Saving Sin City: William Travers Jerome, Stanford White, and the Original Crime of the Century by Mary Cummings
Saving Sin City: William Travers Jerome, Stanford White, and the Original Crime of the Century by Mary Cummings
When Standford 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 became 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 acquittal of White's murderer. Chief among them was the ambitious district attorney William Travers Jerome, who wrecked his career with his failed prosecution of Thaw. Award-winning journalist Mary Cummings reveals a new angle to this incredible crime through Jerome's story -- a story that is ripe for our post-"Serial" era.
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 teen-aged 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 of his past history with Nesbit would explosively culminate in White's shocking murder -- and the even more shocking acquittal of Thaw for a murder that was committed in front of dozens of eyewitnesses.
Where did the promising young D.A. go wrong? What were the social issues simmering below the surface of New York that led to Thaw's acquittal? Filled with mesmerizing drama, rich period details, and fascinating characters, Saving Sin City sheds fresh light on crimes whose impact still echoes throughout the twenty-first century.
Pegasus Books, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1st Printing, 2018, 305 pages
THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK.