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Evelyn arrived back to her hotel, where the rooms White gave her
were waiting. Soon, the fatherly “Stanny” came to
call. He took Evelyn in his arms and she wept.
Gradually, she told the horrible story of her trip to Europe and
Thaw’s abuse.
White became enraged and even arranged for Evelyn to give a
deposition to a well-known lawyer, Abe Hummel, regarding her
experiences with Thaw. White claimed that Hummel could protect
her from him.
Yet, Evelyn’s “meetings” with White became few and far
between. He treated her with respect and affection, but he no
longer trembled whenever he was near her. She heard stories of
his attachment to other chorus girls. Then, she failed to receive an
invitation to White’s famous Christmas party.
Meanwhile, Thaw overwhelmed Evelyn with more flowers, gifts and
love notes. At first she resisted, but as the memory of the beating
faded, Evelyn’s feelings softened. Thaw got down on his
knees and begged.
Evelyn returned to him. More trips through Europe followed.
More gifts. More jewels. Then, in 1905, Evelyn fell victim to
a rare medical anomaly. She had a second attack of
“appendicitis.” After a long recuperation, Evelyn left the
hospital and found herself an apartment. She aimed to separate
herself from Thaw, but he came around again and again.
Then, Mrs. William Thaw of Pittsburgh came to call upon Evelyn.
She was blunt. Her son loved Evelyn, and it was her wish that they
be married. Evelyn brought up Thaw’s eccentricities, but
Mother Thaw dismissed them. She believed that settling down would
cure her son’s behavior.
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| Harry Thaw before the murder |
So, Evelyn returned to her hometown and became the wife of Harry
K. Thaw. She lived in the grand house with Mother Thaw and her
husband. Evelyn’s new mother-in-law did her best to
introduce Evelyn to Pittsburgh society, but even the powerful Mother
Thaw could not overcome Evelyn’s reputation. Evelyn rarely
received invitations anywhere and had no companionship her own age.
Thaw sometimes paid ardent attention to Evelyn. Other times, he
disappeared for days. By all accounts, she was bored and lonely, but
resigned to her fate.
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