Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-06-23
THAW FIRST WITNESS
CALLED IN CASE TO
TEST HIS OWN SANITY
Complete Surprise Sprung In
Case Before Jury In
Hendricks Court

New York, June 23,-A complete
surprise was sprung by John b. Stanch.
field, counsel for Harry X. Thaw, when
Thaw himself was called as tae first
witness today in the sanity trial of
Stanford Whites slayer before Jury
in Justice Hendricks court.
The calling of Thaw was so unlocked
for by Deputy Attorney General Cook
that he was entirely unprepared to
cross-eXGmine the witness and per.
mitted him to be excused at the con.
clusion of his direct examination, sub.
ject to being recalled.
Thaw was on the stand only 2j min.
utes. The brevity of the direct exam.
ination conducted by Stanchfield also
came as surprise Thaw was plainly
nervous. He seemed to sink into the
witness chair His hands twtched and
he replied to Stanchfield IS questions
unsteadily at first His first answers
were scarcely audible, but he regained
his composure within short time and
replied to all questions clearly and dis.
tinctly.
The first questions alluded to
Thaw S escape from Matteawan. His
sensational flight from the institution
was again gone over and there was a
note OF triumph in Thaw' voice as he
told how the New Hampshire commits.
sion in Judge Aldrieh's 5 court had ad.
Judged him sane.
In his opening address, before calling
Thaw to the stand, Stanchfield bitterly
denounced DR.. Austin Flint, one of the
states alienists, who has at all times
maintained that Thaw is incurably In.
sane.
" He has made thousands out Of this
case" said Stanehfield, "People are
interested in keeping Thaw insane be-.
cause inere is money in it"
| Stanehfield said Dr. Flint had never
examined rhNw staDr0ughlv.
Stanchfield read the address made
the jury in Thaw s second trial by vii.
liam Y. Jerome, who appeared as at.
tornoy for the state in both of the de.
fendant 5 trials for the murder of
White, Thaw was acquitted as insane,
but Stanchlield emphasized the state.
ments made by Jerome in his address in
which he said White met the fate he
deserved, and that the revelations made
by Evelyn Thaw were the worst in the
history Of New York He pointed out
that Jerome then said he did not be-
lieye Tnaw was insane.
A heavy blow was sustained by the
state in the insanity trial Of Harry X,
Thaw today when IL was learned that
Mrs. Susan Merritt, a former boarding
house keeper who was expected to ap.
| pear as witness, could not be found
Mrs Merritt testified in former trials
Of Thaw for the killing Of Stanford
White that the defendant beat chorus
girls he brought to her house. TnC
state is investigating the disappear.
ance Of Mrs Merit as her testimony
is regarded as valuable in showing
Thaw insane.
John b. Stauchfield, counsel for
Thnw opened the case today with his
! address TO the lury insisting the de-
fcudant was sane and laying the ground
work for the contentious ON which this
would be based,
| Deputy Attorney General Frank Cook
for the state declared Thaw is still
suffering from the mental alteration
under which he was laboring when he
|ullcd White nine years ago Friday
| Cook insisted that Thaw is an iucuublC
Iraranoic.
Deputy Attorney General COOK
scored Tbaw's private life.
"Thaw led o Wild life Of dcbaucbery
from the time he left Pitlsburg az O
| young man for the night life and
bright lights Of Broadway said Cook
He said Evelyn Nesbit told Thav
of her downfall when in Paris In 1903
vet Thnw did NOT kill White until three
years later AZ the same time Thnw
was conducting house where CoOi
estimated he saw hundreds Of girls un
der the gusc Of getting them positions
900 the stage
ole unifes.ci them personally,
said Cook, 'and tied them 10 o bed
post 80 the girls were helpless ~
Cook strongly defended the memory
of stanford White as master architect
John Blackburn, q member " The
| mry which acquitted Thaw on Tho
conspiracy charge growing ont Of his
escape from Maiteawan, testified that
on A straw vote which was taken Il
was decided Thaw was sane despite tho
[ fact that the court excluded all teHti.
mony bearing on the defendant s
sanity