Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1917-01-19
SIashes Himself With Razor
in Philadelphia.
MAY HAVE TAKEN POISON, TOO
Hunted by Detectives for Floggins
Coy, He Attempts Suicide-Doctors
Think He May Recover

red two continents with his wild esca
pades and adventures that reached
a climax with the murder of Stan
ford White ten years ago, attempted
suicide in Philadelphia, few hours
before he was to aave been sur
rendered to the police in New York
in connection with the f1ogging of a
nineteen-year youth.
Thaw slashed his throat and his
left wrist with a razor. He has a
fair chance of recovery. He is in st.
Mary's hospital
.Thaw, who is forty-seven years old,
made the attempt upon his life in the
parlor of a modest two-story apart
ment house at $3.50 Walnut street oc.
cupied by Mrs. Elizabeth Tacot. He
had been In hiding there since Mon
day afternoon, and had been living as
Mr.. West.
A poison tablet, found in pocket
Of Thaw's clothing, after they had
been cut from him at the hospital,
led to a belief Thaw might also have
sought to make certain of death by
swallowing poison. Doctors promptly
applied stomach pump, but declare
the nature of the poison is such that
several days must elapse before II IS
possible to determine whether or not
he did take tablet.
Thaw was taken to the West Phila'
delphia refuge by Smauel G. Maloney,
former harbormaster of Philadelphia.
who is now sleuth. Ma!oney
is local manager of the Val
O'Farrell Detective agency, which has
done detective and body guard work
for Thaw at various times. Malcneg
says he hid Thaw in West Philadelphia
pending negotiations for his surrender
in New York.
Mrs. Tacot, whose husband, said to
be owner Of string of race horses,
is in Mexico, discovered Thaw. He
was lying in bed Thaw moved his
head from side to side, but said moth
ing. The bed clothes were pulled over
him. and above them was his chin
chilla overcoat. The razor, blood
stained, lay upon the floor by TIE side
CT the bed.
Mrs. Tacot, who has known Maloney
for several years, notified the detec'
tive. Maloney telephoned to several
doctors in the neighborhood and In.
structed them to treat Thaw. Then
he telephoned to Pittsburgh, communi.
eating the latest step in Thaw's career
to his aged and devoted mother, Mrs.
Mary Copley Thaw.
Stephen Stone, Thaw's attorney,
after comforting with Mrs. Thaw, sent
word to Maloney to retain DR.. Ell
wood R. Kirby, medical director OF
st. Mary's hospital, to treat Thaw.
Thaw was indicted Tuesday after.
noon by a grand jury in New York
on counts of kidnapping and assault
in the second degree. The complain
was made by Frederick Gump, j..
son of leather manufacturer Of Kan.
sas City, Mo. Gump declared thai
Thaw lured him from Long Be"ch,
Cal, to New York. On last Christmas
night, he declared he was taken tc
g, suite on the nineteenth foo" OF the
McAlpin hotel, in New York, and there
three times fogged with rawaid
whips.
George F. O'ByrDe, said to b.
Thaws bodyguard, was indicted s'm'l
taneously with Thaw. Detac ives
mistook Oliver A. Brewer, sale7m7r
Of the Highland Iron comp"ny, PITS
burgh. for O'Byrne Detectives, each
ing papers found on Brewer d'scov
cred letters and other m"mHrord'
which they said pointed to ram ark
able relations of Thaw with boy
through the country.
Thaw, according to Malonev. w2s
willing to be surrendered to the New
York police for prosecution en- the
charge of castigating the boy, but
didn't want TO be arrested like an or
dinary criminal"
The negotiations for Thaw's temper
ary liberty followed, with Thaw re-
naming secreted in West Philadelphia
while detectives throughout the coun
try began a search almost unparalleled
in criminal records.
If Thaw had pressed the razor one
eighth inch deeper in his neck he
would have died, according to DR.. K'r
by. The neck was cut diagon9llv On
the left side. Had the slit been made
directly in front the jugular vein
would have been severed.
The slash on the left wrist, tie doc
tors said, is not deep enough 20 h"vs
inflicted a fatal wound. There w2r:
two diagonal slashes on the t.roat
The wrist was gashed twice, once al
the wrist and the other cut alb ut q
half inch further UP the forearm.
"This is blackmail, pure and sim
ple," Thaw told his friends when news
Of the recent charges against hin
came to his ears. 81 deny the Gumr
boys story absolutely. did not flo?
him, did not keep him captive.
! sok him out and bought him ice cream
Sas-why, he need only have cried
/ It to any one in the street to be
saved from me If what he told were