On the day after White's murder, a crowd gathers outside prison holding Harry Thaw
| 1887 |
Architect Stanford
White, who would design Madison Square Garden and other city landmarks,
joins other New York City libertines in starting the Sewer Club, a sex
club. |
| Early December, 1900 |
Evelyn Nesbit, age
15, arrives in New York City to begin a modeling career. |
| May 1901 |
Nesbit takes a role
as an actress in the play "Florodora." |
| August 1901 |
Evelyn Nesbit is
introduced to Stanford White, age 46. |
| October 1901 |
White gets Nesbit
drunk, she passes out, and Stanford deflowers her in his W. 24th Street
studio. Soon thereafter, and for about the next
six months, White and Nesbit see each other almost daily. |
| December 23, 1901 |
On Evelyn's
birthday, White gives her a pearl necklace, three diamond rings, and a
set of white fox furs. |
| January 1902 |
The play "Florodora"
closes and Nesbit gets a new role in "The Wild Rose." |
| Summer 1902 |
With White in
Europe, Nesbit has a brief affair with the actor John Barrymore.
After his return, White confronts Barrymore. Meanwhile, Harry
Thaw begins his pursuit of Nesbit. |
| October 1902 |
Stanford White and Evelyn Nesbit end their affair, which famously included time spent by Evelyn on the red velvet swing in White's 24th Street apartment. White arranges for Nesbit to leave New York City to attend a boarding school in New Jersey, where she remains until April 1903, when she is treated for acute appendicitis. |
| May 1903 |
Nesbit and Thaw sail
for Europe. Nesbit's mother goes along as a chaperon. |
| Summer 1903 |
In Paris, Nesbit
tells Thaw about her wild sexual encounters with Stanford White and
Thaw becomes enraged. |
| Late summer 1903 |
In an Austrian
castle, Thaw (in a cocaine or morphine-induced frenzy) slashes Nesbit
with a riding crop, tears off her nightgown, and rapes her. |
| October 24, 1903 |
Nesbit arrives back
in New York, on ship passage arranged by friends in Europe who had
heard her tale of Thaw's sadism.. |
| Late Fall 1903 |
After White's
lawyers assist in bringing a suit against Thaw for kidnapping Nesbit,
Evelyn (fearing Thaw's reaction) goes into hiding in New York
City. Meanwhile, Thaw's lawyers counterattack against White based
on his earlier forced sexual encounter with the underage Nesbit. |
| 1904 |
While Thaw's
white-hot hatred of White continues, he undertakes a relentless
courtship of Nesbit. Thaw insists that Evelyn refer to White only
as "the Beast." |
| April 4, 1905 |
Harry Thaw, a
Pittsburgh millionaire, marries Evelyn Nesbit. The newlyweds move
into the Thaw mansion in Pittsburgh. |
| June 25, 1906 |
Before hundreds of
onlookers, Harry Thaw shoots and kills Stanford White during a
performance of the play "Mamzelle Champagne" at the Roof Garden
restaurant and theater at Madison Square Garden. |
| January 23, 1907 |
Thaw's trial for
murder opens. The prosecution is lead by William T. Jerome, while
Thaw's attorney is Michael Delmas. |
| February 4, 1907 |
Opening statements
are given in the Thaw trial. |
| February 7, 1907 |
Evelyn Nesbit begins
testifying in the Thaw trial. |
| April 11, 1907 |
The jury announces
that it is unable to reach a verdict in the Thaw trial. Their are
seven votes for guilty and five votes for not guilty by reason of
insanity. |
| January 1908 |
The second trial of
Harry Thaw opens. |
| February 1, 1908 |
The jury finds Harry
Thaw not guilty by reason of insanity for the murder of Stanford
White. Thaw is sent to the Matteawan Asylum for the Criminally
Insane in Fishkill, New York. |
| 1915 |
Evelyn and Harry
Thaw divorce. The next year, Nesbit marries dance partner Jack
Clifford. |
| 1917 |
Thaw, while
temporarily freed from asylums, is arrested after kidnapping and
severely whipping a 19-year-old boy. He is sent to an insane
asylum in Pennsylvania, where he stays until his release in 1924.
Thaw dies in 1947. |
| 1955 |
A movie, The Girl in
the Red Velvet Swing, about Nesbit, White, and Thaw is released.
At the time of the movie's release, Nesbit is living a quiet life as a
74-year-old sculptor in Los Angeles. The film stars Joan Collins
as Nesbit. |
| 1967 |
Evelyn Nesbit dies
of natural causes. |