
Ask any lawyer II this isn't correct.
and they'll tell you that I'm crazy and
don't know what I'm talking about,
but they don't know the lunacv law.
4 hope Thaw is set at liberty for all
time"