New-York tribune., 1906-06-26
THRILLS ALL PITTSBURG
TRAGEDY CAUSES GRIEF.
Persons Connected 7cith Tha70
Family Refuse TO BelieJe Report.
IN rcIezrsph 3 20 Trleans }

excitement IT EltISDurS. NHtIr i'f SSe''0 '+-O
Thaws have been the great social leaders,
Harry Kendall Thaw Is brother-in-iaw Of the
Countess Of Yarmouth and son Of Mrs. William
Thaw Of Pittsburg. The Thaw family was
prominently identified with the early days OF the
Pennsylvania Railroad.
Both Mr. and Mrs C J. Holman, stePfather
and mother Of Mrs Harry Kendall Thaw. are
out Of TIE city tonight and cannot be reached
The home of Mrs William Thaw at Lynd-
hurst is closed tonight. all efforts to raise even
the butler being Unavafling The home Of Ben
jamin Thaw a brother of Harry Kendall Thaw'
is unoccupied except by the butler. who reports
Benjamin Thaw lying i'll unto death at tbs
house Of the late William r. Thompson on Lin
coin avenue. Allegheny. Josiah Copey Thsw.
another brother. cannot be found. He is thought
TO be in Europe.
The only closely connected with the Tha~
family who can be reached tonight is the Rev
w L. McEwan. pastor of the Third Pres5y-
terian Church of Pittsburg. who on April f.
1905. married Harry Kendall Thaw 20 Florence
Evelyn Nesbit Mr. McEwan when called out
Of bed tonight and told of the tragedy almost
swooned
"oh. this is awful awful he cried. land he
was young man of such promise and such op-
portunties I never thought this would come
when I married that couple in my study more
than a year ago. 1t is fearful"
The tempestuous courtship of Harry Kendall
ThaU and Florence Evelyn Nesbit some years
ago Interested both sides of the Atlantic Miss
Nesbit was the daughter Of Scott Nesbit a
poor Pittsburg attorney, who died about ten
years ago. The girl extremely beautiful
and became an artists model. She was front
row chorus girl when Thaw met her.
Thaw was the spoiled son Of a wealthy mother
When il was seen by his elder brothers and his
sister the Countess of Yarmouth. that he was
bent on marrying the chorus girl there was a
move made by the Thaw family here TO cut Off
his fortune until ne reached the age of thirty
five The will Of mis- father. William Thaw. had
really cut the young man off with $500 year
until ne should reach that age, out previous to
his infatuation for the chorus girl the Thaw
family had signed papers allow ing him his in
come. which is about $4,000 year. The move
at the time wher he bent marrying the
girl was to recall this paper and cut Thaw down
TO his $500 per annum. but he managed To beat
them This point.
When the stories from Paris of the high living
and extravaganza in which Harry Thaw and the
chorus girl were indulging came to the ears Of
Mrs Thaw in Pittsburg she summoned her son
home at once
Leave Miss Nesbit on that side. too" read
the cable dispatch. but Harry didn't. He en-
gagged the captains suite on the Kaiser Wilhelm
der Crosse for Miss Nesbit at cost Of $500
for the voyage. and brought her TO America
with him. There was stormy scene in which
the young heir was the central figure His
reply to the threats and pleadings OF the family
was characteristic.
IN marry the girl if feel like it, and all Oh
YOU may be id" and marry her he did.
So much talk had been aroused that Thaws
mother thought it best to put stop to 1t, and
she finally sent word to the couple in New York
TO come 10 Pittsbdrg and be married under her
eve And so they married one evening IN
the study OF the Rev. Mr. McEwan-
Since that time tleTe rzz- zz-+----~z-kard fight
the part of Mrs. William Thaw y force her
daughter-in-Iaw or PittsburS socieby. Social
circles have been Ioath TO accept( 1.-THE pretty
wife of Harry Kendall Thaw. perhtps not
much on her own account as on accotnt Of her
husbands reputation. Harry Kendall frhaw has
been considered for years mild soft OF de-
generate by those close TO the family. re has
been practically barred from society in Pitts
burg in spite Of the money of himself and fam
iIy and it Is understood that he has recently
bought house and lot in Fifth avenue New
York and intended locating there with his wife.
A member Of the Thaw family found later. who
refused to permit the use OF his name said!
This Is simply awful We know absolutely
nothing OF Stanford White. This is the first
have heard Of the terrible affair and the first
time l ever heard the name of Stanford White, to
my recollection. Harry. of course. knew many
New Workers of whom have never heard. 7
could not throw the slightest DIT OF light on the
tragedy. II there has been any bad feeling be-
fore 1 know nothing of IT, This is simply terri
BILE. terrible. Are you sure there is not some
mistake? ! cannot believe il is true. Harry
never harmed any man. He never was of a
quarrelsome disposition. and I cannot imagine
what would have brought about such terrible
thing this
Il am certain there has been no Quarrel with
this man over Harry's wife. No matter what
the world may think about that marriage Miss
Nesbitt has made a good and faithful wife TO
Harry so far as I know l know there never
has been a breath Of suspicion against her name
and I am confident that whatever the troubIs
was between the men Mrs. Thaw had nothing
10 do with it.
"Oh, 1 cannot believe IT. II will kill The boys
mother. She has had more than her share Of
trouble in this world. VIII IL never end for Us,
or is there some fatality which must follow US
clear 10 the end?'
Harry K Thaw Is the rnennber ~ the far,Iiv