Lived on Bounty of Stanford White.
EVELYN THAW FORCED INTO FURTHER REVELATIONS--PROVED THAT WHITE PAID
HER BILLS--ARCHITECT’S LETTERS AND RECEIPTS FOR MONEY PAID HER,
READ--THAW CALLED WHITE’S CASH “POISON”--AMERICAN OFFICIAL DRAGGED
INTO SCANDAL--JEROME PRODUCES EVELYN THAW’S DIARY AS A
SCHOOLGIRL--EVELYN’S PHILOSOPHY--DECLARES HERSELF VERY
“SUSCEPTIBLE”--ABE HUMMEL CALLED; LEAVES THE STAND WITH STORY
UNSHAKEN.
More crushing than all the ordeals hitherto experienced, Evelyn Thaw was
next compelled to admit the shameful fact that after her ruin she lived
on the bounty of her betrayer. Documentary evidence was introduced to
strengthen the hands of the merciless Jerome. A dozen times she took
refuge in the answer, “I don’t remember.”
It was a bad day for the defense. The most sensational feature of the
session was the introduction of her diary which pictured her a
whimsical, strange little philosopher, even as a school girl.
Jerome sprang his coup with startling suddenness. He handed Mrs. Thaw a
bundle of receipts representing money paid to her and her mother by
Stanford White, and demanded that the fair witness identify her own
signature on them.
There were fourteen receipts in all. They were for various amounts
received from the Mercantile Trust company, where White had deposited a
sum of money for Evelyn and her mother. The amounts varied from $65 to
$110. The receipts were signed “Evelyn Florence Nesbit,” the mother and
daughter having the same name.
A letter and envelope addressed to White’s private secretary by the
architect were next offered in evidence. The letter said:
“Dear Hartnett: Please telephone Mrs. Nesbit to let you know whenever
Miss Evelyn decides to go on her vacation. Then send this note to the
Mercantile Trust company: ‘Please notify Miss Nesbit that on receiving
word she is about to start on her vacation you will send her the weekly
checks for $25 and an additional check for $200.’ Yours truly,
“STANFORD WHITE.”
Evelyn was then compelled to admit that for several months in 1902 she
lived at the exclusive Audubon apartments and that White paid the rent.
Then she told of her meeting with Thaw and of her trip to Europe with
him and of her recital to him of the story of her ruin, which, it was
contended, wrecked his mind.
“When Harry learned I had a letter of credit from Stanford White, he
grew very much excited,” declared Mrs. Thaw. “He said the money was
filthy and poisonous and that I must never touch it again. He said he
would take it so I could not use it. He said that he would give me
anything I wanted, and that if mamma wanted anything she would only have
to ask for it.
“When Mr. White gave me the letter of credit it was sealed up. I did not
know what it was, and he told me I must not open the letter until we
were well at sea. Whatever was used of the money was for my mother. Mr.
Thaw gave it to her after I had given it to him.”
Thaw gave her $1,000 while she was in Paris.
Jerome had in some mysterious and unexplained way secured possession of
a diary kept by Evelyn while she was at school at Pompton, N. J., in
1902. Rumor had it, that a handsome sum of money found its way to a
member of her family for filching the booklet. Extracts from the diary
were read to the fair witness, who admitted their authorship.
Some of the remarkable excerpts were:
“Mrs. De Mille (the head of the school) said to come right in and I
jumped with the agility of a soubrette and began to get shy.
“I met Mrs. De Mille’s son, and I must admit that he was a pie-faced
mutt.
“My room here is neither large nor small. There is a white, virtuous
bed. I took a nap, and the last thing I remember was, I wondered how far
I am from Rector’s. Rector’s is really not a proper place for an
innocent young person, but I always had a weakness for it.”
“When one comes to think it over it is good to have lived. A girl who
has always been good and never had any scandal about her is fortunate in
more ways than one. On the other hand, not one of them will ever be
anything. By anything I mean just that. They will, perhaps, be good
wives and mothers, but whether it is ambition or foolish, I mean to be a
good actress first.
“Of course, I can’t live here all the time. And I can’t forget all the
old people. They do not know what they are doing here, but give them a
chance to get away and see what they would do. If I stay here long I’ll
get just like the rest. I am very susceptible and I’ll soon be a -- --”
“From the time you first became intimate with Thaw in 1903 until the
shooting of White, June 25, 1906, did you ever see anything in Thaw’s
condition that was irrational?” asked Mr. Jerome.
“Yes.”
Mrs. Thaw then detailed several instances. She said that one night while
on Broadway in a cab, she and Thaw saw White. Thaw became much excited.
“I don’t know what you would call it,” she said, “but I would call it a
fit. He cried and sobbed, and bit his nails and talked rapidly.”
“Did you ever see a man in an epileptic fit?” asked Mr. Jerome.
“I’ve seen cats.”
There was considerable laughter.
Mrs. Thaw said her husband told her that White was circulating
scandalous stories about him and was plotting to have him killed.
Abe Hummel, a once brilliant and respected lawyer in New York with a
large practice among theatrical people, was brought on the stand by the
prosecution prepared to swear that Mrs. Thaw had made an affidavit in
his presence that Harry had beat her in Paris.
The evidence was not admitted. Jerome tried, however, to prove that she
had made the affidavit. Evelyn, who had left the courtroom, was
recalled. She came drying her eyes and showing signs of bitter
disappointment because she was not allowed to remain at her husband’s
side.
“You’ve a brother, Howard Nesbit?” began Jerome.
“Yes, sir.”
“On your return from Europe in 1903, did you tell your brother Howard,
in substance, that while you were abroad you had been brutally abused by
Thaw to induce you to tell lies against Stanford White, and that these
lies were that he had drugged and mistreated you, which story you told
Howard Nesbit was false?”
“I did not.”
“Didn’t you tell your brother you were compelled at the point of a
revolver to make some such statement?”
“I did not.”
“Didn’t you tell Howard these facts in substance at some time?”
“I--did--not!”
Each time this answer was repeated with greater emphasis and a longer
pause between the three words.
Evelyn was excused again. Jerome had been trying to prove her a
perjurer, but had failed.
This ended Evelyn’s greatest ordeal on the witness stand. The slender
girl was free to rest after a strain that had taxed her vitality to the
utmost. Although she had suffered much in personal reputation, her
original story was unshaken.
Dr. Evans, the alienist, was recalled for cross examination and remained
on the stand two days. He was given a terrific cross fire of questions.
Summed up Dr. Evans stated that he believed Thaw to have been suffering
from adolescent insanity in 1903 and at the time of his marriage, again
on April 4, 1905, and that when he killed Stanford White, June 25, 1906,
he was the victim of an acute and recurrent attack of the same mental
malady.
Important as was his testimony, it was quite lost sight of by the public
in the keen interest surrounding Evelyn Thaw, and the spirit of
anticipation with which the appearance of Harry Thaw’s mother was
awaited.