THE THAW TRIAL

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2095, 3 June 1907, Page 1

THE THAW TRIAL

MRS. THAW;S. AFFIDAVIT.

AN EXTRAORDINARY DOCUMENT. .

-When the Thaw trial entered upon its ninth week, the controversy between the prosecution and the defence still turned upon the now famous affidavit which Mrs. Thaw is alleged to have signed in Abe Hammers office repudiating the whole story of her betrayal by White. Ultimately, Mr. Delmas withdrew his pbjgctions, and the affidavit u as read to’ the jury, It was headed “Supreme Court, County of New York. Evelyn Nesbit, plaintiff, versus Harrjfr. Kendal Thaw, defendant.” After stating that Miss Nesbit’ age at the time was 18, the document gave an account of her going to Europe with her mother at Thaw’s request. It describes how they remained in Paris for a time, then went to Boulogne, where Evelyn and her mother remained, while Thaw went to London. He returned and took them to London. Thom Thaw and Evelyn took a trip together .to Holland, Germany, and the Austrian Tyrol, travelling together as man and wife, under the name of Uellis. Thaw, the paper continued, leased a castle in the Austrian mountains, wjiere he and Eve-

lyn stayed together. While they were at the castle Thaw one day tore her bath robe from her, and then attacked her with a cowhide whip. “I saw,” the document was represented to havfe said, “that ho was furious. His eyes were glaring. He threw me down, and when I started to scream ho put his fingers down ruy throat and tried to choke me. Then upon my bare skin he struck me several severe and violent blows with the cowhide whip. So brutally was I beaten that my skin was left bruised and cut. After tho first beating he attacked mo again, and for a period of several minutes continued to beat me. He acted like a demented man. I screamed, but we w ore far away at one end of tho castlo, and my cries could not be heard b.v the servants. When Thaw finally loft me I was unable to move. Next day he repeated the attack upon mo, unmercifully beating mo with the whip until I was left fainting. I was in bed for three weeks afterwards. I was so nervous and weak that I could not leave my bed, but

all this time I was in fear that he would talc© my life.” Proceeding with tho narrative, the “plaintiff” declared that aftorwards, when they were in Switzerland, Thaw beat her when she was in her

night-dress, lashing her bare legs below the knees, and renewing these attacks on the slightest pretext. Later, in Paris, he beat her at intervals of half an hour for an entire day, each castigation leaving her in a swooning condition. Thaw, the “plaintiff” stated, told Miss Sirnorton lies about her (Evelyn)/ and threatened to kill her if she did not subscribe to these lies. The statement also accused Thaw of taking several things from Evelyn, as well as other jewellery, four hundred dollars, books, cheques, and a trunkful of clothes and hats, and continued: “When I came back from America I had a letter from Thaw to Mr. Longfellow, telling him to have me followed by detectives, but to see that I had everything I wanted.” Tho deposition; concluded as follows: —“I have often been told by Thaw that he was inimical to a certain married man for whom he said ho would make trouble, and have him put in a penitentiary. Several times he tried to get me to sign papers accusing this man of drugging and ruining me when - 1 was 15 years old, but I refused to do so, because it was not true, and it was for that reason lie inflicted on me the punishment herein described.”