Evening star., 1947-02-23
T huw
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later years, might have passed for
conservative businessman. His un.
doubted personal charm perhaps hae
much to do with his popularity
especially with women. Indeed
women exerted an enormous in.
f1uence upon his life. A woman was
the cause of his shooting of White
and the years of legal snarls it en-
gendered through his incarceration
and escape from an asylum for the
insane; his interest in some actresse
led to his fruitleSs venture as {
motion picture producer; his popu'
larity among chorus girls and cab.
aret entertainers resulted in hi!
being called "playboy."
Married Only Once.
His marriage to Evelyn Nesbi
was his only such venture, however
I'm very safe and sane about that,
he said in later life after his divorce
and when rumors of his intended
marriage to a motion picture extra
were circulated. MY family taught
me to be-"
Thaw was born to wealth Febru-
ray II, 1871, in Pittsburgh as the
SOL of William Thaw, a PennSyl-
vania Railroad official, and his Sec
ond wife, Mary Copley Thaw. He
was one of II children of his IA
theirs two marriages. The boy at
tended the Pittsburgh schools, AND
was in the class of 1893 at Western
University, now the University OF
Pittsburgh, when his father died
leaving him more than 100000 as
his share of the estate, as well as an
interest in coke producing proper
ties that contributed thousands OF
dollars yearly to his income. Harry
Thaw left school shortly after re-
ceiving his inheritance and launched
upon his turbulent career.
He met Evelyn Nesbit, a chorus
girl, courted her gaily and publicly
and married her in Pittsburgh April
4, 1905. Fourteen months later he
burst into the roof garden of ole
Madison Square Garden in New
York on its opening night, and flreo
three shots at Stanford White as
he sat at a table alone, celebrating
the opening of the Garden, one Of
his major architectural successes
ThaW's incoherent phrases. siftec
and amplified. revealed a story Of
a confession Thaw's wife was sale
to have made to her husband con-
corning her relations with White
before her marriage. Thaw had ne
regrets. Under the same circum.
stances I'd kill him tomorrow" he
said twenty years later.
Invoked "Unwritten Law"
Indictment and trial for murder
was inevitable. Thaw invoked the
'unwritten law" His attorney called
the case one Of 'dementia Ameri-
cana" The trial ended in a stale.
mate, the jury torn between ThaW's
defense of temporary insanity anc
the word of a specially appointed
commission that Thaw was sane.
A second trial resulted in hi:
acquittal on the murder charge
but a verdict that he was insane
Thaw left the court between wildly
cheering throngs, and then begar
a siX-year struggle to thwart com
mitment to an asylum. Almost s
million dollars had been spent II
his behalf when his efforts to es.
cape sentence failed and he wa!
taken to the Matteawan Asylum fol
the criminally insane.
For year Thaw seemed to have
dropped from sight. Then, Angus
IT, 1913, he startled the country
with his escape from Matteawan
perfectly planned scheme whisk.
| ing him from the asylum to the
Canadian border by automobile ane
farm wagon.
But Canada had no desire to keer
the "playboy" within its borders
Two days after he reached there
he was arrested. held almost 6
month while Dominion officials de,
bated his status, and then was
driven to the border by automobile
and pushed across the line in the
easiest solution of perplexins
problem.
Returned by High Court.
He reached New Hampshire, ane
the puzzle as to his status and thu
disposition of his case began anew
with his arrest there. A New Hamp.
shire commission ruled him sane a
that time, but the United State.
Supreme Court ruled that New
Hampshire must return him to New
York to face charges there of con.
spiracy in connection with his es.
cape from Matteawan.
| Crowds cheered again as Thav
strolled from the court room March
%, 1915, acquitted of the conspiracy
charge. Habeas corpus proceeding
to obtain his release from Mattea
wan before his escape had failed
but he tried again, and finally wa!
freed July l6, 1915, when a jury
officially declared him sane.
Hesitatingly, Thaw pondered hi
next move. Questioned as to hi
plans he smiled ruefully, then finall,
said: I'm going back 10 Pittsburgh
10. look after my property-if have
any left"
A round OF the cabarets came
flrst, though, and then q trip 10 Call