Page:The Great Harry Thaw Case.djvu/86

 The court room was hushed. Three hundred newspaper workers, flashing bulletins to every American city, to London, Paris, and isles beyond the seas, hardly breathed, leaned forward excitedly, and the crisis in the greatest legal battle ever fought was on!

The familiar figure in blue, now for the first time without her veil, appeared from the judge's chambers. She stood near the jury box as Clerk Penny administered the oath.

"I swear," repeated Mrs. Thaw in an audible voice at the end of the formal declaration, which was made just a little more impressive than usual. "I solemnly swear before the ever living God to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!"

Mrs. Thaw took her place in the witness chair calmly. She looked steadily ahead at Mr. Delmas and gave her answers to his first questions in a clear and firm voice, which was soft in quality.

Harry Thaw smiled at his wife as she walked to the witness stand, but she apparently did not see him at the moment. After she was seated, however, she smiled faintly at the prisoner and blushed crimson.

In answer to Mr. Delmas' first question Mrs. Thaw said she was born Dec. 25, 1884. She told of going to the Cafe Martin to dinner the evening of June 25 with her husband, Thomas McCaleb, and Truxton Beale.

"While you were at the Cafe Martin did you see Stanford White?" asked Delmas.