Omaha daily bee., 1906-06-26
WHITE MURDERED BY THAW
Prominent New York Architect Killed BY
Pittsburg Millionaire,
MURDER TAKES PLACE IN THEATER
Thaw Accuses victim of Having
Ruined His Home-Both Parties
Prominent In social and
Business world.

NEW YORK, June 25.-stanford White,
the eminent architect Of the Arm Of Mcktm
/ Mead & White. was shot tonight and al
most instantly killed by Harry Thaw, a
member of a prominent Pittsburg family
during the performance of the musical eN-
/ travaganza, "Mamzele Champagne on
| the of the Madison Square garden. M.
White died before an ambulance could be
! summoned. and Thaw was arrested imme-
diately after the shooting.
! The Madison Square roof garden, which
has been closed for several years, was
crowded tonight with fashionable audi
( ence Willie Harry Short, who fills the
principal comedy role in the piece. was
/ singing a comic song. and the garden was
! echoing with the laughter and applause ~
[ the audience a series Of shots ratified in
/ the rear Of the auditorium and man in
! evening dress was seen to fall across
! table at which he was sitting with a
party OF friends The man who had drcd
the shots fed, pistol in hand, towards the
nearest exit, where he was seized and
disarmed by the police. Instantly the great
audience thrown into panic and
wild stampede occurred during which
! chairs and tables we're overturned and mon
J ana women IOuknL Win ueSptTdllul " tS-
/ cape from the roof.
Three shots Fired.
| The FIRST intimated OF trouble came when,
| walking in front of his seated victim, the
man exclaimed: You've deserved this.
You've ruined my home and drawing an
automatic pistol fired three shots. The
| first two took effect, but as the third was
discharged the pistol was struck up by
fireman on duty in the thester and tho
bullet went skyward. The woman who
had been sitting with Mr. White sprsng
to her feet and rushed up to his asssilant.
who was struggling with the fireman.
threw her arms about his neck, eXclaiming:
| IN stand by you
The shooting occurred at 1890, while
Harry Short was singing Il Could Love
a Million Girls" Thaw had been at the
performance all the evening and had been
| noticed to be very nervous and excited
White had been previously to the Man
haitian club and had only been al the gar
den a few minutes when Thaw confronted
him.
ThRw il Arrested.
Fireman Burden took the revolver away
from Thaw and handed him over to Po-
liceman Dobbs, who placed him under ar
rest. Thaw handed the policeman so and
asked him to notify Andrew Carnegie that
he was in trouble. Thaw, it is alleged,
sal dto the fireman:
Deserved what he got. lie ruined my
life ami deserted the girl
While he was being held by the policeman
the young woman. who is described as
short, slender, dark and very pretty, again
put her arms about his neck. Thaw told
her to keep quiet and not get excited
as all would come out all right.
Immediately after the shooting the cur
tain was rung down on the play.
ThAw Family is Prominent.
! PITTSBURG. June Salary Kendall
Thaw is about 31s years of age and is the
Eon OF the late William Thaw, who was
vice president of the Pennsylvania lines
west lie was a graduate of the Western
University of Pennsylvania and when in
Ptttsburg made his home with his mother
at Lyndhurst, Beechwood boulevard, in the
east end OF the this city. Since his grad
uation from college and the attainment
of his majority Thaw has lived little in
Pittsburg. Much of his time has been
spent abroad and II was while in Paris
that he met Evelyn Nesbt, the actress,
whom he afterwards married, and who
was with him when he is alleged to have
done the shooting tonight.
Harry Thaw Is brother of J. Copely
rhaw, the countess OF Yarmouth, who was
Alice Thaw, and also of Mrs. George
Lauder Carnegie of Cumberland, Fla. He
is also a half-brother OF Benjamin Thaw.
Mrs William Thaw, mother of Harry,
sailed for Europe Saturday on one of the
slow steamers She is on her way to visit
her daughter, the countess of Yarmouth.
Harry and his bride were booked TO sail
on Wednesday of this week. No reason
for the shooting can be assigned by friends
of the family In this city who could be
| reached tonight. While attending the uni
versity in this city IT was said tonight
that Harry Thaw was a student Of quiet
habits After he attained his majority,
however, he developed fancy for travel
ing. and after a short residence in New
| York left for Paris.
His prospective trip upon which he was
TO start on Wednesday was for the purpose
Of Joining his mother in Europe and visit
ing his sister the countess.
white an Eminent Architect.
NEW YORK, June 3.-Mr White was a
native OF New York City. having been born
here in 1853. He was educated at the Uni
versity Of New York and received his archi-
tectural training with Charles G. Gembril
and II. H. Richardson, being the chief as
sistant of the latter I'm the construction OF
the famous Trinity church, Boston, DIT
Phillips Brooks church.
Since 1881 the firm Of McKim. Mead d
White designed among other structures the
Madison Square Garden. Century and Ne
tropolitau clubs, the University OF New
York, Washington Arch, the University oi
Virginia and the pedestals for the principa
statues OF ST. Gaudens, the sculptor.
He was a member OF the Municipal Art
society, New York Botanical Garden 30
ciety Metropolitan Museum OF Art, ZoolOg
teal society, University club, the American
, Institute OF Architects, the Racquet, Kis
met Players. Century Manhattan. New
York Yacht, Union, Knickerbocker and the
Adirondack League clubs and the American
Fine Arts society. He was also vice pres
dent OF the Madison Square Garden