The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-07-04
ATTORNEY ENGAGED
BY THAW MONTHS
PREVIOUS
To Crime for Investigation of
Whites Life and His AS
sociations.
Special to The Evening Times.


New York, July 4.-Shortly after
the indictment against Thaw was
handed in. it was learned that Thaw
evidently knowing full well of the an
preaching indictment, and while wait
ing for the inquest to begin, had called
up Anthony Comstock on the tele-
phone. Mr.. COmstock was not in the
city yesterday, but his secretary, Mr..
Dearing, was at the office, and talked
with Thaw. Later Dearng tried to
see Thaw. but was not allowed to do
so. Mr. Comstock will call on Thaw
today, ii is understood. Thaw, in talk
ing to Dearing, said:
! have received this morning a very
remarkable letter, which think 1t will
pay you to investigate. I would like
to have you see me in the TOmbs this
afternoon without fail Do so even if
you have to represent yourself to be
my special counsel.
The letter referred to by Thaw was
received at the Tombs on Wednesday
last. and was held by Warden Flynn,
1T being regarded with suspicion. 1t
was In a woman's handwriting. 1t was
put in the rack to be given to Mr.. Oh
colt, but was forgotten, and Yesterday
morning was unintentionally given to
Thaw by his counsel. The contents,
although not definitely learned, are
said to have been written by an enemy
of White. and to have bearing on the
dead mans life.
The calling of Anthony Comstock
into the case, as president Of the So
ciety for the prevention of vice. gives
new phase to it. Mr.. Comstock, it
is understood, has been doing some
investigating for Thaw for months.
particularly in regard to White aud
some of his associates. The result of
this investigation, it is said, on Mr..
Comstock's authority, showed con-
dition of affairs even more unusual
than was expected. Mr.. Comstock,
seen at his New Jersey home yester-
day. talked at length regarding the in
vestigation. He said:
1t was about year and half ago
that Thaw asked me to make some in
vestisation for him. found the con-
ditions the most awful and disgusting
that have ever been brought to my at
tention. Since then Mr. Thaw has
consulted with me number of times.
and with the officers of the society
| can say that Mr.. Thaw never men
toned the name of any woman con-
nected with him. He was intensely
loyal to his wife and, although he
never said so, it seemed to me that
some one near and dear to him had
come under the influence of Mr. White.
Mr.. Thaw gave me names and address,
es in many cases, and we found his
stories to be true. but the fear of eX-
posure always prevented any one from
coming forward and prosecuting.
Family influence barred our investi-
cations.
An idea on the part of Thaw's coun-
sci of using the insanity defence has
been dropped for good and all. DR..
Allan McLane Hamilton, alienist for
the defence. however. spent an hour
with Thaw Sunday afternoon.
Thaw has resisted and still resists
any attempt on the part of the prose-
cution's alienists to examine him.
Stories which were talked about to
the effect that change of venue would
be asked for by the defence were call
for the defence. He said that there
NttS Ho ldNoldDle pldSe ou edIlu
for Thaw to be tried than in this city,
where the general public apparently
seems to favor him more than it does
Stanford White. ls.
Stanford White it is learned, was
insured in various companies in this
city for nearly million dollars. He
had five policies, aggregating $2O0,0O0
in the Equitable Life Assurance So
ciety, and others in other companies.
In the complete report of the au-
topsy. submitted to the coroner yester-
day, DR.. Leblanc and Dr.. Larkin re-
ported finding Whites physical con-
dition so poor that he would probably
have died natural death in year
or two. They found he was suffering
from Bright's disease, incipient tuber-
culosis and fatty degeneration of the
liver.