Harry Kendall Thaw
Aside from her relationship with John Barrymore, Evelyn Nesbit was involved with other men who vied for her attention. Among those were polo player, James Montgomery Waterbury and the young magazine publisher Robert J. Collier. Through all, Stanford White still maintained a potent presence in her life, maintaining his position as generous benefactor. The association, however, which would come to dominate Nesbit's life, came in the person of Harry Kendall Thaw, the son of a Pittsburgh coal and railroad baron. With a history of pronounced mental instability since childhood, Thaw, heir to a forty million dollar fortune, led a reckless, self-indulgent life. Thaw had been in the audience of The Wild Rose, attending some forty performances for the better part of a year. Through an intermediary, he ultimately arranged a meeting with Nesbit, introducing himself as “Mr. Munroe.” Thaw maintained this subterfuge, with the help of confederates, while showering her with gifts and money before he felt the time was right to reveal his true identity. The day came when he confronted Nesbit and announced with self-important brio: “I am not Munroe…I am Henry Kendall Thaw, of Pittsburgh!”
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