Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 January 1908 — PROGRESS OF THE THAW MURDER TRIAL [ARTICLE]

PROGRESS OF THE THAW MURDER TRIAL

Court Refuses to Exclude the Public While Defendant’s Wife Is on the Stand. -- r 1 / . EVELYN A MATCH FOE JEROME. - uv 'X Drops Child-Like Pose and Penees Well—District Attorney Merciless in His Examination. *. ■ v , 1 v . i Just as a year ago, Evelyn Nesbit Thaw has been the star witness in the second trial of her husband for the murder of Stanford White. District Attorney Jerome, of whom it had been hinted that he would spare the woman no mercy this time, asked that the public be excluded, and Littleton, for the defense, raised no objection, but Judge Dowling held that the prisoner had a right to a public trial. During the first week Littleton devoted himself to demonstrate Thaw’s insanity, by right of Inheritance and by bis actions from infancy to the climax of murder. His purpose in putting Evelyn Thaw on the stand was to demonstrate how the story of her abuse by White, which she says she told Thaw in Paris, acted on his erratic brain with such fore! 1 as to make irresponsibly insane Undqt his questioning she maintained her pose ,of the Ingenuous school glM.'who in her innocence had been

made the toy of a monster. But under Jerome’s severe cross-examination she dropped the mask of girlish Innocence which she had worn when sailing on the smooth waters of direct examination. She revealed herself ns a shrewd woman of the world, at times more than a match for her questioner. She told how, when he had learned of her relations with White, Thaw said: “Poor little girl, you have done no wrong.”' And yet, Bhe xvus forced to admit, thnt within two weeks he made her his companion and started on a tour of Europe which lasted for months, during all'of which time they traveled as aian and wife. Jerome also forced her to admit White’s kindness to her, bis sending her to soliool, his pnying her surgeon's bill, nnd his furnishing both her and her mother with money. She also admitted thnt White gave her and her mother money with which to go to Europe. and thnt once there she went direct to Harry Thaw’s quarters. Evelyn told her story jnnch as Rhe did a year ago, leaving out some of the most Indecent details nnd adding a few more Incidents. Mrs. Thaw had » reninrkably clear recollection* s to what she had testified to a year ago. Jerome confronted her with hundreds of the statements made then, In the hope of confusing her or lea dip* her Into contradictions, but she pattered to her story in every detfttk—...