Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-08
TELLS STORY TO
SAVE THE LIFE
OF HER HUSBAND
BY Associated Press.

NEW YORK, Feb. 7.-Evelyn Nesbit
Thaw told her story today. To save the
life of her husband. charged with mur-
der, she barred to the world the inner
most secrets of her soul. 1t was the
same story she told Harry Thaw in
Paris in 19O3 when he had asked her
to become his wife-the confession of
one who felt there was an insurmount-
able barrier to her ever becoming the
bride of the man she loved.
AS the young wife unfolded the mar
rative of her girlhood and told of the
struggles of herself and her mother to
keep body and soul together; of how
gaunt poverty stood ever at the door,
and how she finally was able to earn
a livelihood by posing for photogra-
piers and artists she won the muir
INJURED sympathy of the crowd which
filled every available space in the court
room.
Sad Tale Is Told
Then came the revelation of the
wreck of that girlhood at 16 years of
age. 1t was the story of her meeting
with Stanford White; the story of the
sumptuous studio apartment whose
dingy exterior gave no hint of the
luxurious furnishings within; of a vel
vet covered swing in which one could
swing until slippered toes crashed
through the paper of a Japanese para
chute swung from the ceiling; the
story of glass of champagne, of black,
Whirling sensations and of mirrored
bedroom walls. In short, she told the
story.
Don't scream so. 1t is all over. 1t
is all right"
"And this was Stanford White?"
The question came from d. NJ. Del
mas, now conducting the defense.
Yes, sir"
The stiffness of the great crowd was
it's own tribute to the effect of the girls
story. Into the narrative there en-
tered nothing of the woman of the
world, a girl in face and figure, Mrs.
ThaW was still a girl as she Withstood
an ordeal which might have startled
into terror a woman of mature years
and harsher experiences than hers.
Into the narrative she injected many
little touches of a young girls hopes
and disappointments. OF her early life
she related how her mother had gone
from Pittsburg to Philadelphia to Sc
cure assistance and how she and her
brother Howard were placed on a
train by friends and sent on to the
mother. She recalled that the two lit
tie travellers had trouble with the con-
ductor, who wanted TO put their cat off
the car. But. she naively added, she
held on to it.
She told of her ARRIVAL IN New OfK,
her life there and eventually the ac-
ccptance by her mother of the thrice
refused invitation of q girl of the the
atcr to meet some friends at lunch.
The girls mother told Evelyn's mother
they were i'm New York society and
perfectly proper, else she would not let
her girl go with them.
"When she came for me i'm the ham
SOM" said the witness. II rQmember
hoping we were going to the Waldorf,
/ had heard so much of it and wanted
to go there. The hanson stopped in
front Of a dingy looking building in
West TWenty-fourth street and | was
told to get out. Mother had dressed
me My skirts were just to my shoe
tops then"
This was i'm August, 1901.
"He was a big, fat ugly mani re-
member him meeting us at the head of
three flights of stairs she continued.
HE gave me presents, ANA my mother
let me go to other parties. Then he
said my mother should visit some
friends In Pittsburg. She said she
could not leave me, She said II would
be all right, that he would look after
me- Finally she went. Then came an
invitation to a party but no one elsa
was there-just two. They all seem
to have turned as down he said.
"Aftcr we had dmed and | wanted to
go home, he said / had not seen all of
the apartment, and we went to the
bedroom with the mirrors all over the
walls"
Thus the story ran, with here and