Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1909-07-28
LURED WOMEN
TO HIS DEN
More Than Two Hundred Fell Into
Clutches of ThaW-So New York
Woman Testifies in Court.


White Plains, y. Y, July 2S.--After
kissing his aged mother Harry x.
Thaw. today took the stand in his
own behalf and underwent scorch.
ing examination by District Attorney
Jerome with the utmost composure.
Made Even Thaw Blush.
Harry X. Thaw sat in the supreme
court here and heard woman's tes-
timony that made his pallid face flush.
He saw pearl handled dog whip ex-
hibited and he heard the witness
swear she had seen him WELD it on
the bare flesh Of girls. The prison
er's wife heard most Of the testimony
which was of such nature that Jus.
tice Mills preceded its presentation
with the warning that mo woman
should stay in the court room unless
she Is willing to hear everything"
Two girls left.
The witness was Mrs. Susan Mer-
rill, buxom woman of about 80
years, and she opened new chapter
in the life of Stanford Whites slayer.
She told of alleged acts of his be.
tween 1902 and 1906 when he was a
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 insane from which he is now
trying to escape by proving himself
sane.
Her testimony was in marked CON
tract to that of two alienists who
gave Thaw clean bill of health, de-
claring that in their opinion he was
sane.
She testified 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 two hundred
girls. After Thaw's Imprisonment.
she said she paid these women at
least $25,000 as the price of their 81
lence and to keep them from both
ering Thaw's wife or his mother"
One Of them who she said passed as
Thaw's wife, received $1,000. The
money came from Thaw.
The mysterious package brought to
court yesterday by Clifford W. Hart
ridge, Thaw's former counsel, was un-
wrapped, and pearl handled whip
about three feet long was brought
into view. With this before the eyes
Iof the court and spectators, the wo-
man related a series of stories about
finding Thaw on several occasions,
lashing the girls upon 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. When she
demonstrated with him, she testified,
his excuse was that the girls "were
not smart enough and could not fill
their positions and deserved a beat
ing" She testified further that Thaw
had frequently behaved violently and
that she considered his acts IRA.
tiOnal. ,..-,
Evelyn Nesblt Tnaw appeared dur
ing the proceedings today, but did not
testify. She smiled at Thaw several
times, but he paid no attention to her.
Aside from Mrs. Merrill's testimony
the alienists took up the remainder
of the proceedings and testified in
Thaw's behalf When DR.. Britton D.
Evans, who, in a report two years
ago, declared Thaw insane, said today
that he had reversed this opinion, this
gave Mr.. Jerome an opportunity for
a telling cross-examination. He
brought the wide divergence of the
experts opinion two years ago and
now, but DR.. Evans was quick to ex-
plain that the report made two years
ago was for the private guidance of
Thaws attorneys and contained only
such medical evidence as would tend
to support the contention that Thaw
was insane at the time. In other
words, he admitted that the report
was prepared to bolster Thaws side
of the case when he was seeking to
avoid the electric chair. Thaw may
take the stand tomorrow.
Answering hail of questions con-
cerning his motive, sensations. and
actions before and after killing White
and the events of his entire life with
the greatest frankness and clearness,
Thaw created most favorable i'm
preston. 81 believe in acquitting me,
the jury was largely Influenced by the
belief that White deserved his fate"
he said. Il believe gentleman should
defend his honor, but is not justified
in committing perjury to escape the
consequences
Thaw then answered that he
thought it possible that White exer-
cised hypnotic influence over Eve
lyn Thaw or at least had strong in
fluence over her. He characterized
the testimony introduced in the trial
regarding the hallucination of girls
locked up in his cell, as rubbish"
saying that he tried to prevent the
testimony being introduced. When
o1,oj g 1,tn x,,;fo - L.. I'LL,