St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-23
A RACY CASE.
The Naughty show Bills in court
-.Rare TestimOny--Bresia
Acquitted.

nouncement that trial was to be held yes
terday afternoon, in which Father James
McGolrick charged that NJ. Breslaurer had
nosted obscene. indecent and immoral pic
lures on the bulletin boards i'll front OF
pence opera house. was sufficient to attract
motley crowd which packed the municipal
court to suffocation. Frank Carlton APP
peared for the state and John G. Wooley
conducted the case for the defense.
RICH AND RACY.
The testimony was rich and racy. Father
McGolrick was the first to depoSe. 1t was
primarily agreed that the question of
whether or not the cuts complained of were
obscene was purely a matter of
opinion and no witnesses could
testify Oh that point. Father
McGoIrick testified that the cuts repre-
sented women in Semi-nude conditions. He
was put to pretty severe cross eXamina-
ton. which greatly disconnected him. But
It was James L. Wyman who was all
broken up by Mr.. WOoley's 'browbeating.
He was manifestly an apt witness, and was
eager to give his opinion, and that was the
cause OF his subsequent embarrassment
He thought the pictures suggestive, and was
asked, Suggestive of what?" He was not
ready to make detailed explanations, and
endeavored to speak metaphorically.
Metaphors were not acceptable to the pune
tilious examiner, and Mr. Wyman had to
explain his meaning in language plain and
unmistakable, to the
RELISH OF THE GAPING CROWD
in the gallery. Mr.. Wyman also declared
that the pictures were gross exaggerations
How are they exaggerated" quietly
Queried the attorney.
I'm drawing"
''Well. tell us how'
The women are represented too vOlupt-
uous."
How do you know?"
No answer.
Are YOU an anatomical eXpert?"
Still no answer, but smothered laughter
by the gallery gods.
Patrick PrendergaSt was another witness.
His attention had been called to the posters
by his little children, and he was immeaS-
urably shocked. Officer John O'Donnell
had also been inexpreSSibly shocked at see
ing a crowd Of street gamin viewing the
spectacular illustrations and talking over
the symmetrical proportions of female love-
illness, so to speak, and making compari-
SONS of the same with their knowledge of
nature itself After the state rested the
jury was
CONDUCTED TO THE BULLETIN BOARDS
in question for them to inspect those hor-
rid pictures.' They returning, the defense
put in its testimony. Mr.. Breslaurer teS-
titled he had posted the obnoxious bills.
He had posted many others eqaully as fan
tastic. He mentioned the Bijou Opera
company, Ida SiddonS' Ministries, the Falka
Opera company and others as instances in
point The crOSS-examinatiOn failed to
h1inU ont anUthinp of imnOrtaOca
Mr.. Wooley's summing up was nearly as
rich as his croSS-eXaminatiOn of the states
witnesses. He dilated upon the language
of the witnesses and drew his own conclu-
sionS. He said among other things: Just
what is indecent, immoral OF obscene in
pictures depends largely upon the condition
of the mind of the man who looks upon
them. To the Roman Catholic priest it is
one thing: to the business or professional
man another, and to the man who is nat
urally
PREDIsPOsED TO IMMORTALITY
and RIGHTEOUSNESS, widely different thing
from all the others. If you are to go so far
as to cast fellow townsman in Jail, while
in the legitimate prosecution of his business
he pastes upon the bill boards cuts similar
to those now in all cities, and not in any
way unlike those used to advertise a bur-
lesque or comic opera i'll the Grand, because
women in scant clothing are depicted, every
bookseller. artist, owner of art galleries
would also be cast in prison. Yes, aud you
might go into the houses of our best citi-
zens and find pictures of nude figures. Are
they obscene? No man can tell you where
immortality begins nor where indecency
ceases. Every man has seen
ladies' dresses cut so low that
they were surprised, but who would charge
his neighborS wife with being indecent,
obscene and immoral because of the fashion?
We take our wives to the Grand to see the
comic opera produced. We see female
loneliness in flesh-cOlored tights, but never
think Of its being obscene. 1t depends
wholly Oh the condition of the mind, whether
it is healthy or diseased.
These good people who have inveigated
this action pass by artists windows and
stop and look with admiration upon works
of art in which the divine forms of women
are the attraction, and it never occurs to
them that they are obscene.
Here the speaker referred to works of
mythology, to the statues of the Anuses and
other works of art, and asked if any man
could denounce them as indecent He
continued:
Because the burlesque of Orpheus and
Eurydice is produced in the Pence opera
house instead of the Grand, the attack is
made. The great cry is, it is a female min
Strel show. If you find that this defendant
is guilty, mpriSOn him. ImpriSOn every
man who exposes women in f1eShingS. He
closed by asking the jury if there was
member who would be tempted to commit a
crime after Looking upon the pictures in
question.
Mr.. Carleton made a brilliant effort
He reviewed the testimony and charged
that the morality of the city must be pre-
served at all hazards, as it were. The
youth who is just budding into manhood,
whose amorOus passions are liable to master
his discretion or disposition to morality
should be shielded as well as the homes
and our wives and daughters.
The jury was out over an hour and
brought in verdict of not guilty.
ENTERTAINING ENDICOTT.
Guest--A Sunnptuous Banquet.
Secretary Endicott was right royalty en-
tertained in the Flour city yesterday. A
deputatiOn visited the fort in the forenoon,
and taking the distinguished guest, Gen.
Terry, and other officers stationed there in
charge escorted them to the city via the
motor line. Col. McCrory had everything
SO arranged as to make the trip enjoyable.
The party arrived at the West at 1:15 D. IN.
where a sumptuous banquet was spread in
No. 122, just off the elegant corridor on the
Hennepin avenue side of the hotel Mama
ger Shepard laid before the party bill of
fare which has never been excelled, and it
included all the viands of the world, besides
six courses Of wine. The dinner was dis
patched with pleasant conversation 1t
was most delightfully."- informal affair. At