The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-08
MRS. EVELYN THAW
TELLS LIFE STORY
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.

the air of a man who IS going out To
have the sentence passed upon him. His
face was a pale yellow. his every move
ment unstable his lips pale and witch
ing, his hair untidy, his eyes shifting
nervously all the time, and never rest
ing for more than a moment on any
given point For he knew that his wife.
in hope of saving his life, was about 10
undergo trial such as few women have
ever known.
In the course OF her narrowing testi-
mOny. he seldom looked directly at her
When IL became most difficult TO bear he
bowed his face in his hand and looked as
If it required an his strength to control
himself. His lawyers sat close about him,
so as to shield him as much as possible
from the eyes of the spectators. But their
efforts while successful. We're scarcely
necessary. for the story that Evelyn Mes
bit Thaw was telling was so absorbing
that fec the time being no one had eyes
Tor her husband
When il was over. there were express
sions of wonder on every hand AT the
amazing fOTtitude Of the frail little
woman who told the story. She told the
court that she was twenty-five years old.
She did not look a day over seventeen
years old. She was the picture of a
Belasco ingenue, and she kept that pic
ture steady all day long.
Not Admitted as Facts.
The district attorney allowed her state
ment TO go TO the jury not as "a statement
of fact. but as "A statement Of what she
told her husband i'm Paris All the long
narrative OF her acquaintance with Harry
Thaw and Stanford White was not told
word upon word. It was drawn from her
often with difficulty, by tactful question
ing on the part of Mr. Delmas. And yet
II is lizard 10 see how anybody could have
told the story better or how il could have
been more effectively put before the jury
Throughout all her testimony the most
extraordinary pains were taken to pre-
vent the names of any other persons than
herself her husband and White from be
coming public In connection with the re-
pugnant details which she gave. This
doubtless disappointed a large number Of
spectators, q number of whom were evil
IDENTIFY drawn 10 the courtroom from mo-
tives of curiosity solely. For many weeks
reports have been current that when
Harry Thaw's young wife went on the
stand % tell her story she would disclose
many happenings in the recent history of
after midnight life along Broadway in
which the names of many men known in
the gayer circles would be involved. Moth
ing OF the sort occurred.
At the very outset of Mrs Thaws tes-
timouy Mr. Delmas took pains to state
that, with the consent of the district al
tOney. he would request the witness not
TO mention any names other than the
three most involved. unless they were
specifically requested. In consequence of
this young Mrs. Thaw mentioned only
TWO names in such "a connection, one be
ing Il Mr. Dillingham;" Bat even that
was taken from the record. At other
times she would say, "A certain young
lady "a certain gentleman or AN
other young lady who was not there the
first time
Importance of Letters.
No evidence reached the court to-day
save that of young Mrs Thaw. with the
exception of three letters written by
Harry * Thaw 10 various persons. which
Mr.. Delmas succeeded in getting on the
record only after "a prolonged legal con-
test with the district attorney. during
which Mr.. Jerome and counsel for the de-
tense addressed the court at length sew
eral times
One OF these letters was addressed to a
former attorney employed by Thaw, and
was full of rambling and disconnected
statements. which were evidently intended
10 show, and seemed TO do SO, that the
mind of the man who wrote it was n "a
semi-distrJCted state. This letter as well
as the other two. appeared TO corroborate
most strongly what young Mrs. Thaw
told the court regarding the effect of her
].
A letter To MI Longfcll0w was full of
disconnected statements is badly spelled
and spattered with fragmentary phrases,
some Of which are scarcely Ineligible,
II the geHuineness is established they
viii doubtless show that the man who
wrote them had recently passed through
some tragic experience. that he both loved
and pItied Evelyn Nesbit. as she was at
that time, and that he had "a deep and
abiding hatred for some man whom he
regarded as responsible for Hev misfor-
tune and uuhappiuess. and whom he con-
tinually referred to as that 'hlaggard "
Justice Francis NJ. Scott and Justice
Norman :. Dyke. OF Brooklyn, sat on the
bench with Justice Fitzgerald during part
OF the proceedings. Inside of the rail ex-
Assistant District Attorney Rand spent
several hours along with Magistrate Bar
low who is regular and the three
alieuists employed by the prosecution.
The alienists had previously spent much
time in watching Harry Thaw To-day
they forgot all about him. and stared in
the direction of the witness stand quite as
consistently as the merest spectator.
Quite a few weIl-known lawyers sat
among the spectators. while various mem
beTs of the district attorneys staff
dropped i'm occasionally. OF course ali six
of the Thaw counsel We're present, but
none of them took any active part in the
proceedings except Mr.. Delmas and Mr..
Gleason, whose sole contribution was
three questions handed to Lawyer Long
fellow, and then he retired in favor of Mr..
DelmaS
As the afternoon advanced an atmos-
phcre OF ill-concealed citation enveloped
the table where Thaw's counsel sat. At
the end Of the day it was conceded on all
hands that defense had made rapid strides
toward a successful termination of their
fight
Cafe Martin Dinner.
Mrs .Thaw. in answer TO Mr.. Delmas'
first question, said she was born Deem
Der .. 1854 She told Of going to the Cafe
Martin to dinner the evening Of June q
with her husband. Thomas McCaleb, and
Truxtun Beale.
while You We're at the Cafe Martin did
You see Stanford White?"
Yes"
did YOU write a uote?"
Il did
ION what?"
"A slip Of paper. think Mr.. AIcCaIcb
gave is to me.
What did you do with it,