The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1907-02-12

Anthony ComstoeS VoucEss For a
Great Part Of 1t.
HE CALLS WHITE a MONSTER
Declares He Had Architect Watched

at Harry Thaw's Request and
Knows He Ruined Many Young
Girls.
New York, Feb. l1.-That the shock
ing story that Evelyn Nesbt Thaw
told of her ruin by Stanford White
was true. and also that Harry Thaw
believed that he had exhausted the re-.
sources of the law in his endeavor to
secure the punishment of White be.
fore he took the law into his own
hands and slew the architect-these
we're the great features of declara'
ton maded by Anthony Comstock.
head OF the Anu-Nice Society
Mr. Comstock. who is in with pneu
monia at Summit ~ j.. gave out an
authorized interview. which becomes
one of the most important contribu.
tons to the history OF the Thaw case.
The statement fits remarkably well
with this theory of the defense. II
was as follows:
Il know that Stanford White was a
monster. | know that much OF what
Mrs. Harry Thaw has stated as a wit
ness is true know that Stanford
Whites den in the tower OF Madison
Square Garden was as she described
il. | know that White made a business
OF running young girls. | know OF at
least one specific case. And what
know / learned after ! had been given
the first clews by Harry Kendall Thaw
himself
MY first knowledge of this case
dates from the summer of 1905-aOout
year before the killing. ] should say
one afternoon a tall. welldressei
wellbred young man came to me in
my Office i'm the Temple Bar building
He seemed to be laboring under ok
element. and il was evident that hC
was desperately in earnest He opened
the conversation by asking me ii
we're interested i'm the suppression OF
vice. Then he wanted TO know II my
society gave special attention TO the
arrest and punishment OF men who
proved upon the chastity of young
girls. | told him that We did. he
jumped mp abruptly and said he would
see men again and left without telling
me his name.
"A few days later he came back
This time he seemed more at ease, but
he was still laboring under strong
emotions as | could see very plainly
lie now introduced himself. As nearly
as ! can recall he said:
81 am Harry Kendall Ihaw, oil
Pittsburg. You may have heard OF
me? I want TO tell you of man who
has ruined more Young girls than any
man in New York. He is practically
given to pursuing the young girls OF
the stage. Ii is a debt which society
owes TO itself TO malt him now. before
he brings shame and sorrow 10 any
more victims
"'He has come in my own life II
such way that I desire above every
thing else to see his practices stopped
in order that others may be spared
the suffering he has brought upon ms
and mine His name is Stafford
White. He is an architect and he has
an infamous den II the tower Of tho
Madison SQUARE Garden.
ct Eat in effect was his statement.
! continued Mr.. Comstock. although. OF
course. / asked him a great deal more
of the matter. He left after securing
nv promise to investigate. He agreed
| TO pay the cost of looking into Tho
! case. lie at once mailed me CHECK
OF sufficient size to defray the neces
sary expenses and subsequently wrote
me several times upon the subject Of
White asking each time what progress
we were making
"Our investigation confirmed to
great degree what Thaw had told me
Our detectives were astounded at what
they discovered. We worked hard and
learned a great deal but all these
cases are the hardest TO prove under
the rules of evidence. and before risk
ing an arrest determined to catch
White red-handed in his iniquity.
81 learned that his rooms in tho
tower were as Mrs. Evelyn Thaw had
described them in the trial. Two OF
our detectives tried to hire rooms
in the same tower in order to watch
his goings and comings. The deal was
almost completed. when one Of the de
tectives made a bungle. SomethinA
which he said or did gave the alarm
10 the janitor. and although we were
on the waiting list for a long time, and
although several times apartments in
the tower were vacant. we were never
able to secure a suite or a single
room. We we're still vainly trying tC
arrange a trap from which there would
be no escape for White when he dis
mantled his rooms in the tower.
q learned positively OF one case
where White had ruined a girl only
Is years old almost identically as
Mrs. Evelyn Thaw describes her OWL
case. but the girl was in the chorus q
a road company, and We could mol
reach her and make a witness Of her
We got partial evidence OF Other
things-things that convince me thai
what Harry Thaw's wife now sweara
is true. believe in her story and
base that belief upon what ! now know
/ of the man.
"The last time | saw Harry ThaW
was only two or three weeks before he
shot White He appeared TO be in
desperate state. Like man who IS
well.nigh frantic He said to M
wildly: You must keep on, You mus
stop this man He must be stopped
nOw-at once
81 will willingly sign statement e