Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-01-22
HARRY IBAN 5 WORK
As A "R[EORMER'
Facts Connected With His Ell
forts to Have Resort Closed
Presented in Court
ANTHONY coMsrock ON STAND
Defense Creates Sensation by Call
ina We'll Known Purity Crusader as
! Witness-Testified as to Thaw's
Efforts to Close Palaces "consecrat-
cd to SIM

Efforts TO OioSe FaidSes So"SeS' -
Cd to SIM
New. York, Jan. 22.-It was 1o:2o
when the Thaw trial was resumed TO-
day. and Littleton began at once the
preliminaries proving Thaw's will and
codicil, executed the day of the wedding
10 EVELYN Nesbit in Pittsburg. Miss
Frances Pierce, who witnessed the sig
natures and who testified at the last
trial. was called to the stand
Miss Pierce identified the papers but
Jerome objected to the Introduction
of the will in evidence until witnesses
had come forward to prove it's custody
from the time of the signing up to
the present moment. Littleton tenn
porarily withdrew the will and read
the codicil to the jury. The codic.l
provided a number of bequests to law
wears and Others to aid the alleged
victims of Stanford White, and pros
ecute claims for damages against him,
and for the prosecution of all persons
.in such unlawful practices as said
Stanford White
Comstock Called as Witness.
Among those to whom the funds
were made available were r. Ross
Perry, of Washington; DR.. Charles H.
Parkhurst and Anthony Comstock.
Thaw named number Of young Wom-
en- now on the stage as possible claim.
ants against White.
Following the reading of the codicil
Littleton created something of stir
tby calling Anthony Comstock, vice
president and special agent for the
society for the suppression of vice, and
Inspector i'm the postoffice department.
to the stand. ComstoclS said ThaW
called at his office in February, 1904,
and complained of. a party who was
wronging young girls. ThaW went into
details which witness repeated as far
as he could remember. Comstock also
said he had received several letters
from Thaw.
Witness identified several communi-
cations from .ThaW, one of the papers
being a diagram of promises where.
he declared evil men were carrying on
criminal practices. Thaw declared
that Workmen on the buildings near
these premises had heard young girls
scream and suggested that men be
sent to watch the entrances to the
place. Thaw also said he had COM
municated with the secretary for the
prevention of cruelty to children, sug-
costing that a search warrant be is
sued and an investigation be made
OF the house, which was located in
Twenty-s second street.
'sThaw told ME he had been followed
to my office the second time by men
who were employed to watch him.
continued witness. Il sent several
men out in the, hallway to see if any
one was there" Jerome objected to
witness telling the result of this
search, but it came out in the discus
Thaw Letter to comstock.
Littleton read to the jury a COM
from Thaw to Comstock,
written in November, 1904. 1t at
tempted to give in detail description
of the Twenty-fourth street house,
with crude diagrams appearing here
and there in text. Thaw declared that
one room was furnished like forest,
and that secret stairs led from it to a
room of mirrors. The door in the for
est room was hard to find, and the let
ter declared there was no escape for
young girls who were drugged. Thaw
claimed that six or seven criminal
scoundrels' controlled the place, and
that three or four decent young men
who did not know Of the criminal acts
often frequentsd the place.
Thousands Of crimes have been
committed there, and many felonies,"
Thaw wrote, and added that there was
q little room to which access was
gained by door behind a picture. I'm
this room," the letter went on, "there's
a valuable French painting of wOm-
an, and peculiarly infamous suggest
iyity." In another letter Thaw sug-
gested that plumbers working on the
building adjoining the Twenty-fourth
street house might be induced to drop
some heavy article thru the skylight
and reveal what was below.
Thaw called attention to the fact
stituted by young woman who had
been mentioned as posing for the pic
ture previously complained of. Thaw
declared that the house in Twenty
second street and Twenty fourth
street was "consecrated to orgies by
q gang of rich criminals"
Thaw, in this letter, suggested that
a copy of one of his letters be sent
to Jerome, and also, suggested that If
Comstock needed more funds to carry
on the inquiry he might ask Miss Hell
en- Gould for assistance in that line.
Giving the name of a young actress,
Thaw described at length what he
said was an effort to save this girl
from "blackguard." Thaw said he
enlisted prominent man in the cause, |
who was at first loath to believe such |
practices as complained of existed. but |
afterwards was convinced This man |
threw what protection he could about |
HE girl but when he had gone abroad