The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1906-09-12

in which the show girls stayed. ON
one occasion he persuaded all the girls
in a 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 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 to 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
wallow in champagne. His excuses
and abuses included all manner of vi
ciousness. He would remain in a house
for days at a time, and when he had
tired Of it. would give the proprietress
a check for the amount of his bill. 1t
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 a good time,
but he never forced his way into print
until he arrived in Paris in May, 1900,
and gave 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
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
Drietor. The souvenirs were trinkets
of diamonds, pearls and sapphires.
This dinner gave young Thaw a fine
status in the world of people who
spend all their energy in having good
time. He returned to Pittsburg bEes-
emily and further distinguished himself
by losing $4,000 one night in 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 greater
disregard for the conventionalities. 1t
was followed by feast at Sherry's at
which Thaw was the host and Miss
Nesbit, now Mr. Thaw's wife, the
| hostess.
never has been revealed, but 1t is
known that the order vas given to
spare no expense either in the prepare
ton of the menu, the decorations or
the favors Miss Nesbit selected the
guests, and she took care to bring to-
gether beauties to .outshine the Paris
ian collection and it's replica in the
Tenderloin. She called the girls to-
gether and gave them full instructions
as to costume and makeup. There were
only six men in the party besides Har-
ry Thaw. The young women were the
pick of the stage beauties then in town.
After coffee had been served there
was vaudeville performance. in which
an oriental dancer was a startling and
unexpected feature. Black face come
dams and lilliputian dancers wound up
the entertainment. In the big bouquet
Of beauty Evelyn Nesbit was the cen
trail flower. Thaw was so enraptured
that he had eyes for no other woman
and ears for no other voice. The din
ner was tbs talk of the town for a
week and the host the most talked of
man in New York.
Dack to Paris went young Thaw and
gained further distinction in his life
work. n March. 1901, the Comtesse
Louise de Mortane, 4 charming widow,
announced in Paris that she was hav-
ing submarine yacht built Ia 1Iys-
ta~o IN which cIA wOuI1 alv-1vS live