The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-01-10

Thaw, notorious as the slayer OF
Stanford White. has a mania for
whipping is the belief OF the authori-
ties here.
The complaint placed against Thaw
with District Attorney Swami by
Frank p. Walsh, former chairman Of
the United States industrial relations
commission appearing now as Gump's
counsel alleges that Thaw entlced
Fred Gump, jr., of Kansas City, Mo-,
to his rooms at hotel here Christmas
night and there beat him with two
whips three different times until he
bled and became almost unconscious.
Testimony describing the whipping
Of young girls by Thaw made up some
of the most sensational chapters in
the numerous court actions on the
question of Thaw's sanity after his
acquittaI of the murder of White on
the ground Of insanity and his COM
mitment to the Matteawan state hos
pital for the criminal insane. AlienistS
for the state testified that whipping
was a mania with Thaw.
After several years OF litigation at a
cost of several hundred thousand dol
lars TO New York state and to Thaw
and in which bitter partisanshtp was
engendered as to whether ne was Justly
declared sane by jury In habeas cor
pus proceedings in the latter part Of
1915 and released by a court order.
According to the information laid by
end Of ISIS that Thaw frst met and
became interested in Gump. He had
gone to California after his release
here to attend the Panama-Pacific ex-
position at San Francisco and later
went to the southern part of the state,
spending some time at Long Beach,
Cal, where he met Gump at an Ice
cream parlor.
Gump, who is said to be manufacturer
of leather trunks in Kansas City, were
with the boy at Long Beach and made
no objection TO their sons acquaint-
anceship with Thaw, the district attor-
ney was informed, apparently sharing
popular opinion that he had been vim
After Thaw left California he con-
cording to the Information given the
district attorney by Mr.. Walsh These
letters, Walsh said, warned the boy not
to show them to anyone. but he let his
them for him. The exchange of letters
continued through 1916, Thaw express
ing a great interest in the boys future
and a wish to pay for his education
Although proffers of money by Thaw
were refused, the boy at last came on
to New York and went to Thaws hotel,
where it is alleged the assault took
place.
Thaw, who is a member of a wealthy
Pittsburgh family, shot and killed
Stanford White, a noted architect. in
the midst of q crowd at Madison Square
Garden roof garden in June, 1906. He
was melted to the act, he said, by the
confession of his wife, Evelyn Nesblt,
a chorus girl, made to him of her treat
ment by White previous to her mar
rfage to Thaw.
Two trials for murder followed the
second of which resulted in the ac-
quittaI of Thaw on the ground of In
sanity. After his commitment to the
asylum, he began series of attempts
to obtain his liberty through habeaB
corpus proceedings in which he tried to
have himself declared sane. Failing
I'm this, he made his escape from the
asylum and fed by automobile and
train to Canada where he was arrested
and finally deported into New Hamp-
shire by the Canadian immigration
authorities.
He resisted extradition from New
Hampshire to this state, but was finally
brought back TO be later released.