Page:The Great Harry Thaw Case.djvu/137

 "Mr. Thaw said in his conversation with me," asserted the witness, "that he had no idea of killing White up to the very time he shot him. Thaw said his sole purpose had been to get evidence against White to send him to the penitentiary for his offenses against young women.

"White, declared Thaw, made a practice of his sins against girls, to pick out young women who had a disposition toward morality rather than toward girls with an inclination toward immorality.

"Thaw told me," said Dr. Wagner, "that White did not hesitate to use drugs or employ physical force to accomplish his evil purposes.

Mr. Jerome protested at "thus attacking the name of the dead," but in vain, and the doctor resumed:

"Thaw constantly referred to White as 'this man, this creature, the beast, the blackguard,' and said the man had sought to pollute every pure minded woman who came within the sphere of his observation.

"'I tried to save them.' Mr. Thaw said to us, and added, 'I did all in my power, I never wanted to shoot the creature. I never wanted to kill him. I knew he was a foul creature, destroying all the mothers and daughters in America, but I wanted through legal means to bring him to trial. I wanted to get him into court so he would be brought to justice.'

"I then asked him why under such circumstances he had shot Mr. White.