Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1909 — JEROME HURDLE PASSED BY THAW [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

JEROME HURDLE PASSED BY THAW

He Is In the Hands of His Own Attorney Today, r HIS EXPLANATIONS PLAIN Shows That Documents Which Were Turned Over to Alienists Were Intended Merely as Suggestions For Lawyer Dolmas, Who Defended the Slayer of White on the First Trial. General Verdict Is Prisoner Held His Own With the District Attorney. White Plains, N. Y., July 30.—William Travers Jerome, district attorney of New York, prosecutor at both Thaw ihurder trials, has finished his inquisition of Harry K. Thaw. This ends the most surprising chapter of Thaw’s fight to obtain his re-

lease from the Matteawan asylum for the criminal insane.

All told, Stanford White’s slayer faced Jerome’s lightning thrusts for ten hours, yet he held his own at all times. His attorney, Charles Morschauser, will have the young man on the stand today.

Jerome based many of his questions on a tablet containing twenty-six sheets of foolscap paper on which were pasted a strange variety of newspaper clippings and scraps of manuscript. Thaw identified it as something he had prepared and sent to Delphin M. Delmas, his chief counsel during the first trial, for use in preparing his closing speech to the jury. Some of its contents were strange, but Thaw explained bad parts by saying they were letters written to him and his family by persons whose kind intentions probably were better than their good sense. “Lots of it was rubbish,” Thaw said, “but some of the letters contained ideas I thought Mr. Delmas might use.” Thaw’s part of the compilation showed him as a man of many tastes and interests. In it he quoted passages of scripture regarding sins against the young and referred to the dragon tales in Percy’s Reliques for striking similes regarding Stanford White. Delmas’ opinion of his client’s suggestions was indicated by the fact that he turned the carefully prepared sheets over to the committee of alienists before which the prisoner appeared during his first trial. Jerome got them from this source.

WILLIAM T. JEROME.