The morning Astorian., January 15, 1908, Image 1

INSANITY
THE PLEA
Physicians From Insane
Institutions Testify,
WAIVER FROM PRISONER
Evelyn Nesbitt Thaw Will With
out Doubt be Called to the
Witness Stand.
LITTLETON SURE OF HIS PLEA
District Attorney Jerome by Unexpect
tdly Invoking Sacred Privilege of Pby
aidan tad Patient. Blocked Muck of
Ttttlmony ia tb Thaw family.
NEW YORK. Jan. M.-Ths direct
cam of the people of the State of New
York against Harry K. Thaw, accused
of the wilful murder of Stanford White,
ia finished and today the defense will
begin ite effort to ebow that Thaw wa
not mentally responsible for hie act
when he ihot down the architect on the
roof of Madison Kiuare Garden on the
night of June 23, 1000. That Insanity
pure and simple ie the dofenne on which
Thaw'i attorney! will reit their eaee,
wae made plain In the opening address
of Martin V. Littleton, Thaw's chief
counsel yesterday. The attorney prom
ised to ehow the jury that Thaw had
been intane since a boy, that the bur
den of ineanlty canie to him from both
the paternal and maternal line and that
In the very nature of thing she could
not have been mentally responsible for
bit actions on the night of the tragedy
How Mr. Littleton expects to show thai
Thaw ia now tane; and he done intend
to ihow, lie doe aay. Mr. Littleton at
a late hour hut night eaid he had not
decided what witneetee he would call
thii morning, but It it expected hie flrat
witnesses will be medical authorities
probably those who attended Thaw dur
ing hie youth, or those who are prepared
to testify to the menial condition of
other members of the Thaw family. Dr.
Deems and Dr. Blngman, both of. whom
were called at the first trial, will again
be witnesses, although Dr. Kingman Is
at present ill and' unable to be in the
court room. It ie expected, however,
that he will be ready to testify before
the defense closes its case.
Evelyn Nesblt Thaw will, without
doubt, be called to the stand, but Dis
trict Attorney Jerome will make a hard
fight to keep her story 'out of the record
of the cae.k This wae plainly stated
when' Jerome yesterday objected to cer
tain statements made by, Mr. Littleton
in his opening address, stating that they
dealt with matters which he believed
would be excluded from the evidence. .
neisei and the questions they were al
lowed to answer by the court left the de
sired Impressloif upon the Jury. Jerome
explained the law compelled him to ob
Jt't to such testimony .without an Ax-
press waiver from the patient." Even the
nurse who attended Thaw was not al
lowed to testify until Thaw personally
made waiver a confidential privilege In
open court.
DEARTH OF TEACHERS.
School! la Chicago Have to Close for
Lack of Them.
CHICAGO, Jan. Ii-Th! situation
caused by scarcity of teachers In the
Chicago publle school! reached a climax
yesterday. In 73 rooms,, chiefly in ele
mentary schools, the officials found It
impossible to provide teachers and had
to dismiss the pupils for the day. More
than 3000 school children spent the
day at their homes or on the streets.
Altogether more than 140 vacancies
were reported. Almost half of these
were filled through the assignment of
substitutes or by school principals who
took charge of the "disabled" rooms.
CRISIS IN JAPAN.
Cabinet Baa Difference! Over
and Resign.
Budget
TOKIO, Jan. 14,-A cabinet crtsli is
imminent. After a conference of the
cabinet ministers this morning Marquis
SalonJI, the prima minister, visited the
emperor at the palace this afternoon
and was quickly followed by Prince Ito,
An important member of the cabinet
who has just been seen by the Associat
ed Preas correspondent declined to deny
the rumor of the resignation of two
member and. possibly of the entire
cabinet - f
It Is understood that differences exist
over the budget which are irreconclllable.
Premie 8a ion j I is still at the palace.
TOKIO, Jan. 14.-Yo.hlro Sakataal,
minister of finance end Isaburo Yama
gata, mlulster of communications, have
resigned from the cabinet. Their reslg
nations have been accepted. The resig
nation of Marquis . Salonjl. the prime
minuter, has been refused.
DISUSED
tfAv -aER AND DICK.
DISASTROUS
Sorrowing Mother Follows
Her Child. .
MARRIES A BAR-KEEPER
Her Infatuation for Him Prevail
ed Over the Opposition of
Her Parents.
BURNED TO DEATH
t NEW YOK, Jan. 14.-lAttomoys for
Harry Thaw today ,began relentlessly
to build up a case of legal insanity
which they have interposed in his behalf I mates of .the tuberculosis tent colony
Wealthy Insane Patient's Clothes
Catch Fire.
PASSING A WOOD STOVE
Tears Herself Loose From a Physician
and Rushes Into the Open Air, Eluding
Nursing and Attendant! Until a Masi
of Flames Then Caught.
CHICAGO. Jan. 14. A despatch to
the Record Herald from Peoria, Ills,
sayss
Miss Lucy Amlorson, for three year
an inmate , of the Iiartonville insane
asylum, died last night in the asylum
hospital "bf burns received four hours
before. She t was burned from, her feet
in lior shniililRh, tWl all W a 1,1 fho
physician! could give was futile.
f Miss. "Anderson was passing the wood
stove which furnished heat for the in
as defense for killing Stanford White,
Two prinolpal witnesses of the day wee
Charles II. Koehler, Winona, Minn., who
had acted as Instructor to Thaw in
Wooster, Ohio, University In 1880, and
Mrs. Amy Groaette of San Mateo, CaL,
who attended Thaw as a trained nurse
at Monte Carlo in 1807. They both told
of the young man's eccentricity and
declared his manner alwaya irrational.
Dr. Deemar, of Kittannlng, Pa., one of
the Thaw family physicians also testl
fled as did the attendant physicians of
three institutions lor insane where mem
bers of the Thaw family on both ma
ternal and paternal sides were confined.
The district attorney by unexpectedly
Invoking the sacred privilege of physi
cian and patient blocked much of the
testimony as to unsoundness of mind in
the Thaw family, but calling of wit-
when her clothes took Are. A physio
ian rushed to the woman'! aid, and
threw ' a -blanket around her. In pain
and fright she tore loose from him and
ran from the tent to the open air, The
' burning woman frantically ran amoung
the cottages, eluding all the nurses and
attendants who attempted to atop her.
A fire alarm was turned in by another
doctor, who caught the woman who by
this time was enveknwd in flames, rolled
her in the snow, and, with the aid of
his overcoat, succeeded in extinguish
ing the Are, Miss Anderson was taken
to the asylum hospital, where her burns
were dressed, but the efforts of the phy
sicians were without avail, k.' '
Miss Anderson comes from a wealthy
family ia Champagne county and iwas
the owner of a large amount of prop
erty. .
SUICIDE THEORY ACCEPTED
She Spent Her Last Night on Earth la
Mad Frivolity, and Then Turned oa
the Gai Jets in Her Room and Wat
Asphyxiated.
SALT LAKE, Jan. 14-Beginning with
a secret marriage, the wrecking of a
young girl"! life, moved quickly to its
tragic end la a gas-filled room of a
State street resort today. Surrounded
by picture of herself taken in child
hood Bessie Conley, formerly of Reno,
Nev., died from-asphyxiation and the
theory of suicide ia generally accepted.
Until two monthr ago Besnie Hammond
wae one of the brightest, handsomest
and most popular girls in Nevada. Her
parents idolized her and sen was en'
gaged to marry a prosperous business
man. She met Joseph Conley,' a saloon
keeper at Cobre, Nevada. Her infatula
tion for him prevailed over the opposi
(ion of parents and she left home taking
a position as stenographer in Ogden.
Her mother followed her to Ogdcn and
was preparing to take her to California
when the girl slipped away, met Conley
and was married to him. That waa
two months ago. A month later Conley
assaulted her and beat ber in the streets
of Ogdcn. In another week the hapless
bride was living with a drug clerk in
Salt Lake. He lack the means to sup
port her and she was forced to the hist
downward step ten days ago. Her 18
years of lie closed with a night of mad
frivolity and turning on of the gas jet-
SHOOTS HIS WIFE. .
Postofflce Nominations Foraker
's Sally Caused Merriment.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14During the
executive session of the Senate today
the nomination of four Ohio postmast
ers were defeated at the instance of
Senators Forakee and Dick. Dick re
ported the nominations nnfavorbly from
the potoflk-e committee. There were
no votes taken, the names being acted
on In the usual manner.
The Vice-President putting the ques
tion and assuming silence as affirmative.
Foraker broke the alienee after the
names were rejected by moving that the
President be immediately notified of the
Senate's action. His sally caused con
siderable merriment. Tonight Forakti
said:
"There will be no further prostitution
of federal patronage in order to carry
out the political bargains without its be
ing resented. There will be more objec
tions to the nominations wherever it is
found that appointments were made in
pursuance of political compact"
BOND ISSUE INQUIRY.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14.-The recent
bond issue was again the subject of
discussion today in ths Senate being
brought forward by a resolution offered
by Culberson calling upon Secretary of
the Treasury for additional information
concerning the reasons that induced him
to award bonds to national banks in
stead of individuate who he declared
bad offered a higher price than the
banks. Aldrich insisted that the resolu
tion would not bo adopted until Cortel
you's reply to the resolution formerly
adpted by the Senate was received and
the reslution went over. Tillman offered
a resolution for a new series of inquiries
concerning the financial situation.
Then Turns the Gun on Himself With
, Serious Results.
OAKLAND, CaL Jan. 14 Because he
thought his wife bad been to the rack
track with another man this afternoon,
Smith Arthur Brandon shot and Man-
Iterously wounded his wife, Helen, to
night and then turned the weapon on
himself, Inflicting a serious wound in
the neck. s .' ., i ' i :l '", .-,
Brandon is employed as a clerk in a
grocery atone and came here a mouth
ago from Beaumont, Texas. . , ,
I ' '
WORK STOPS ON BREWERY.
t ' ' ' '" 1 ' .
iCIllCAGQ, Jan, , H.tAU , work , wal
stopped, yesterday on the buildings of
the Independent Brewery Company,
whea the non-union mechanics iwere toll
to leave the Job. 'A. strike orisinated
because non-union pipe waa being placed
by eteam fitters, not in accordance with
the trade! rules of the 'Associated Build'
ing Trades. All the plasterers, sheet
metal workers, machinists and boiler-
makers left the job because they could
not sanction the pipe in the brewery for
union 'been with non-union pipe, Two
hundred men are affected.
I . UTPT. TTSRTTBS WATT1C HIT.
CHICAGO, Jan. 14. Girls as theatre
ushers made their Initial bow to Chicago
last night. The innovation wai Inaugu
rated at the International Theatre, and
the audience seemed well pleased. Eight
comely maidens showed the 'patrons to
their seat, and the management de
clared, performed the work as well as
male ushers could do it.
CODE BILL BEING CONSIDERED.
WASHINGTON,. Jan. K-The dis
oussion of the penal code bill occupied
the attention of the House today and
when adjournment was had 88 of a total
of SH2 sections had been disposed of.
TOOHANDY WITH GUN
Brakeman With Borrowed Gun
Kills a Hobo.
HARRIS HELD BY C0R0N0R
Became Frightened and Fired Without
Realising What he Was Doing ai he
Was Unable to State When Ques
tioned by the Coroner's Jury.
BRKERLY, Jan. 14. The Globe Trot
ting adventure undertaken by three Ber.
kelcy youths who left this Wty on the
first of the year has ended in swift dis
aster as a result of the shooting of one
of the boys by Arthur M. Harris,
brakeman hear Soledad, about 30 miles
south of Salinas. The man killed was
Edward W. Danne, a native of New
York about 25 years of age. The three
comrades! left Berkeley, dressed in
khaki,, booted, belted and wearing som
breros, on their attempt to girdle the
globe in 119 weeks. Dnnne, who became
separated from his comrades at San
Jose, fell in with a number of Vagrants
and waa riding with them in a freight
car when they were discovered by the
brakeman, Arthur M. Harris, a boy 18
years, who hall borrowed a revolver to
protect himself when be ordered the
men from the car. '
Harris evidentiy became) frightened
and fired without realizing what he was
doing, as he was unable to state, when
questioned by the coroner's jury, how
many times he had fired. The coroner's
jury disagreed as to whether his action
was justifiable and Harris is now being
held for further investigation. , '
B0YER1N
HORROR
Darkness Delays Recover
ing the Dead
IMPLEMENT DEALERS IN SESSION.
KANSAS CTTY, Jan. 14.-Wtetera
Retail Implement and Vehicle Dealers'
Association convened here today.'
SLOW. IDENTIFICATION
Whole Families Were Wiped Out
as Completely as if They
Never Existed.
FLAMES BURNED ALL NIGHT
The Ratio of Women and Girls to Men
and Boys About Nine to One Nearly
Everyone ia the Place Lost Some
Relative,
BOYERTOWT. Jan. 14.-When night
fall put an end to the work of recover
ing the dead from the ruins of Rhoades
opera house, where last night's holocaust
occurred, the official roll of victims
numered 187. Whether any more bodies
are. buried beneath the ruins cannot be
positively stated but it ia the belief of
those who bad charge of the grewsome
wortjthat, all dead had been removed
and that the total victims did mot x
ceed 170. The ratio of women and girls
to men and boys about nine to one.
YJork of identification will not be begun
until tomorrow as' most of the bodies
are still lying in -a confused state at
four improvised morgues. The popula
tion of the place is about 2500, and such
a disaster paralized the town and the
people are going about dazed. It is safe
to say that everybody in the place
either lo one or more relatives or was
intimately acquainted with those whp
died in the fire. In several cases whole
families were wiped out; It was almost
daylight this morning when the flames
were extinguished and rescuers able to
enter the ruins to remove the dead. The
morning was bitter cold and by the time
the benumbed and exhausted firemen
began the task of disentangling the
mass of burned beams and twisted iron
he entire ruins were coated with ice
and there waa danger of the walls
falling. . Work was slow at first and it
waa 7 o'clock before the first body was
removed. Coroner Stasser, of Reading,
reached Gere shortly after midnight lost
night, and had detailed several men to
tag the bodies and keep record of every
corpse removed. The bodies are so
badly burned however, that there wos
little to describe, and not balf of the
victims will ever be identified.
The IPhiiadeiphia and Beading railroad
offered help and soon had wt carloads
of laborers and carpenters on the ground.
Work of recovering the bodies then
moved rapidly, the victims ebing taken
from the ruins at the rate of two every
five minutes. ,
RATE LAW BEING CONTESTED.
JAPS COMMITTED FOR TRIAL.
VANCOUVER, B. C, Jan. 14. F.
Murato, one of the Japanese charged
with stabbing Ihree city firemen New
Year's morning was committed for trial
in the magistrate's court today The
other three accused men were remanded
until tomorrow. Japanese witnesses told
of a confession made by Murato that he
had done the stabbing. The trend of
evidence by the Japanese was to thrgw
the responsibility for the affray upon
Murato and relieve the other accused
men. I
ISONTGOMEBY, Ala, Jan. lV-Th
contest between the stabs and te rail
roads over the new rate laws did not
advance, further yesterday in the United
States court than the fixing of hours
and dates for the hearing of arguments,
whkh will begin today.
It wa agreed that the opening argu
ment this morning would be delivered
by Former Congressman Sidney J.
Bowie. Former Senator John C Spooner
will deliver his argument well down the
line of speakers possibly on the last day.
The state's attorneys ask in their
motion that a temporary injunction or
restraining order be dismissed pending
an investigation on the merits of the
case. -
L
NEVADA LEGISLATURE BUSY.
GOLD FIELD, Jan. 14. A special to
the Chronicale from Goldfleld says thai
the indications are favorable for immed
iate action by the legislature providing
for the establishment of a state polio
on the lines of the military, or extend
ing enlarged powers to the civil authori
ties. President Roosevelt will be pet
itioned to retain the troops in Coldfield
for the present and a recommendation
is to be made for the establishment of
a military post in Nevada.
CARSON, Nev, Jan. 14. A conference
of the members of too Senate is being
hell to consider a bill for the relief of
the Goldfleld situation. It is proposed
to frame a bill similar, to the Pennsyl
vania constabulary law. The measure
will call for the appointment of a stats
warden with power to appoint deputies
in time of need. The warden ia to be
appointed by the Governor.
THE ASTORS AGAIN IN SOCIETY.
NEW YORK, Jan. 14.-i'or the first'
time in three seasons the ball room in
the residence of Mr. and Mrs. John
Jacob Astor on Fifth avenue wal
thrown open " last ' night, a theaterical
entertainment being given there to
about 500 guests, previously there baa
been a dinner at -which fifty persons
were present. Arnold Daly and his com- '
pany (furnished the theatrical part of
the entertainment presenting the two
one act. plays, the "Van Dyke", and
The Shirkers". For two years Mrs.
John Jacobs Astor has been in mourn
ing following the death of her father,
Edward S. Wiliiand and lias entertained
but little.
FRIENDS PROFESS CONFIDENCE. '
FRANKFORT, Jan. 14. Despite the
results of today's balloting. Beckam's
friends profess confidence that he will
be returned State's Senator on the next
ballot.
The Republicans practically concede
noffi Republican can win, but predict
an anti-Beckam Democrat will be ulti
mately chosen. From the neutral point
the view looks as if deadlock exists
which cannot be broken for several
weeks. ' '
BUCONIC PLAGUE STAMPED OUT.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 14. The cam
paign for the eradication of the bubonic
plague in San Francisco is almost over.
Only one case of plague has occurred
since December 26. and it was a Jap- ,
anese who was taken ill after arriving
from Contra Costa, where he is believed
to have contracted the disease. The
local health authorities announce no-
further daily plague bulletins will be
issued. " .'!.' '
SENATOR AND FRIEND IN JAIL
COLUMBUS. OvJan. 14 The su
preme court today sentenced former
Supremo Court Clerk Lawson E. Hereon
to 10 days in jail and State Senator
Austin, of Toledo, to 10 days in jail, and
$100 fine in connection with the charge
of securing the later's certificate to prac
tice law in this state without proper
examination. . 1
UNIFORM DEMURRAGE SATES.
LEWIS DEFEATS WILSON.
WHEELING, W. Va., Jan. 14 A priv
ate telegram received here today from
Indianapolis, which is said' to be, author
itative, says that T. L Lewis of Bridge
port, O., vice-president of the United
Mineworkers of America, has been elect
ed president over W). B. Wilson by a
majority of 60,000 in a vote of 300,000.
HELENA, Mont., Jan. 14. (The State
Board of Railroad Commissioners today
adopted uniform demurrage : regulations
for the entire state, effective" February
8. On ordinary shipments, two days are
allowed, but on coal, lumber and pre
cipitates, three days are given. The pen
alty is graduated from $1 to $2 a day
after the first five days.