The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-10
HARRY X. THAW IS INDICTED ON GRAVE
 CHARGE OF YOUTH
Kansas City Boy Claims He Was Whipped While Visit ing the Pittsbnrger in
 New York

New York, January 9.-Harry K. Thaw, who was released 15 months ago from an asylum for the insane where he was sent after he killed Stanford White, was today indicted here charged with kidnapping Fred Gump, Jr., of Kansas City, Mo-, a youth of 19, and assaulting him with a whip.
 With him was indicted on the Kidnapping charge a man described as George F.. O'Byrnes, and supposed to have been employed by Thaw as bodyguard Word was received that O'Byrnes had been ar rested in Philadelphia and detectives were there looking for Thaw tonight.
 GRAVE CHARGE MADE
 The complaint which was placed against Thaw with District Attorney Swann by Frank P. Walsh. former chairman of the United States industrial relations commits sion. appearing now as Gump's counsel, alleges that Thaw enticed the youth to
 his rooms at. hotel here Christmas night and there beat him with two whips three different times until he bled and be- came almost unconscious.
 Testimony describing the whipping of young girls by Thaw made up some of the most sensational chapters in the nu- merous court actions on the question of Thaw's sanity after his acquittal of the murder of White on the grounds of in sanity and his commitment to the Mat teawan state hospital for the criminal in sane. Alienists for the state testified that whipping was mania with Thaw. After several years litigation at cost of several hundred thousand dollars to New York state and to Thaw and in which |bitter partisanship was engendered as to
 whether he was justly or unjustly kept in Matteawan, he was declared sane by Ia jury in habeas corpus proceedings in the latter part of 1915, and released by a court order.
 MET BOY IN 1915
 According to the information laid be- fore the district attorney, it was toward the end of 1915 that Thaw first met and
 became interested in Gump. He had gone to California after his release here to at tend the Panama Pacific exposition al San Francisco. and later went to the southern part of the state. spending sOIneLllne at IOnS bcuSil, Odl., Where ne met Gump at an ice cream parlor. Gumps mother and his father, Fred Gump. who is said to be a manufacturer of leather trunks in Kansas City, were with the boy at Long Beach and made Inc objection to their sons acquaintance ship with Thaw, the district attorney was informed, apparently sharing pop ular opinion that he had been vlndicated.' = After Thaw left California he continued to correspond with Gump, according to information given the district attorney |by MT. Walsh. These letters. Walsh said, warned the .,boy not to show them to anyone, but he let his mother read them and she answered them for rrim. The ex- change of letters continued through 1916, Thaw expressing a great interest in the |boy's future and a wish to pay for his ed : ucation abroad
 CAME TO NEW YORK Although proffers of money by Thaw were refused, the boy at last came on to New York and went to Thaw's hotel, where it is alleged the assault took place. Thaw shot and killed Stanford White. a noted architect in the midst of a crowd
 (Con&nued on Page seven)