The Indianapolis journal., 1896-04-26

and the terrors OF the law.
The monstrous character Of the iitera-
ture which circulated secretly in New
York city a quarter OF century ago
Tons OF IL have fed the flames, and only
those examples have been preserved by
the Society for the Suppression of Vice
which have been offered as evidence In
criminal cases and are now fled away
as part OF the record. The nature Of
this literature is sufficiently indicated by
the tremendous words Of DR.. Behrends
in referring to its wretched authors:
Pray for them TO Almighty God In the
language of all the imprecatory psalms.
II is possible, however, to judge OF the
proportions OF the evil at the time when
Anthony Comstock dealt it it's first blow,
and to summarize in concrete form the
results of his crusade. He came to this
city from New Canaan, Conn.,, two years
after the close of the civil war. He had
carried a musket in the last two years
OF the war, although but boy himself,
and he was only twenty-three and poor
in pocket when he sought his fortune in
the metropolis. His first employments
were in comparatively humble capaci-
ties in downtown stores. He became ac-
quainted with the life and temptations
of the young men in clerical positions.
and for five years won gradual advance
ment in mercantile circles.
= THE BEGINNING.
In 1872 ne was general salesman for
Cochrane. Mclean & Co., who conducted
a wholesale dry goods business in lower
Broadway. Here he learned the charac-
ter of book in the hands of several of
his fellow-clerks and the place where
they had procured 1t. This was in Gen.
ter street. Thither he proceeded. taking
with him r0li0o 0ffioor Tho latter
tried to give the bookseller warning. and,
in consequence. Mr.. Comstock COM
planned against him in the courts.
On the following day, March 3, 1872.
he made seven arrests. He found vile
books hawked from the push carts of
Ann street, hiding in the Easements of
Nassau street and Haunting their iniqui-
ties from the steps of the old Dutch
church in Fulton street. The enter
prises were organized on business prin-
ciples, with central depots, secret
channels Of communication and runners
who solicited custom on the streets. One
hundred and sixty-nine books Of an i'm
proper character were in circulation
here. A systematic propaganda was car
ried on to extend the business into other
places. Directories. OF names were inter-
changed by dealers, and to these ad
dresses catalogues were sent. Offers of
| prizes were made to postmasters to in
duce them to compile lists of the young
| people Of their communities. Adver-
| tisements were published, in which it
was offered to forward doll or a trinket
| to the child who sent in his name and
| address. The catalogues Of colleges,
| seminaries, academies and private
schools were ransacked. What use was
made of this data the records of more
than 1000 criminal prosecutions by the
society will tell.
The end of March found Mr.. Com
| stocks resources exhausted, and he
/ wrote to the Y. NJ. G. A. of this city.
| The letter resulted in visit from Morris
K. Jesup and an interview with Secre-
tary McBurney. At the interview Mr..
| Jesup gave Mr.. Comstock $500 to continue
this crusade. That gift resulted in few
days in the capture of nearly $4,000
| worth of contraband matter. On April
| Mr.. Comstock seized twenty-four cases
| of stereotype plates, 140 steel engravings
and forty copper plates in one house in
Balchen place, Brooklyn These were
| destroyed with acids by President Coch-
rane and Professor PlymDton, of the
| Polytechnic Institute.
The next week followed another sue
/ cessful raid in Platt street, Brooklyn,
/ and In the last week in April notorious
gambler was compelled to surrender ST.
900 worth of books. The first week In
| and there were delivered at the Ameri-
can Tract Society's building plates and
| letter press representing a total value
of $4,000. TIE same month Mr.. Com
| stock seized four tons of books at No
IL Ann street and six tons of stereotype
plates in a vault at Center and White
| streets. At one time there were more
than ten tons of this contraband matter
| stored in the basement of the American
Tract Society building awaiting demoli-
| ton.
THE SOCIETY INCORPORATED.
These extensive seizures attracted at
tention, and a committee of the Y. M. c.
A. was formed to organize the work
May 16, 1873, the New York Society fol
the Suppression of Vice was incor-
porated by the following gentlemen
Morris K. Jesup. Howard Potter. jacob
F. Wyckoff, William E. Dodge, jr.
Charles E. Whitehead, Cephat Brainerd
Thatcher M. Adams, william F. Lee.
Pierpont Morgan, j. M. Cornell, w. H
S. Wood, Elbert B. Monroe, George w
Clarke, Cornelius r. Agnew and r. r.
McBurney. of New York, and Moses S
Beach and Henry r. Jones, of Brooklyn
Among other early friends Of the society
were William z. Dodge, ST., John M
Cornell, A. S. Barnes and Rev. DIR. j. NJ
Stevenson. ft
From these names were selected the
various officers of the society," and theil
activity IN its service has only beer
terminated by death. Mr.. Whitehead
was the first president A year after
ward he was succeeded by Samuel Col
gate, the present incumbent. Anthony
Comstock has always been the chiei
special agent. Morris x. Jesup is still
as he was then, vice president, and the
present board of officers, as given below
complete, contains other familiar names
President, Samuel Colgate; vice presi
dents, Morris K. Jesup, William z
Dodge and Welcome G.. Hitchcock; treas
urer. Kiliaen Van Rensselaer,; secretary
Anthony Comstock; executive commit
tee, A. F. Libby, chairman, Rev. Viii
II liam A. Rice, D. D., William c. Beecher
John Sinclair, John v. Cockroft, Bowie:
| Colgate and Hamilton r. Fairfax. An
thony Comstock was soon made post
office inspector without salary, and h
holds the position still. In this responsi
bility he was enabled to give his worl
| a national character. His staff consists
of an assistant and a stenographer.
What the society has done in legisla
tion has already been recited. But
summary of its specific achievement
| will be timely here. In the twenty-five
| years of it's operations it has made 2,07
| arrests. thirty Of them since the begin
| ming of this wear From this mum be