The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-11-15
WILLIAM THAW WINS BATTLE
 FOR A BRIDE
Bridgeport Girl His Reward for Conquering the Seduc-
 tive Highball
SCION OF THAW FAMILY
Tempestuous Career of Young Man Who Is to Marry Miss Gladys Brad ley.

When thatte St. George had slein ye Draggonne,
 He sate him doWne fOrninst 3 flagonne,
 And wit yet Welle
 Within a Spelle,
 He had a bien pleasaunt jaggonn-
 Ancient Legend.
 Like the St. George of the famous nonsense poem quoted above, William Thaw. 3rd, of Alleghany, had a drag on to fight before he could claim the hand of Gladys Virginia Bradley of this city, and the dragon in this case was Mr. Thaws weakness for sitting him down forninst. a flagon. But he must have conquered to the satisfac- tion of the family of his bride-to-be, for yesterday afternoon MT. Thaw and riage license bureau in New York and took out the official document that entities them to wed.
 Mss Bradley who is one of the most charming young women in Bridgeport society, and is a sister of Mrs. Anthony J. Drexel Riddle Of Philadelphia, has been engaged to Mir. father, Charles H. Bradley of 421 Clinton avenue, announced her en- gagement last September that fact was followed by a no less interesting one.-that the engagement and ap- preaching wedding depended altogeth- groom, Mir. William Thaw, to keep himself sober for six months or so and to demonstrate to the satisfaction of Miss Bradley's relatives that his procHvity for dabbling in the fizz that flurritates is we'll under control.
 Brac- ng himself to the effort Mir. Thaw buckled down to a diet of dis titled rain water and apparently suc- ceeded so well that affairs were al- lowed to proceed yesterday as far as the taking out of the license, which is the beginning of the end for en- gagged couples. The wedding is set for December l.
 William Thaw, the steel King, founder of the ThaW fortunes, and is a nephew of Harry Kendall Thaw who is now living the simple life in Matteawan-
 Like other members Of his family Thaw was always an old youth for his age. His friends look with the greatest interest on the present ex- pertinent and they say that only. a pretty girl like Miss Bradley could ever induce Thaw- to forswear his al- legiance- to MT. John Barleycorn, Esq.
 Today's New York World prints the following:
 -Four years ago the pace he was leading, became so hot that Thaw's mother sought to have him examined to determine whether he was capable of managing his fortune of about 3D. O00, ,0G0. She had him adjudged an habitual drunkard. But further court proceedings were stopped on his prom ise to behave himself. He consented to 70 to ranch in Wyom ng for six vy,n nnf h11f pie life and soon returned.
 About that time he performed his most sensational feat. Tn the Ale gheny Country Club one afternoon he bet that he could drink seventy glass es of brandy and soda and never spent several months in hospital re- covering from the effects of the huge consumption of liquor.
 Ten years ago he was travelling with his family in Egypt. At Ca TO. he disappeared. He was not seen for two months though detectives hunted for him. One day he appeared at the hotel with a black Soudanese woman. He introduced her to his mother as his wife. Thaw said he had been ex- pIoring in the Soudan, and under the influence of some native liquor he had gone through the tribal marriage ceremony with the black woman. It
  the family were able to send the yonng woman back to her people.
 "One of Thaw's favorite feats when drunk was to get on an ocean liner without enough money to pay his pas- sage. He was nearly always lucky enough to find some one from Pitts burg who would lend him enough to get him out of the scrape-
 "One day the manager of a New York hotel refused to lend him any more money.
 "Well. there's lots of money in Ilon- don." Thaw sa q. "so I'll go there and get it." He called a cab, was driv- erii to a pier and went to sleep in a cabin on a liner due to sail next morning. He was not discovered un- til the pilot boat had departed. He did not pay for his passage until he arrived on the other side. where he for funds.
 "In the Holland House last night Thaw would say nothing about h's marriage except that it would take place in the St. Regis on the date giv- en above"