The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-08-08
land what might your choice be,

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pray?" asked the Rev. Mr.. Scovel.
"Penmanship and lawn tennis" said
the youth as he struck a match ane
blew rings Of smoke into the face Of
the university president.
1t was only week after this that
young Thaw decided to lay aside his
chosen branches, penmanship and lawn
tennis, for the time. He fed to Eu-
rope, wiring back that he had gone
over to get some cigarettes. He re-
turned In q month and was not chided
or sent from school. Harry brought
back to the university several trunks
!, full of cigarettes, which he distributed
'lavishly among his friends.
The fledgelng millionaire became not
ed for his attentions to girls, especially
to girls in theatrical troupes, and occa-
sionally he got into scrapes on account
Of them. Once he got into a fist fight
over girl. He was always lounging
about the Wooster theater or the hotel
in which the show girls stayed. On
one occasion he persuaded all the girls
In comic opera company to wear
garterS and bows Of the college colors
during the performance. The act made
hit with the students.
Young Thaw was sent to Princeton
In 1894, but he did not take life seri-
ously enough and he never was grad"
uated. He made many friends, who
still refer to him pityingly as a good
fellow. When he left college in the early
nineties he returned to Pittsburg and
devoted himself still more seriously to
having a good time.
Long before this, Of course, he had
learned 10 drink. One night he walked
/ through a big plate glass window in
the Hotel Imperial in New York. He
paid well for the window, Of course.
The incident was considered a great
bit of humor. No important arteries
were cut and the young man was con-
sidered to have had very good time
indeed.
His widest escapades while drinking
happened in Pittsburg. He would visit
the local Tenderloin with a party Of
friends close up the house and fairly
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and abuses included all manner Of vi.
ciousness. He would remain in a house
for days at time, and when he had
tired Of it, would give the proprietress
q check for the amount of his bill It
was these. checks constantly coming
into his mothers hands which so wor-
ried her. She could not help but know
how the money had been spent.
Young Thaw often came to New
York ON visits to attend to the impor-
tant business Of having q good time,
but he never forced his way into print
until he arrived in Paris in May, 1900,
and gave a dinner that cost $4,000 In
honor Of Lame de Pougy, Nellie Neu-
stretter, Anna Robinson, La Belle Ote-
70, Cleo de Merode and other noted
beauties. The dinner was served in a
restaurant in the Champs Elysee. the
most expensive in Europe, kept by a
man who was once chef to the car.
All that Thaw insisted upon was that
the dishes and the wines should be the
costliest possible. In this project he
had the hearty cooperation Of the pro-
prietor. The souvenirs were trinkets
of diamonds, pearls and sapphires.
This dinner gave young Thaw fine
status in the world Of people who
spend all their energy in having a good
time. He returned to Pittsburg pres
emily and further distinguished himself
by losing $4,000 one night in q game
of poker. At o'clock next morning
he wrote checks for all the other play
ers In the game. The cashier Of the
bank refused at first to honor the
checks, having heard that they were
for poker losses, but Harry Thaw gave
him an angry lecture about honor"
and the checks were paid.
Thaw's famous $4,000 feast IN Paris
was duplicated In New York with
more beautiful women and a greater
disregard for the conventionalities. It
was followed by feast at Sherry's at
which Thaw was the host and Miss
Nesbit, now Mr.. Thaw's wife, the
hostess.
The exact cost Of that entertainment
nsyer has been revealed. h,rf a. IL