Harry Kendall Thaw

Thaw had reserved an entire floor in the luxurious Hôtel George-V. The attendees were Thaw himself and twenty-five of the most beautiful showgirls/bordello prostitutes he could assemble. John Philip Sousa and his famed band were hired to provide musical entertainment. For Thaw, Sousa’s military marches were the favored party music as—“they lifted the roof off the place.” Each of the Parisian beauties found a unique party favor at the end of the meal. The dessert course was a one thousand dollar piece of jewelry wrapped around the stem of a liqueur glass. Although widely traveled, Thaw’s sophistication was bogus. He perpetually saw the world through the eyes of a child, maintaining his juvenile mentality and behavior through adulthood.

Exhibiting the classic characteristics of the skilled, manipulative Sociopath, Thaw was able to keep the more sinister side of his personality in check when it suited his purposes and furthered his current agenda. He had the facility, when required, to impress upon others that he was a gentle, caring soul. "He was part gentleman, part boor, part prude, part playboy." The term "playboy" entered the popular vernacular, it is alleged, inspired by Thaw himself— a vivid encapsulation of the lifestyle he so vigorously pursued. Read Less

Thaw himself chose the wedding dress. Eschewing the traditional white gown, he dressed her in a black traveling suit decorated with brown trim.

The two took up residence in the Thaw family home, Lyndhurst, in Pittsburgh. In later years Nesbit took measure of life in the Thaw household. The Thaws were anything but intellectuals. Their value system was shallow, and self-serving: “the plane of materialism which finds joy in the little things that do not matter—the appearance of …things.”

Envisioning a life of travel and entertaining, Nesbit was rudely awakened to a reality markedly different; a household, ruled over by the sanctimonious propriety of “Mother Thaw.” Thaw himself entered into his mother’s sphere of influence, seemingly without protest, taking on the pose of pious son and husband. It was at this time that Thaw instituted a zealous campaign to expose Stanford White, corresponding with the reformer, Anthony Comstock, the infamous crusader for moral probity and the expulsion of vice. Because of this activity, Thaw became convinced that he was being stalked by members of the notorious Monk Eastman Gang, hired by White to kill him. Thaw started to carry a gun. Nesbit later corroborated his mind-set: “ Thaw imagined his life was in danger because of the work he was doing in connection with the vigilance societies and the exposures he had made to those societies of the happenings in White’s flat.” Read Less

This association generated a lawsuit against Thaw who refused to pay his collaborators for the script work they had done. Thaw, rejecting the original concept, now conceived of a project to film the story of his own life. He asserted, therefore, the original agreement was no longer valid and he had no financial obligation to his partners. Read Less