The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1907-02-15
HER LIFE STORY
Evelyn NeSbit Thaw Moves
Court to Tears.
PATHETIC TESTIMONY BY WIFE
Stanford White Caused Her Ruin
at Sixteen.
LOVING THAw. RtFUSEDTO WE'D HIM

Artist Model, Wife of Accused on
stand Calmly, Through Tears Ielis
Of Early Poverty and story OF Being
Drurged and wronged by stanford
White, Rich and Noted Architect
and "A Married Man, After Deep Lnio
and Elaborate Plans and schemes
DeprIving the Girl of Her Natural
Protector, Her Mother, Who Was
Sent 10 Pittsburg by Man Slain
nv Tha,v ON n Pretense of sending
Her on visit 10 Friends, saying
81 VIII Look After Her"-Then Came
the story of Grentest wrong That
Can he Done Woman.
NEW YORK. Feb. 12.-Evelyn Nesbit
Thaw. the beautiful young wife OF
Harry X. Thaw, laid bare In the GRIM
inal branch Of the supreme court here
the story Of her life, the recital OF
which is expected by the defense TO
convince the jury that her husband
was Justified when he shot down Slah-
ford White the famous architect and
the man who. she declared, first drug
ged and then ruined her and for whose
murder young Thaw Is on trial
Every word she uttered seemed TO
bear the imprint Of truth. Still the
one thought uppermost IN the minds OF
all who had heard the testimony was
whether it would stand the test OF
cross examination. Should II DO so
the general opinion was that the plea
Of justification. not that OF Insanity
would be the strong factor I'm deter
mining the fate Of the prisoner The
case suddenly seemed 70 turn to the
very human question whether Nhl'e
ought not to have been killed.
As the former chorus girl answered
readily the questions put TO her 10y
Delphin NJ Delmas, chief counsel for
the prisoner. every one I'm the court
room leaned eagerly forward, so as not
10 miss a word that dropped from her
Inns The pitlful story she told moved
every one i'm the room. Men wiped
the tears from their eyes, while the
morbid women who had come 20 hear
the revolving testimony sobbed aloud
II was one Of the most dramatic re-
citals ever heard in any court
To save the life Of her husband she
bared TO the world the innermost Sc
crets Of her soul. for the portrayal of
which a sanctuary was a more fitting
Mace than the crowded, gaping court
room. It was the same story she told
Harry Thaw I'm Paris IN 1903 when he
had asked her to become bis wife, the
confession Of one who felt there was
an insurmountablc barrier to her ever
Incoming the bride Of the man she
loved
"Afr. Thaw was sitting down op
posite me-" she said, "and he sudden
Iv said 10 me that he loved me ano
wanted to marry me, and l stared al
him for a moment, and then he sald
Don't YOU care for mef Don't yoI
care anything about meF And sald
+ Yes' And he said. What IS the mat
terY And l said, Nothing at all. Ah'
, he said. why won't you marry me
And I said. Because. And then NJ
, said We'll. tell me why, won't you
+ for what reason: why won't you marry
, meT Then he leaned over me and pm
his hands on my shoulders and looke'
straight at me. and he said, Is II be
I corse Of Stanford WhiteT And ! saio
e Yes Then he said he wouldn't thlnI
any the less Of me if / told IT, ana u
' wanted me to tell Il. So began D.
telling him how and where l had mrs
p met Stanford White
In the big witness chair she appear
G cd but n slip Of a girl. and she toll
:. the pitlful story Of her eventful youh
life IN n frank. girlish way.
As the young wife unfolded the mai
/ rotlve Of her girlhood and told tn
:, early struggles Of herself ana ne
u mother 10 keep body and soul togethe
Of how gaunt poverty stood ever q
the door and how she finally was ahI
= to earn a livelihood by posing for ph'
: tographers and artists. she won On
= murmured sympathy Of the thron
- which filed every available space
ID the big courtroom.
D.; Then came the relation Of the Wree
10 Of that glrlhood at sixteen years
v ago II was the story Of her meelll
with Stanford white, the story OF u
sumptuous studio apartment who'
dlncv exterior gave no hint or u
v. Injurious furnishings within. or a Va
vet covered swing IN which one cou
swing until sllppered toes erash'
nd through the paper of japanese par
"a sol swung from the ceiling. the sio
81 of a glass OF champagne. OF nia'
whirling sensation and or mirror
bedroom walls. In short. she told
y the story.
Don't scream so. Il is all over.
ls an rlght"
i,. A portion n the testimony IS Oh
nd character unfit for publication.
'' "Then ho began 90 talk % mo-
told me that 7 must not be worr.
labout what had occurred. lie said ti
overvthing was an rlght he said
would DO a great many things Tor ?
ne said the great thing IN q
world was not to be found out; ih'
'in must be very clever about H. He m
ne swear that I would not tell
mother-not to say one word 10 mot
about H."
"And this was Stanford Whitef
The question came from Dolphin
fe, pelmas now conducting the defe
of Harry Thaw.
La EYES, sir
,a e The stiffness Of the crowd, wi
oer was big. bustllng, showing ana sh
ain Ing over some especially coveted
will when court convened, was its own !
cts, ute to the effect Of the girls ST
Into the narrative there entered n