The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-02-08
HER LIFE STORY
Evelyn Nesbit Thaw Moves
Court to Tears.
PATHETIC TESTIMONY BY WIFE
Stanford White Caused Her Ruin
al Sixteen.
LOVING TnAW. RtfUStDTO WED HIM

Artist Model. wtfr OF Accused, ON
stand Calmly, Through Tears, Tells
Of Early Poverty and story Of Being
Dragged aud wronged by stanford
white, Rich and Noted Architect
aud n Married Man, After Deep Laid
and Elaborate Plans and schemes
Depri,iag the Girl OF Her Natural
Protector, Her Mother, Mho Was
sent 60 Pi,tsburg by Man slain
by Thaw on n pretense of sending
Her ON visit 60 Friends, saying.
81 VIII Lock After Her"-Then Carsr
Oh. story OF Creates, wrong That
Can ne Don. . woman.
NEW YORK, Feb. s.-Evelyn Ncsbit
Thaw, the beautiful young wife Of
Harry X. Thaw. laid bare In the Grim
lnal branch Of the supreme court here
the story OF her life, the recital Of
which Ia expected by the defense "a
convince the jury that her husband
was justified when he shot down stan
ford white. the famous architect and
the man who. she declared. first drug
ged and then ruined her and for whose
murder young Thaw i on trial.
A. the former chorus girl answered
readily the questions put to her by
Dolphin NJ. Dclmas. chief counsel for
the prisoner. every one In the court
room leaned eagerly forward, ~ NJ not
10 miss a word that dropped from her
lips. The plilful story she told moved
every one IN the room. Men wiped
the tears from their eyes. while the
morbid women who had come 10 hear
the revolving testimony sobbcd aloud
II was one Of the most dramatic re-
citnls ever heard In any court
The girllsh wife Of the prisoner was
In the witness chair practically all
day.
To save the lie of her husband she
barred 20 the world the inncunost So
crcts Of her soul. for the portrayal ~
which a sanctuary was a more htting
place than the crowded. gaping court
room. II was the same story she told
Harry Thaw In Paris In 1895 when be
had asked her 10 become his wifc-thc
confession Of one who felt there was
an lnsurmountable barrier To her ever
becoming the bride OF the man she
loved.
In the big witness chair she appear
"a but a slip Of a girl. aud she told
the pltIful story of her cveniful young
life IN n frank. glrllsh way. When
tears came unbidden 10 her big brown
eyes and slowly trickled their way
down scarlet checks she strovc In vain
TO keep them back. Though emotion
NJ times seemed about 20 smother her,
she forced the words from trembling
lips. and by n marvellous display ~
courage which took her willingly Ia
her staggering ordeal she shook of a
depression which once threatened "a
become an absolute collapse.
A. the young wife unfoldcd the mar.
ratiye of her glrlhood aud told the
early struggles Of herself and her
mother 10 keep body and soul together.
% how gaunt poverty stood ever ~
the door and how she finally was able
10 earn a livelihood by posing for pho
tographcrs and artists. she won the
murmurcd sympathy Of the throng
which filled every available space In
the big courtroom.
Then came the relation ~ the wreck
Of that glrlhood AZ sixteen years II
nge II was the story Of her meeting
with Stanford white. the story Of the
sumptuous studio apartment whose
dlngy exterior gave no hint ~ the
luxurious furnishings within. Of n vel
vet covered swing In which one could
swing until sllppcrcd toes crashed
through the paper of japanese para
sol swung from the ceiling. the story
Of glass 81 champagne. Of black.
whlrling sensation and 81 mlrrorcd
bedroom walls. In short, she told oil
the story.
Don't scream 90 IL Il all over II
IL all right"
"And this wns stanford whlicT'
The question came from Dolphin NJ.
Delinas. now conducting tho defense
Of Harry Thaw.
"ics. sir"
Tho stiffness Of the crowd. which
was big. busting. showing aud snarl
Ing over some especially coveted scat
when court convened. was IT, own trlb
ute 10 the effect Of the girls story
Into the narrative there entered moth
Ing Of the woman Of the world. A girl
In face and figure. Mrs Thaw was still
girl NJ she withstood nm ordeal
which might we'll have startled into
terror n woman Of mature years aud
harshcr experiences than hers. Into
the narrative she injected many little
touches Of young girls hopes aud dis
appointments. or her early life she ~
lated how her mother had gone from
fittsburT 70 Philadelphia 10 secure a..
sistance and how abe and her brother
IIoward-the brother has been IN court
many days. hut not once has gone neat
bis sister--were placed on a tralp by
friends sud sent on 10 their mother,