“On your return from Europe in 1903, did you tell your brother Howard, in substance, that while you were abroad you had been brutally abused by Thaw to induce you to tell lies against Stanford White, and that these lies were that he had drugged and mistreated you, which story you told Howard Nesbit was false?”
“I did not.”
“Didn’t you tell your brother you were compelled at the point of a revolver to make some such statement?”
“Didn’t you tell Howard these facts in substance at some time?”
“I—did—not!”
Each time this answer was repeated with greater emphasis and a longer pause between the three words.
Evelyn was excused again. Jerome had been trying to prove her a perjurer, but had failed.
This ended Evelyn’s greatest ordeal on the witness stand. The slender girl was free to rest after a strain that had taxed her vitality to the utmost. Although she had suffered much in personal reputation, her original story was unshaken.
Dr. Evans, the alienist, was recalled for cross examination and remained on the stand two days. He was given a terrific cross fire of questions. Summed up Dr. Evans stated that he believed Thaw to have been suffering from adolescent insanity in 1903 and at the time of his marriage, again on April 4, 1905, and that when he killed Stanford White, June 25, 1906, he was the victim of an acute and recurrent attack of the same mental malady.