“Did he relate to you the occurrences in Europe? Did he tell you of his desire to make Evelyn Nesbit his wife?”
“Did he express fear that he might not be married at that time?”
“He said she had told him that it would make an unsuitable match and that while he was very anxious to make the girl his wife she was not so anxious because of this wrong.”
“When they arrived from Europe did he come to your home in Pittsburg?”
“So that up to the time of the marriage you had received no information of his former relations with Evelyn Nesbit?”
After the aged woman’s testimony had been concluded, Attorney Delmas suddenly threw a bomb into the ranks of the prosecution by announcing in a low voice the three words:
DISTRICT ATTORNEY MAKES ATTACK ON LIFE OF HARRY THAW--ATTRIBUTES WILD ORGIES TO THE DEFENDENT--THE ETHEL THOMAS TRAGEDY--ATTEMPT MADE TO PROVE EVELYN THAW A PERJURER--NEW LIGHT ON THE CASE--ABE HUMMEL ON THE STAND--JEROME TRIES TO PROVE EVELYN HAD SWORN THAT WHITE NEVER WRONGED HER--CHARGES PLOT BY THAW TO PUT ARCHITECT IN PENITENTIARY--FAMOUS ALIENISTS SWEAR THAW WAS SANE AT THE TIME OF THE TRAGEDY--EVELYN ON THE STAND AGAIN.
With the testimony of Thaw’s aged mother fresh in their minds the jurors heard District Attorney Jerome make a sensational attack on the past life of Harry Thaw. Jerome insinuated that Thaw had in his wild youthful days, indulged in wild orgies no less iniquitous than those of which Stanford White had been accused, although differing in character.
Attorney Frederick Longfellow, Thaw’s personal counsel, was a witness from whom Jerome fought to draw this information.
Longfellow was an unwilling witness and every answer had to be dragged from him, Delmas interposing objections to the procedure throughout the examination.
“Did you represent this prisoner in the suit of Ethel Thomas against Harry K. Thaw?” demanded Jerome.
“My firm did,” Longfellow was allowed to answer.
“It has been said that alleged acts of perversion by White added to the fury of Thaw’s mental unbalance,” Jerome stated. “I want to show that he knew all about such things--that they were set forth in the complaint in this suit by Ethel Thomas, the papers of which were served on him.
“I am not trying to show that Ethel’s statements were true. Anyway, this poor girl now is dead--”