THAW’S BOOK OF MURDER

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5043, 22 October 1926, Page 1

THAW’S BOOK OF MURDER

FAMOUS TRIAL RECALLED.

HOW HE SHOT STANFORD WHITE 1

Harry Kendall Thaw, who in 1906 kiilled the millionaire Mr Stanford White because of his relations with Mrs Thaw, and who has been -very much in the limelight ever since, has made a new bid for public attention through .the publication of Bi book, “The Traitor.”

It had been annnounced that the volume would contain a “scathing de r nunciation of New York jspeiety” and "brand three prominent women,” but advance copies reaching New York fail to live up to expectations. The narrative deals largely with the murder of Mr Stanford White ajrd Mr Thaw’s subsequent trials, Incarcerations, and escapes-. Mr Thaw writes rather fayourably of 'Mr White, while the title role, of the book is held by an unnamed member of Mr Thaw’s array of conns,ql during the first trial, whom -Thaw charges with taking his pay and betraying him to Mr White’s friends.

Of his victim Mr Thaw writes: “Aside from his slaughter of virgins, what was the man of many attractions ? You could not jsay that White was utterly rotten in character, because he, had. his good points.” In describing the shooting Mr Thaw tells of seeing Mr White at Madison Square Garden “I walked ,t° the stage and turned towards him, sp he must have; seen me coming. There l I saw him, 30 feet in front of me, and as he watched the stage he saw me. I walked towards him, and about 15 feet away I took! out my revolver. He knew me, and was rising, and held his right hand towards,-1 think, his, gun. I wahted to let him try, but a man 01 a dozen men might'have maimed me and cut off the light and allowed him to escape. Half rising, he gazed at me malignantly. 1 shot him 12 feet a,way. I felt surie that he was dead, but I wanted to take no chances. I walked towards him and fired two more shots. He dropped.”

Mr Thaw writes of Mrs, Evelyn Nesbit, hisi wife at the? time, with the utmost affection, as an innocent girl snared by Mr Whitq and who fought bitterly to save Mr during the trial.