The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
NEW SENSATIONS
 IN THE THAW CASE Witness Makes Some Serious Charges Against Prisoner EVELYN THAW IN COURT Woman Tells of Thaw's Acts Long Before He Met Ills Present
 Wife. Which Surprise
 Even the Judge.
EVELYN THAW IN COURT

White Plains, N. Y, July 27.-Harry K. day and heard a woman's testimony that made his pallid face flush. He saw a pearl-handled dog whip exhibited and he heard the witness swear that she had seen him wield it on the bare flesh of young girls. The prisoners wife, Evelyn Nesbit Thaw heard most of the testimony, which was of such a nature that Justice Mills preceded its presentation with the warn ing that mo woman should stay in the courtroom unless she is willing to hear everything"
 Three girls left the room
 The witness, Mrs. Susan Merrill, a buxom. pink-cheeked woman of about 35 years. opened a new chapter in the life of Stanford Whites slayer. She told of him between 1909 and 1905, when he was a young bachelor about New York, before the tragedy on the Madison Square Roof Garden that resulted in his being placed in the State Asylum for the Criminal h. sane. from which he Is now trying to es- cape by proving himself sane.
 Her testimony was in marked contrast to that of the two alienists who went on the stand and declared Thaw, in their opinion, to be sane. Summarized, her testimony was that during the three years named she kept, in succession, two New York lodging houses where Thaw rented rooms under assumed names and to which he brought at various times more than POO girls. After Thaws Imprisonment, she said he paid these women at least s25,000 as the price of their silence, and to keep them from bothering Thaw's wife or mother"
 The woman told of finding Thaw on several occasions flashing the girls on their bare arms and bodies. Thaw, she said, had posed as theatrical agent and had lured the girls to his rooms with promises of engagements.
 She testified that Thaw had frequently behaved In violent manner in her pres- ence and that she considered him ira tional.
 District Attorney Jerome had full charge of the case, and 1t was he who brought out the damaging testimony. Mrs. Mer- rill's testimony was stopped when MT. Jerome intimated that it might ipjure
 
 Charles Morschauser, counsel for Thaw, succeeded in bringing out the fact that Mrs. Merrill had been recently arrested on a charge of perjury after an unsuc- cessful suit to recover s1O0,000 damages from New York man. The woman denied that she kept any of the money that passed from Thaw through her hands
 .Then why did you stand for all this from MT. Thaw?" asked MT. Morschauser.
 "Oh, I felt sorry for him." was the answer.
 Mrs. Merrill said that during the fall of 1902 Thaw rented rooms from her in two different houses. She knew him, she said, as "Mr. Reid and MT Monroe, ' also by other names. "Thaw," she said, represented himself to be a the atrica agent engaged in placing young ladies all over the country for the stage.
 Another reason witness gave for letting "Mr. Reid keep his rooms with her was, in her own words, there was Mrs. Reid whom l liked very much"
 Do you know where she is now?"
 "1n Europe, I think.
 As the witness said this Evelyn Thaw rose to her feet and leaned forward.