The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-06-29
He Was the Black Sheep of the
Wealthy Family.
MADE PARIS SIT UP AND GASP.
His Dinner to Twenty-Five Women
That Cost Half Hundred Thou
sand Dollars.


of Quaker origin, and his family is one
of the oldest in Pennsylvania. His faith
er's millions came from the manufac-
turing business and realty investment,
hundreds of acres in and around Pitts
burg belonging to the estate. However,
Harry X. Thaw is the family black
sheep, led into idle ways by parental
indulgence. The escapades of the youth
did not appeal to his father, and when
The latter died he left the young man
only $500 year. But the mother soft
ened and gave him share equal to
that of the other children.
With an annual income of $4,000
young Thaw whetted his scythe for
wide swath, and he cut it, too. New
York, Washington, London, Paris, Toxic
and other places were visited by him
and his all round proaigacy set people
aghast. Money ran through his fingers
as water through sieve.
AS an index to his vagrant character
the following escapades in New York are
submitted:
He raced cab down Broadway in
the middle of the day, when Broadway
was crowded from curb to curb.
He threw a theatrical performance in
to a panic by throwing bottles at
soubrette, who didn't sing to please him.
He caused the proprietor to close up
IA famous night restaurant an hour earl
Ter, because he stood on a table and
threw S. bills to all the walters.
He went to the Waldorf one night,
sat by himself at magnificent table
and ordered $50 dinner. When it was
finished, he sent for the chef and gave
him $25.
One night after the theatre, when
he found his cabman asleep, he got
astride of the horse, and drove the cab
and the sleeping cabman through the
most brilliantly lighted thoroughfares
of New York.
When woman's eyes pleased him, he
would sent a pair of rubies to match
them, or emeralds, or sapphires, as the
case might be.
He made it point never to tip
waiter less than S., no matter what was
served.
Thaw could not spend his money fast
enough in New York and so sought
more expansive field for spectacular ex-
travagance in Paris. He succeeded so
well in the gay French capital that in q
single night he sprang into fame.
He gave dinner in mid summer to
about twenty-five women. 1t cost $780,
900. 1t made Paris sit up and gasp. 1t
was such a dinner as the favorite of
the Caesars gave, and like the ones in
the time of Catherine of Russia, when a
great prince distinguished the most fam
Gus beauty in Russia by giving her
dinner after his greatest victory.
This prince served liquor glasses of
jewels to every woman after the dinner.
Harry Thaw hung his jewels on mid
summer Christmas tree in the center Of
the table.
On this tree he hung a miniature
of every woman present. The guests
chose their own pictures and found the
miniature to be the lid of small box,
which contained set jewel. He had
found out the favorite jewel of each
woman.
He gave the dinner at the famous res
taurant Cabat, which is in the palace
of the Countess de Pava, built for her by
Napoleon III. on the Camps Elysees.
The roses that were used were flaw
less. Hundreds had been dicarded because
of some imperfection. One of the small
items of expense was the $4,000 he
gave Sousa for his band during the
evening.
He made Lame de Pougy the most
envied woman in her world by giving
her the seat or honor. She at once be-
came famous as the most beautiful
woman in Paris. One of her poses is
not to wear jewels. This night she wore
white, with natural violets.
This $4,000 beauty dinner made Har-
ry Thaw famous in Paris. He had al
ready become famous in London where
Mrs. Arthur Paget was his sponsor and
he spent money as freely as he poured