Evening star., 1915-06-24
TRAW TO Be CALLED
AS STATE WITNESS
Prosecution Announces He Will
Be Summoned to Stand, But
He Processes Indifference.

NEW YORK, June 24.-Harry K.
Thaw will be called by counsel for the
state as a witness against himself in
the hearing now in progress here to
determine whether he Is sane, accord
ing to an announcement today by
Deputy Attorney General Frank X.
Cook. The states purpose in adopting
this plan. it is understood, is to avoid
the restrictions which would limit his
cross-examination and to lay his story
of the killing of Stanford White before
the jury shortly before it retires to
consider a verdict Thaw's brief direct
testimony yesterday dealt chiefly with
his escape from Matteawan and subse-
quent incidents. In explanation of his
plan to call Thaw as a state witness,
Mr.. Cook said:
II will thus be able to ask Thaw about
anything that has happened since the
day he was born. The only difference
is that our side will be bound by his
answers-that is, we will not be able
to impeach his testimony. However,
that is quite satisfactory to me.
May Be Last to Testify.
'If we had crossexamined we would
have had to make him our own witness
any way. if we wanted to ask him about
anything except that trip to New Hamp-
shire. Then dozens of other witnesses
would have been called and by the time
the case went to the jury much that
Thaw testified to would have been forgot
ten. AS it is, his testimony may be the
last to go in
The taking of testimony for Thaw was
resumed today. 1t was expected that his
side of the case would be concluded with
in two days.
Thaw said before the taking of testi-
mony began that he had no fear Of Mr..
Cooks examination.
81 do not care what he asks me-" he
said. "He can go as far as he likes"
Gustave G. Roeder, newspaper man.
who testified yesterday in Thaw's be-
half, was called as the first witness to-
day. his cross-examination yesterday
having been postponed. He was ask
ed but one question, whether there had
been any doubt In his mind at any
time as to the nationality of Thaw.
Il thought at first that he was not
quite himself" he said. but Thaw to-
day is an entirely different man.
William L. shurtler, an attorney of
Coaticook. Quebec. where Thaw was
arrested in his flight to Canada, was
the next witness. He described the
various legal proceedings that took
place in Canada, in which he acted as
had never seen any acts of violence by
Thaw during this period and that his
conduct impressed him as that of a.
rational man.
John e. Smith of Sherbrooke, Quebec,
newspaper man, who said that while
Thaw was detained in that city he saw
him every day. and Andre Rousseau,
hotel proprietor of Coaticook, who said
he served Thaw meals, gave similar
testimony.
Robert A. Ewing, Sherbrook alder
man, said he had visited Thaw sew
eral times in Jail and thought SO much
of him that he had invited him to be-
come one of Sherbrookes business men
and invest capital there.
The alderman added that he had
overheard a conversation among
number of strangers in his city that
led him to believe there was a plot on
foot to take Thaw across the line by
force. Thaw's attorney told the court
he wanted to bring this evidence out in
order to show that the possible exist
ence of such a scheme was mo mere
delusion Of Thaw's.'
Conviction that Thaw was a rational
person was also expressed by Thomas
F. Johnson, his attorney at Colebrook,
N. H., and Irving A. Hinckley. head of
a preparatory school at Groton. N. H.,
who interviewed Thaw while acting as
newspaper man.
John B, Stanchfield, Thaw's attorney.
read into the record testimony of an
orderly at Matteawan given at Thaws
trial for conspiracy to escape from that
institution. The reading was inter-
rupted by the noon recess OF court
Twelve Testify to Thaw's Sanity.
Twelve witnesses testified yesterday
that they believed Thaw Is sane. The
witnesses included four jurors at
Thaw's former trials. two chaplains,
a physician and keeper at the Tombs
prison, where Thaw was at various
times confined: two newspaper men
who had been associated with him dur
ing the nine years history of Thaw
litigation, a lawyer who had met Thaw
In New Hampshire and a Juror in civil
proceedings instituted by one of
Thaw's former attorneys against
Thaw's mother They agreed thai
Thaw showed no symptoms of deius
sion. that he could talk intelligentIy
on many subjects. had never been yio-
lent in his conduct to their knowledee