NEW YORK MURDER TRIAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13857, 21 March 1907, Page 7

NEW YORK MURDER TRIAL

MP>S THAW'S ALLEGED AFFIDAVIT, Prm Association-Ey Telesraph—Copyriglit. _ NEW YORK, March 19. Mrs Thaws alleged affidavit declares that while they were living together in tliu Tyrol Thaw stripped and enwhided Iter until slip, fainted. She was compelled to remain in bed for three weeks. He repeated the attacks while in Switzerland and Paris because she refused wrongfully accuse White. Til the course of her evidence at, the opening of tho I rial Airs Thaw told of her marriage to tho prisoner at tho residence of the pastor of tho First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg. She said Mr Thaw first proposed to her in 1903, in Pa.ris. Sho refused him, and told him it was beof an event, in her life. '■ What, ditl Mr Thaw do after your refusal':"—lie caino over to me and Paid lie loved me muF wanted mo lo marry him. 1 told him I could not. He asked nio why, and said: 'Don't you love me?" I Wid "Yes." Then ho repeated, "Why?" I said. "Heeausc '"But MI mo why/' ho insistod; "give me a reason." I said ".lust because." He then put his hand on my shoulder, Jooked straight at mo. and said: "Is it because of Stanford White?" I said it was. What was Mr Tlmw's manner towards you at the lime he asked you Ihis question?—He was kind and nice. He looked straight at me, and said ho would never love or marry anybody else. What did you do?—I cried. When you returned from Europe in 1903, ukl you come at tho same tinw as Thaw or alono?—I came before lie did. When did you first seo Thaw after your return?—l think a littlo over a month afterwards, afc the Hotel Navarre, where wo were slopping. I would not son him alone. lie had been made aware of Ihis, and when ho came to sec me there wa? .mother man present. Mr Thaw came towards mo and said, "What is the matter? Why don't, you want to see me any more?" I told him that I had heard certain thing* about him, and I did not caro to- see iiiiu wiy more. Ho thereupon asked me what jfc was that I had heard. I said: "I have been told that you poured scalding water over a girl." I a-Uo told him thai; I had lward he took morphine. Did you tell Mr Thaw who hiul told you these stories?— Not at first: but Inter I told him that ifc was -a friend of White. lie shook his head sadly, and paid. "Poor littlo fcvelyn! I ace they havo been making ft fool of you." I fold l him that White had taken mo to .Alio Hummers offico and shown me papers in a suit in which a girl had mad*) those charges against IVIr Thaw, and that they told me the suit had been withdrawn. Continuing, Mrs Thaw spoke of several' oeasions on which she met- Thaw in tho street, and of how she met liim at the Cafo des Beaux Arts, whore she told him sho was going back to tho stage, and had got a place in "The Girl from Dixie." He f.iid sho was looking ill, and wanted her to keep away front the stage. 110 said ho would pay anything to keep her off the stage. I mot him again a. few days later. Ho askod me to toll him all about these stories, and I told him all that frieiidh of White had told me —that he took morphine, and under its influence did those, dreadful tilings. He said ho understood why these stories had beci] told me, as White and the men who told them hated liim. The evidence of Mrs Thaw created a profound impression. All in court, were moved .by tho spectacle of tho beautiful young wife deliberately sacrificing all that" is dearer than life to savo her husband. Xlcr bearing was timid, and at times almost childlike. Her face was white, and her large brown eyes were rendered unnaturally luminous bj; tho shadows which tha strain of the trial has traced beneath them. Tho effect of her evidenco oil tho jury was marked. Not ono of thorn dropped his eyes from her face or missed a word or a gesture ; indeed, she seemed io address her harrowing recital directly to them.