Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1913-08-22
THAN FLEES ASYLUM
SLAYER or WHITE KNOCKS DOWN
GUARD AND ESCAPES IN
TAxlCAB-
FUGITIVE ON BOARD YACHT
AWTfe of fsHaniac Asserts He Boarded
Vessel Near South Norwalk, Conn.
Prison Plot Is Suspected-Mur-
derer Cannot 5e EKtradicted.

PRISON Fi0f IS SuSpeCtcu--Wur-
derer Cannot BE Extradicted.
New York, Aug. sS.-Harry K.
Ehaw. slayer OF Stanford White, es-
capped from Matteawan on Sunday.
He made his daring dash for liberty
En a taxicab.
From Mrs. Evelyn Nesbit Thaw the
authorities learned that Thaw made
his escape on a yacht from ROTOR
Point, near South Norwalk, Conn.
She did not reveal the source OF in
formation
Within an hour after his dash for
liberty he had crossed the line divfd-
fng the states of New York and Con-
necticuf and ne Is beyond the reach
of the New York authorities. 1t Is
believed that extradiction is impossi
BILE and that Thaw's freedom is as
sured unless he Is held for insanity
I'm another state and committed to
some asylum there.
Thaw's escape was one of the most
dramatic affairs of the kind ever re-
corded After knocking down a
gateman. who was admitting a milk
man 10 the Matteawan asylum
grounds. he ieaped into a taxicab
standing jusf outside the wall. This
was headed for the Connecticut state
line and the moment Thaw entered
the chauffeur put on full speed and
dashed away. Before a half mile
had been covered by the taxicab ii
overlook six-cylinder touring car
that had been moving slowly. also
toward the Connecticut line The
faxi-cab slackened speed and Thaw
Eeaped out as the smaller machine
drew alongside the touring car. The
door of the latter was open and Thaw
Jeaped aboard. AS the door slammed,
the touring car speeded away at a
rate at least eighty miles an hour.
The machine dashed through Storm
vile. N. Y. fourteen miles from the
asylum. without any diminution OF
speed and. according to late reports,
received by the asylum authorities.
crossed the Connecticut line in the
vicinity of New Canaan. Conn.
Dr. Raymond Charles Francis Kieb.
superintendent of Matteawan, be-
fieYes that Thaw's escape was the
result OF carefully planned and well
executed conspiracy. He received In
formatics a few hours after Thaw's
escape that led him to believe, he
said, that the fugitive had been car
ried to a Connecticut seaport town.
where a yacht had been waiting of
shore to take him aboard
The superintendent ordered the ar
rest or Howard Barnum, the asylum
guard who was on duty at the time
the wealthy young slayer broke away
from the institution. to which he was
committed on February 1. 1908. Doc
tor Kieb was appointed superintend-
ent on June of this year, succeeding
DR. John w. Russell. Doctor Russell
was dismissed as the result OF an al
legged $4,000 bribery plot for the re-
lease OF Thaw. John N. Anhut. a
young lawyer, is now serving a prison
sentence for his participation In the
bribery conspiracy.
Ever since Thaw was sent to Mat
tcawan. more than Ave years ago,
his mother. Mrs Mary Copley Thaw
Gf Pittsburgh. has spent hundreds OF
thousands of dollars In attempts to
have him freed legally from restrain.
AS soon as Evelyn Nesblt Thaw
heard OF her husbands escape she
asked for protection. She declared
she believed her life in danger and,
accordingly. she was given police pro
lection. She Is also being guarded by
a private detective hired by Arthur
Hammerstein
The theatrical escape of Harry X.
Thaw from the State Hospital for the
Criminal Insane at Matteawan adds
another act to the sensational trag-
edy that had Its beginning In New
York city on the night of June rs,
1906 On that occasion, in company
with his young wife, Evelyn Nesbit
Thaw. and two friends, Thaw went
TO the Madison Square roof garden
60 witness the opening performance
eff musical comedy. Near the close
Of the performance Thaw left his seat
and began to pace back and forth
sn the aisle behind the seats occupied
by Stanford White an architect oil
international fame, and his son.
In tris setting Thaw drew a re
volvcr and fred three bullets into
Stanford Whites body The archi
feet died almost instantly, Thaw was
then arrested by policeman. Thav
al the time of the tragedy was TWEEN
ty-seven years old and was known a.
"the young spendthrift millionaire"