The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-07-06
War to Be Made on New
YOrk's Libertines.
THAW Is TO AID SOCIETY.
Revelations OF the immortality That
Exists Among Swell Folks In the
Metropolis.

: New York, June 3O-Harry X. Thaw
sent a message from the Tombs yes
terday to Anthony Comstocll, president
of the Society for the Suppression of
Vice, saying he had received letter
which it would pay Mr.. Comstock to in
vestigate. An agent of the society call
ed upon Thaw, but was not admitted at
that time.
As a result of Thaw's message to Mr.
Comstock, the latter gave out "A further
statement bearing on the ThawWhit
case and New York's city's libertines.
He said:
Il am ready to go before the grand
jury at any moment and in that case
j shall give them every scrap of evidence
in my possession bearing on this case
and on the hideous network of vice in
this city, which in its horror excels the
worst excuses of Rome in the sixth
century.
"Three men, all three being Whites
closest friends, were named in addition
to White in the statement made to me
by Thaw on the first visit to me eight
cen months ago He told me that White
was engaged in the business of corrupt
ing and bringing complete ruin upon
girls. He named the three other men
as associates of White. He told me that
his sole purpose in asking my aid was
TO expose Stanford White and his asso-
ciates and save other girls from moral
destruction.
"Mr. Thaw's story-his descriptions
of the acts said to have been perpetrat.
ed by White in his studio, of the orgies
in which Stanford White and his friends
took part-was clear and explicit He
furnished the name of every girl whom
he said had fallen into the power of
White and the men around him. Mr..
Thaw called on me again and again and
each time had more data
at is remarkable fact, however.
that he never once referred to his wife
in any of our interviews and, indeed,
the first intimation | had of her con
nection with the case was when the
newspapers told me the story of the
murder
Through many months we were
working on the evidence supplied by Mr..
Thaw. L have already said that we
failed to get the legal proof against
White and his friends. In some way |
think he had got wind of our purpose.
'And there was where we failed in
our legal proof. Unless we could watch
Whites studio our work was hopeless
Our next work was to seek out the girls
named by Mr.. Thaw, and here again
the same mysterious influence was
teriously left town. Their homes were
found, their relatives fere found But
the girls themselves had been spirited
away. More than this, their parents in
nearly all cases fatty refused to aid us
in reaching them, pleading that they de-
sired to avoid the ignominy and shame
attaching to such cases.
"Mr. Thaw was continually visiting
my office, and each time seemed more
and more depressed by our failure to
entrap Stanford White His sole pur
pose, as he often expressed it, was to
prevent the continuance of such prac
tees and cleanse society of its moral
lepers. Stanford White is noxious
BEAST he said, and must be driven
out
And L never at any time noticed
the slightest sign of drink or drug
on Mr.. Thaw. His manner. as | have
already said, was that of quiet, earn
est, honest gentleman, intent on good
purpose.
eff the grand jury desires what in
formation / have | shall be happy to
answer their subpoena and tell all
know, and it will then be for the dis
trict attorney to decide if he chooses
to proceed with his investigation of the
cases of the other men,"
Gone thing more let me say. You
may wonder why l was so ready to ac-
oept MIR. Thaw's statements. Long be.
fore | ever met Mr.. Thaw | had re-
celved many complaints, mostly in let
tiers, about the conduct of Mr.. White |