Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-08-24
SYMPATHY FOR THAW

T Harry IhaWS DrleI enjoyment or I freedom, while fugitive, is over for the time till the Canadian courts de- termine whether or not they must re- I turn him on demand of the New York authorities 1t is pretty safe to say l that a majority of the reading publi. i favored the success of his effort to escape, some in the hope that he would cease to be an ver-appearing 1 feature ill the news, some because ficiently, and some because they think he should not have been punished at all.-Fort Smith Times-Record. It is really surprising to observe the almost universal sympathy that exists for Harry K. Thaw ill this city and section. Hardly person you meet favors his detention and hun dreds express the wish that he gains his freedom. The large majority of the people of this city and section, both men and women, believe thai Thaw has been sufficiently punished, others declare that he should never have been sent to iMatteawan and still others feel that they would like to see Thaw enjoy freedom on ac- count of the loyalty of his aged mother.
 There are many people who OK press the wish that the Thaw case had never originated. Some news ] paper readers are disgusted with the Thaw case and especially the "cheap notoriety" that has been gained by Evelyn Nesbit Thaw through Thaws escape and incidents previous there to- The wife of Thaw is playing to the curious on New York's Vaudeville stage. She and her press agent saw some good ads in Thaw's getaway l from Matteawan and they converted | Evelyns protended fear of Harry k, 1 into columns of good reading matter, l that resulted ill packed houses at tho New York playhouse, afternoon and night They even went so far as to have Ihc stage door guarded by squad of policemen, when they we'll knew that Harry was beating it. in another direction from New York state and that Evelyn was the least of his thoughts. Freedom is what Harry Thaw wants and will in all probability get.
 The killing of Stanford White, the l New York architect, who was wolf | in sheep's clothing, is still fresh in 1 the minds of the people. Harry Thaw killed him because he had broken up his home. Whether Thaw | was Justified in his act or whether Evelyn was to blame. and i'll such cases women are often ;o blame, has been discussed for years. There is one thing certain, if Evelyns story on the witness stand was true, Stan ford White needed killing.
 The insanity plea that entered the
 Thaw case, resulting in Whites slayer being sent to Matteawan. was only a legal effort to save Harry Thaw from the electric chair and ! the "brainstorm" idea proved effcc- tive.
 Nobody believes Harry Thaw crazy. He's got as good sense as anybody. He is a spoiled son of the rich, who has been humored and petted until he thinks the whole world should humor and pet him. He displayed his good sense in recen weeks when he planned his escape from Mattea- wan; bought ticket to Detroit, | Michigan, through Canada, in order to avoid getting entangled in the lm- migration laws of the Dominion, anu made good-eXcepting that he was taken in after crossing the Canadian line.
 The best thing the Canadian au- thorities can do with Harry IhaW IS to set him free, with the provision that he take to Europe and stay there. ii such procedure would pc legal The sooner Thaw leaves l America and tries to live down the unplcasant incidents of his young lie' the better 1t will be for all concerhed his mother and sister. the courts bold Evelyn and the country general ly.
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