San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-18
Evelyn Nesbit, the Painted
Lady Who Once Saved
Wealthy Pittsburger From
Electric Chair, Now Seeks
to Prove He Is Insane and
Get Part Of His Estate for
His Son.
BY ROBERT It. SMALL.

Copyright by The San Antonio Light.
Philadelphia, Pa. April 1S.-They
hare come TO grips again, the two
women in the case. And anyone con-
versant with the life history of Harry
Kendall Thaw must wonder as to which
is his better friend, the painted lady of
the cabarets who was once his wife. or
the devoted, naughty. proud old mother
who is willing that re shall go forth in
the world again. perhaps eventually
to meet the fate which money SO long
has shielded him from. The painted
lady would like TO keep Thaw in the
asylum. Once she saved him from
the electric chair. Perhaps today she
regrets the sacrifices she made to that.
end. She fears that he may yet do
her some bodily harm. She seeks 10
get some of the Thaw money for heI
son-the son which Thaw denies.
Mrs. Mary Coplcy Thaw. the mother.
is aged and, decrepit. Mostly she
walks with a cane. The grief of
eighteen long years. however. has not
bowed her head. Still she feels she
must not die with one of her Off
spring under the stigma of insanity.
She brushes aside the fact that 1t
was her own petition which put Thaw
in his present asylum. That was when
the law was after him again. when
he had cruelty beaten young boy In
New York hotel. and when long
stretch up the river awaited him. Pre-
kA ocvl,,p, m tln fp1nn'S coll
1t is the Thaw complex that Harry Is
insane when he commits crime. He
is sane as soon as the family feels the
crime is forgotten.
The necessary expert testimony 10
"prove" this theory always seems to
be at hand.
Evelyn Nesbit is today as she was
in 1907 and 1908. the alluring figure
in the Thaw case. But what n far
different Evelyn today. There is no
longer any mystery. any look of girl
ish wonderment in those big dark eyes
which once were so liquid and
dreamy. They are black luster eyes
today. dmmed with tear-bought Wis
dom. the eyes of dead ashes. The once
tender mouth-the lips that caught
the fancy Of the great artists of her
early days-are curled today in Gym
ical hardness. The deep, brown vel
yety hair which used TO mass itself
about small head in waving plenti-
tude, has lost all its gloss. 1t is bob
bed now and bristly and has that
burnt-out look that goes with toe
much curling on the irons.
Evelyn Nesbit was a lonely littl,
Of .ho fi,c+ Frhaxv tr;olu Sbf
sat with the family then, but they toll
Grated her With i'll and uneasy grace
They tolerated her because she wa
the only human factor which coul,
save the scion Of proud Pittsburi
family from being "sent up the river,
from the fate of the common murderer
During the two great trials which
were read around the world as nc
other murder case ever has been. Eve
lyn. who still calls herself as il tho
first syllable vas spelled EVA.
stuck 10 the ship, stuck 10 the mOst
dramatic story Of girls ruin which
ever has been told in court. 1t was
a confession which should have beer
heard in some cloistcr. But il was
given to the world that Harry ThaW
might not die in the chair for an act
of m d jealousy-the Staying of Stan
ford White that summer night on The
Madison Square roof
Evelyn claims that after she hat
paid and paid ard paid at the trials
she was east adrift by the Thaws
They gave her no money. They though
they needed her no longer. And 81
today Evelyn sits again lonely figur,
in the vault-like court room wher,
Thaw money is fighting again To-
Thaw liberty. As one looks at tn
mature woman who was once the 16
year-old sweetheart of the great archi
tect, there rush back the memories o
the room Of the mirrors. the fores
room, the big velvet swing where Stan
ford White would swing her highe
and higher until at last she could kic
her pointed toes through a Japanes
parasol attached to the ceiling: tn
great room in the Madison Squar