Saving Sin City: William Travers Jerome, Stanford White, and the Original Crime of the Century

by Mary Cummings

Overview

When Stanford White, one of the most famous architects of the era--whose mark on New York City is second to none--was murdered by Harry K. Thaw in 1906, his death become known as "The Crime of the Century."

But there were other players in this love-triangle-gone-wrong that would play a part in the incredible story of White's murderer. Chief among them was the ambitious district attorney William Travers Jerome, who had the opportunity to make--or break--his career with his prosecution of Thaw.

Thaw was the debauched and deranged heir to a Pittsburgh fortune who had a sadistic streak. White was an artistic genius and one of the world's premier architects who would become obsessed with a teenaged chorus girl, Evelyn Nesbit. White preyed on Nesbit, who, in a surprising twist, also became a fixation for Thaw. Nesbit and Thaw would later marry, but Thaw's lingering jealousy and anger toward White over his past history with Nesbit would explosively culminate in White's shocking murder--and the even more shocking trial of Thaw for a murder that was committed in front of dozens of eye witnesses.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643132556
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	09/10/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

Mary Cummings is a writer and historian. She has been awarded by the New York Press Association for her obituary of Joseph Heller and a "Best In-Depth Reporting" Award for "Troubled Waters," a series on Long Island's threatened groundwater supply. She has written for The New York Times, Newsday, Time Out New York, and more, and was the arts editor and principal feature writer at The Southampton Press. She is a graduate of Smith College with a master's degree from Stony Brook University. She lives in Southampton, New York.

Table of Contents

PROLOGUE

1901

1 “THE JUDGE WITH THE AX ” 3

2 PASSION SPARKED 11

3 A DIFFICULT LAUNCH 21

4 ON TOP OF THE WORLD 29

5 GOO-GOOS AND GRAFTERS 41

6 SOARING CELEBRITY, SOARING DEBTS 53

7 A HER O ON THE HUSTINGS 59

8 “MAD HARR Y” 67 1902

9 INTO THE FRAY 77

10 PASSIONATE PLAYMATES 83

11 “THE KING OF G AMBLERS” 87

12 ERRANT EVELYN 93

1903

13 CHARLIE’S FOLLY 101

14 HEADING FOR TROUBLE 105

15 THE DODGE-MORSE TANGLE 111

16 THAW UNMASKED 115

17 JEROME’S SECRET 123

1904 18 SPIRALING DOWNWARD 129

19 DEATH IN A HANSOM CAB 133

20 EVELYN ASCENDANT 137

21 HARD WORK AND HEAD ACHES 141

22 KEEPING UP APPEARANCES 149

1905

23 CORPORATE SCANDAL AND A CAUTIONARY CASE 155

24 COMING TO TERMS 159

25 “THE BIG SPIDER ” 165

26 A SHOPPING SPREE 171

27 MORE CHALLENGES 175

28 PARADISE LOST 183

29 ANOTHER PROBE, A NEW HERO 187

1906

30 GATHERING SHADOWS 191

31 A HIGH-WIRE ACT 195

32 JUNE 25, 1906 201

33 BEFORE THE S TORM 207

34 A DISCREET F AREWELL 213

35 THE PRESS POUNCES 215

36 GIRDING FOR BA TTLE 219

1907

37 PEOPLE V. HARRY K. THAW I: THE PRELIMINARIES 225

38 PEOPLE V. HARRY K. THAW I: “THE ANGEL CHILD” 233

39 PEOPLE V. HARRY K. THAW I : J EROME, THE INQUISITOR 241

40 PEOPLE V. HARRY K. THAW I: CLOSING ARGUMENTS 253

1908

41 PEOPLE V. HARRY K. THAW II: A “PR OPER VERDICT” 261

42 FINISHED AT FIFTY 271

EPILOGUE 275

WORKS CITED BY CHAPTER 283

Editorial Reviews

"'What is the chief end of man?' Mark Twain asks. 'To get rich. In what way? Dishonestly if we can, honestly if we must.' Add sex and ego as two more goals and the self-destructive means to those ends (lusted after by women, too) are re-examined in Ms. Cummings's Saving Sin City. An engrossing account."--The New York Times

"A story of a time not unlike our own, when New Yorkers were swept up in a 'contagious lust for riches.' A fabulously entertaining tale, well told--and sobering."--NPR

"This work of narrative nonfiction offers a richly detailed plunge into the excesses of the Gilded Age, as revealed in one infamous love triangle. Cummings gift for the odd detail and for describing physical settings make this latest account of the Stanford White murder a standout."--Booklist (starred)

From the Publisher

"What an entertaining and exhilarating read. Deeply researched and thought-provoking, this book is a joyride through the history of New York."

Brad Ricca

"‘What is the chief end of man?’ Mark Twain asks. ‘To get rich. In what way? Dishonestly if we can, honestly if we must.’ Add sex and ego as two more goals and the self-destructive means to those ends (lusted after by women, too) are re-examined in Ms. Cummings’s Saving Sin City. Ms. Cummings focuses on Jerome, the Manhattan district attorney, in a methodical, but engrossing account."

New York Times

"This work of narrative nonfiction offers a richly detailed plunge into the excesses of the Gilded Age, as revealed in one infamous love triangle. Journalist Cummings adds a new dimension to a case thats often been written about, that of the murder of famed New York society architect Stanford White by Harry K. Thaw, a psychopathic millionaire playboy. Cummings gift for the odd detail and for describing physical settings make this latest account of the Stanford White murder a standout."

Booklist (starred)

"Saving Sin City is The Age of Innocence meets Dominck Dunne. Mary Cummings is a wonderful storyteller and brings to life a rich, fascinating era at the turn of the last century, from ballrooms to courtrooms, with a fascinating cast of characters, high and low."

Steven Gaines

"A timely, provocative, and stylishly written book."

James Presley

"A story of a time not unlike our own, when New Yorkers were swept up in a ‘contagious lust for riches.’ A fabulously entertaining tale, well told—and sobering"

NPR

"Provocative and enthralling."

Dan's Papers

"Like the public at the time of the murder, I craved fresh details. Indeed, I thought I knew it all, which is why Saving Sin City is so much fun. The fine reporter that she is, Ms. Cummings sets a scene with an economy of words and sly metaphors. Cummings shifts from ballrooms, to louche art studios and restaurants, to crime scenes and courtrooms. Not only do those scenes convey a strong sense of this extraordinary bygone era, they crackle with authenticity."

The East Hampton Star

"An excellent history."

Popular Culture Association

"This work of narrative nonfiction offers a richly detailed plunge into the excesses of the Gilded Age, as revealed in one infamous love triangle. Journalist Cummings adds a new dimension to a case thats often been written about, that of the murder of famed New York society architect Stanford White by Harry K. Thaw, a psychopathic millionaire playboy. Cummings gift for the odd detail and for describing physical settings make this latest account of the Stanford White murder a standout."

Booklist

Saving Sin CityisThe Age of Innocencemeets Dominck Dunne. Mary Cummings is a wonderful storyteller and brings to life a rich, fascinating era at the turn of the last century, from ballrooms to courtrooms, with a fascinating cast of characters, high and low.”

Steve Gaines