Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 March 1907 — EXPERTS ON INSANITY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

EXPERTS ON INSANITY

They Are Giving Their View of the Matter in the Harry K. Thaw Trial. INTENTION OF LAWYER JEROME Indications That He Is Going to Ask a Lunacy Commission. Mrs. Harry Thaw and Her Brother, Howard Nesbit, Will Probably Clash in an Issue of Veracity. Now York. Feb. 27.—District Attorney Jerome finished his long cross-ex-amination of Mrs. Evelyn Nesbit Thaw nt the trial of her husband on the charge of having murdered Stanford White. Mrs. Thaw had been under the district attorney's tire for nearly live court days. Tils concluding questions had to do with what the witness observed as to Thaw's manner when be would chance to meet White. She said he acted us a person in a lit. New York. Feb. 28.—Interest In the Thaw trial centered in the nmno*>ivers

of District Attorney Jerome, who seemed to give further Indication of fila purpose in the near future to an-

pty to the court for a commission in lunacy to report upon the present condition of the defendant's mind. The witness stand for the greater part of the day was occupied by Dr. .Britton D. Evans, director of the New Jersey Hospital for the Insane at Morris Plains. N. J., an alienist for the defense who was up for cross-examina-tion. Jerome seemed to direct his efforts at getting from Dr. Evans information as to the exact recognized forms of insanity from which the expert declared Harry Thaw was suffering at the time of the “brain storm’’ which resulted In the killing of White. Will Call a Thaw Alienist. Dr. Evans had testified that in his will Thaw displayed evidences of a melancholic state of mind. Tin* district attorney dwelt for an hour or mere upon the subject of melancholia, and then asked tin* expert if it was not true that In acute- melancholia there is a recciirrence of the affliction in at least one-third of all cases. Dr. Evans said there was. Jerome said he Intended calling as the witness in rebuttal Dr. Allan McLane Hamilton, the alienist who was nrst employed by the Thaw defense, but who has not heretofore figured In the trial. Why He Will Call the Doctor. Dr. Hamilton recently returned from Europe and in a published Interview just utter ho landed, was reported to have said that he came to the conclusion that Thaw was insane at the time of the tragedy and that he is insane now. The district attorney also stated that he would call Dr. Charles F. Bingaman, of Pittsburg, tin* Thaw family physician, In rebuttal. Dr. Bingaman was on the stand for a short while, but Delmas objected when Jerome started in to cross-examine the physician as to insanity in the Thaw family, on the ground that the witness had not qualified ns an expert. Jerome thereupon told Dr. Bingaman to hold himself in readiness to take the stand for the state.

HOWAItI) NESBIT TO TESTIFY Indications That Brother and Sister Will Be in Contradiction. Dr. Bingaman told of visiting Thaw in the Tombs during August last, when the prisoner seemed much depressed and suffered from the delusion that a conspiracy had been formed against him, complaining that he was not allowed to put paper over the grating in his cell door because “they” wanted the cold air to blow in and give him pneumonia, so he would die and his case never come to trial. By recalling Mrs. Evelyn Nesbit 1 haw to the stand for a few questions which he bad omitted on his long cross-examination Jerome indicated that he would call Howard Nesbit, her brother, to contradict her In a matter of credibility. He asked Mrs. Thaw if she bad not told her brother that Thaw' had treated her cruelly while.

abroad because she rerusoa ro ten ties about Stanford White and say he had drugged and mistreated her. He also wanted to know if the brother had not bought her a pistol with which she might defend herself against Thaw. The defendant’s wife denied absolutely that then? was any truth in any of these statements, and said site had never owned or carried a pistol in her life. Delmas announced that the defense would conclude its case this week. This, however, was upon the assumption that the district attorney would conclude his cross-examinations of Dr. Evans and Wagner yesterday. Jerome did not even finish with John T. Deemar, the physician to Mrs. William Thaw’s family, will follow Dr. Evans, and then will come Dr. Wagner. After these have testified Mrs. William Thaw herself will take the stand, according to present plans. The defense may, therefore. conclude by Monday or Tuesday of next week. If Jerome moves for a lunacy commission it Is expected he will do so (hiring the taking of the rebuttal testimony next week. It w«as expected that Dr. Evansand Jerome would have a lively duel during the cross-examination of the witness but there were only one or two clashes In which the honors appeared to be about evenly divided. The examination dragged at times and Jerome seldom raised his voice above the low placid tone he so frequently assumes. There were one or two occasions, however, when the retorts were not affectionate. Once Jerome asked: “At what time did Thaw suffer from Insane melancholia?” “You tried to get me to say it was melancholia,” replied Dr. Evans, “but I said it was In a me’anehollc state of mind.” Jerome utterly failed to pin the doctor down to a positive statement that he could later, with other experts, impeach. While the doctor was giving a learned disquisition on different forms of lunacy—“ You are here with the permission of your directors I suppose?” broke in Jerome suddenly. "Yes, one Is here In this room, the chairman of the medical committee.” “You have the permission In writing?” “Why, well, in the first place I don’t think it’s any of your business.” Jerome did not continue on the subject. Killed Under a Falling Tree. . Jasonville, Ind., Feb. 28. John Tremble, of Stockton township, was killed by a tree falling on him. Hu was 34 years old.

DELPHIN M. DELMAS