The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-05-23
DENY REPORT IN
TIMES-PICAYUNE
NO FOUNDATION FOR LAYING OF
BLAME ON MOVING PICTURES,
THEY SAY.
THE news HAD EVERY
DETAIL CORRECT. "..W.A.POWE
Both Parents Deny Having intimated
Anything to Form Basis for BeIated
Report In New Orleans Paper-E
N. Hirsch Issues Open Letter.

An erroneous report in this morn
lng's Times-Picayune about the rum
away escapade Of little Sara Craven
and Pauline Powe, has caused a good
deal of street gossip, and has been
vigorously denied by the fathers of
both little girls.
Films recently displayed in moving
shows here are blamed by residents of |
this city for the escapade of Pauline |
Powe and Sara Craven" says the Hat |
tiesburg special to the Times-Picayune.
There is absolutely no foundation
for the report declared w. A. Powe,
father of Pauline. Pauline has never
intimated to any of us that motion pic
lures had anything to do with the af-
fair, and when we told her about the
report in the -Picayune, she said
1t was untrue. She got the idea from
reading book by Horation Alger, Jr.,
as was correctly stated in yesterdays
Hattiesburg News, and not from any
motion picture play.
Mn this connection we want to thank
The News for the way it handled the
story. You had every fact and every
detail correct and we appreciate your
treating the affair as foolish, childish
escapade rather than in more sensa,
tional manner. We are glad Of an op
portunity to correct the Times-Pic
ayune story, because we do not want
the affair to unjustly injure the motor
picture business or any other legiti
mate business"
c. E. Craven, father of Sara, cor
roborated Mr.. Powe's statement.
Il do not know how in the world they
, got any such idea," said Mr.. Craven
: Certainly none of us told them. Sara
| got the idea from Pauline, who hat
read about it in the book, and no mo
tion picture had anything to do with it
The story in The News was right il
, every essential detail"
Hirsch Writes Open Letter.
e. N. Hirsch, manager of the Create
J Gem Theatre, is especially concerned
over the error, which he claims is
direct and unjust thrust at his bust
ness. He has addressed the following
J open letter to the local correspondent
: of the Times-Picayune
To Mr.. N. R. Mccullough,
Der Sir:-I understand you are th
Hattiesburg correspondent for the New
! Orleans Times-Picayune, and l woul'
like for you to inform me by wha
right you placed the blame for the esca
pade of Pauline Powe and Sara Cravel
, on the motion picture shows?
' I'm your report of teh incident, whicl
3 appears in this mornings Times-Pica
, yune, you say motion picture films ar
blamed for the escapade of these girls
Who blames the motion pictures? TIL
/ parents of both the little girls sa
, they got their idea from reading a
+ adventure book, as was accuratel
stated yesterday in the Hattiesbur
d News, and the little girls say the sam
: ITO blame motion picture films fe
: this incident is direct thrust at m
+ business, as l operate the only movin
+ picture show in town, and l think
0 have a right to know why you did /
= But you must have some sort of fou
o dation for your statement, and woul
like to know what it is. What was I'll
+ motion picture film that put the ide
e Of running away into the heads of th
little girls? Did any Of the relatives ,
Q the girls tell you it was a motion pi
D ture Aim that put the idea Of runnin
j. away into their heads? And II NO
o why did you say SO In your report
o the Tfmes-Picayune.
q "Your report will really not hurt n
s business as much as 1t will the motto
l. picture theatres in other towns whe
5. the Times-Picayune circulates. Poop
d here got the correct story before Il
o Times-Picayune got here by readil
r the Hattiesburg News, but people
d other cities, who did not see the Hs
Is tiesburg News probably supposed yo
'e report was correct, and it thereto
CONTINUED on Page Four.)