The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-01-28
Telegraph and Gable Wires By Dozen Strung Into the
 Court Room
HISTORY OF TIE TRAGEDY
 WHICH INTERESTS WORLD
It is Now Practically Established That ThaW Will Avoid "UnWrltten Law" and Stand on Emotional
 Insanity Plea.

New York, January 27.-(Specal.)-If one may judge by the elaborate arrange ments made to give the world the story there never has been a trial equaling in interest the trial of Harry Kendall Thaw for the murder of Stanford White, the architect, which is now being held in this city. The preparations to report 1t, in order to meet the international demand to know everything that Is said and done in the courtroom are absolutely unprece- dented Even the Dreyfus and Maybrick trials were altogether overshadowed.
 Before the trial began telegraph and cable wires had been installed in the huge pile known as the criminal courts build ing, adjoining the Tombs prison, on Cen tre street, so that London, Paris and Ber- lin as well as Pttsburg. Boston and Chi cago. San Francisco and the lesser cities. could learn the progress of the famous proceeding immediately and smultane- ously.
 No less than 22S foreign and American correspondents as well as New York re- porters and special writers. tried to crowd into the courtroom that has a seating capacity for only 220. Only seventy of them were admitted.
 It is small wonder that there is such tremendous interest in the case, for in many of it's essential details it is unprece- dented. Probably no other murder case has ever been so much written about, so much theorized about, or so much talked about. It has been a cause celebre from the beginning because of the spectacular and dramatic setting of the killing, and because every one connected with it in the remotest degree is more or less well known They belong to the group who keep themselves always In the spot light. There is always curiosity concerning their doings, their comings and goings, their amusements, their clothes, their equipages, and, In fact, every detail of their lives.
 Among them are millionaires, society leaders, titled women and chorus girls; men famous in art and finance, and ar lists models; old men who stood high in the worlds respect, yet who made vic tims of mere children; young spendthrifts who burned the dollars their fathers had burned the midnight oil to pile up-all these characters are concerned in the story so hideous that it is unlikely that the real details will be disclosed even in the courtroom
 The way the trial is being conducted gives little comfort to the sensatlon-mon- gers, for practically none of them can get into the courtroom. It has been suggest ed in letters to the newspapers that the trial be held in Madison Square Garden, but it Is doubtful if that home of mon ster meetings would hold the throngs that would attend the Thaw trial had they the opportunity.
 In addition to being without precedent in point of public interest, the trial is likely to prove without precedent as to the amount of money spent by defen- dant to save his life. It has been esti- mated that before the ordeal Is over the Thaws will have spent $l,0OO,OOO on behalf of their wayward young relative
 Stanford White Stood First.
 Of the three principals in the tragedy Stanford White stood first because of tho great ability as an architect that brought him international fame. The other two, Harry Thaw and his wife, who was Evelyn Nesbit, artists model and chorus girl, had also been heard from ntwo continents, but theirs was @ notoriety of the champagne stained order that comes with the lavish spending or money and gay doings in tenderons, be they local or foreign. W Nmte at the time of his death was in the zenith of his career He was fifty-three years old and in the structural growth that transformed New York sky line in the past twenty years his handlwork was seen His friends declared after his death that nearly every block Of New Yorks greatest thoroughfare was fuli of monuments to his taste and genius. Madison Square Garden. on whose roof he met his death, was perhaps the great est of his achievements. His first work of any note was as assistant architect in the erection of Trinity church, Boston. Ii may be remarked in passing that Whites last, work. and by some consid- cred the best, was in designing Dr. Park hurst's new church in Madison Square, which was recently declared by con- gress of architects to be the finest spec imen of Byzantine architecture in this country. This church is within the sweep of the statue of Diana on Madison Square Gardens tower.
 Fine Artistic Sense.
 White went to Europe in 1878 and stu- died there until 1SS0 when he returned to New York and with Charles r. Mcl<im and William K Mead formed the firm If Mrkin, Mead and White. His artistic sense was shown in nearly everythitiS he touched It was he who at the time of the Columbus celebration strung the Venetian lamps In Madison Square aii made it look like fairyland. It was his idea to decorate the interior of the Met ropolitan opera house with l5,o0O roses. In lis own home at 12l East Twenty-tirst street he had an Italian garden that made the place the most picturesque in the Grammercy Park section.
 in appearance White looked much more the heavyweight athlete than the artist. He was six feet tall and of heavy build. He had a rugged face. a heavy mustacha and a massive head His shaggy auburn hair. which he wore in pompadour fash ion. had no streak of gray in It. His figure was a familiar one along Broad way, at the theaters and the restaurants. He came to he known as the friend of inc chorus girl. Everywhere he was known for his generosity, and it is said he never failed stage folk who sought him in their financial difficulties
 The manner of White'sa living resulted in the usual digging up after rhe shooting of sensational stories that the man. dead, could not deny or disprove. He had a studio in the Madison Square tower and from yarns that grew as they were
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