Evening star., 1924-06-07

Verdict Of jury in Philadelphia
which would free Harry Thaw gets
virtually unanimous thumbs
down" decision from editors through
out the country. Some are inclined
to see in the verdict an evidence of a
serious flaw in the American judicial
system. Some see perversion of JUS
tice by the use of money. Others
look for still more limelight for the
slayer of Stanford White in rever-
sion to other crimes. While the big
majority express the wish that the
latest turn will put the Thaw case
out Of the press for all time to come
Harry Thaw has cost the taxpayers
of New York and Pennsylvania a vast
sum of money" observes the Great
Falls Tribune, land it is not unlikely
that he will yet cost them a great
deal OF money" for, continues the
Tribune, the public will generally
agree that Harry Thaw is a danger
Gus person to be at large and that the
jury verdict was a miscarriage OF
justice" To which the Wheeling
Intelligencer adds THE manner in
which Thaw has been declared insane
and sane, according to the way he
and concludes. "if he succeeds in
getting loose, some more headlines
may be expected"
In the opinion of the Bridgeport
Post:
TT is difficult to view case of
this kind except with mixed feelings
and with the question uppermost in
ones mind as to whether the law
does not break down on crucial mat
ters which it is really too elementary
n a no 81.
money talks and produced experts
who line up on both sides of aues-
tion on sort of a fifty fifty basis is
enough to disgust the man on the
street and convince him that all such
testimony should be gathered up and
hurled into the waste basket"
x x = \
Insanity saved Thaw from the ex-
treme penalty of a shocking and COW
ardly crime, in the opinion of the
Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, which
believes insanity should keep him
where he cannot employ himself in
further mischief" While the Brook
lyn Eagle believes that sane, insane
or partially sane, Harry Thaw is a
pathological type whose perversities
make him dangerous, and the court
and jury that grant him freedom as
sumo a serious responsibility" To
this the Hartford Times adds, so
ciety may count itself fortunate in
deed II Harry Thaw settles down and
fails to add other sensational chap
ters to a career that has been dis
gusting and nauseating."
Probably there could have been de-
vised," says the Kansas City Post, mo
method of determining a mans men,
tai condition less suited to its pur-
pose than trial by jury" The law
embraces many things that are be-
yond the understanding of the lay
man, the Terre Haute Star observes.
and concludes: Among its puzzling
features is the provision which puts
the question of a mans sanity in the
hands of a Pennsylvania jury" Along
this line the Ann Arbor Times-News
suggests:
on the statute books, but there is
room for one more. Why can't we
have a law placing restrictions on
temporary insanity?" Supporting the
theory that the method of referring
the case to a jury was out of the lay
mans line, the Albany Knickerbocker
Press asks, 'is it not fact that there
is so much foolishness In the wisest
of us and SO much wisdom in the
most witless. that it ill behooves any
us?" The St. Paul Dispatch objects to
the method of employing alienists on
each side of such a case, and believes
"alienistS should be engaged for the
service of the court and not for either
side in a dispute Of this nature"
1.-THE whole miserable record raises
one question of moment" declares the
ybeCome Of our boasted equality be-