The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-29
LASCIVIOUS BOOKS
SOUGHT IN SAVANNAH BY UNITED
STATES OFFICERS.
NO AGENCY WAS FOUND.
BOOKS OFFERED FOR SALE BY A
PENNSYLVANIA CONCERN.

Contained Attacks on Roman Cath
Ollie Church and Various other
Works Many of BestiaI Nature.
datter Reported TO w. n. LealSen,
Assistant L. :. Attorney by Man
Who Received the Circulars
Through the Mails-Search for
Agency for the Publications Con-
Quoted by the Attorney and Mail
InspectOrs-DecOy Letter to the
Dealer Brought Surprise to on
GERS.
Circulars offering for sale books con-
tanning fragrant attacks on the Roman
Catholic Church and all of her insti-
buttons, as we'll as other books herald
ed under suggestive titles. followed by
explanatory notes as to the contents
which in most cases promised a feast
of lasciviousness:" together with no
tees of various other works. telling
how to become rich quickly or dis
cussing witchcraft and kindred mat
tiers, were recently received in Sayan-
nah
Upon the advice of a friend the Sa-
MAMMALIAN turned them over to Assist
ant United States Attorney w. r.
Leaken. and he. with the assistance Of
three government agents. has spent
the last three weeks in trying to find
the senders of the circulars, and to dis
cover if there is in Savannah an agen-
cy for the works described.
No Agency Found Here.
He became satisfied that there is no
agent for the books here. He has the
names and addresses Of the sellers of
the advertised works, who, according
to the circulars, are at Beaver Springs,
Pa. and he has turned the matter over
to the government officers of that sec
ton to look after.
The men who make a business of
disseminating such works as those adj
vertised are not easily to be caught,
however, especially when it comes TO
catching them violating the laws in
regard to the use of the mails. In
fact, the whole business of sending
out harmful literature may be, so far
as can be learned here, merely a
scheme to catch those who have a taste
depraved enough to read such stuff
and are unwary enough to order IL
through the mails and send their mon
CS III tQN dHCG
Fooled by the Title.
This would seem to be the case from
an incident that happened during the
efforts of the postal authorities to
work up the present case. An order
was sent to the proper address for a
book, the title of which was "Only n
Girl but the explanatory note of
which promised something peculiarly
rich and racy. The order was answer
ed in due time by the receipt of a
package and this. when opened. dis
closed a book bearing the title of the
work ordered. "Ah. Here we have
them" thought the agents. but when
they came to look into the book they
found that the only thing even sala-
cious about the book was the title on
the cover. for the work itself turned
out TO be copy of the Life Of Kru-
ger 1t is thought not improbable
that most would-be customers are
served in the same way.
An IncOngruOus Oner.
feature of the business is that
cheek by jowl with the ads" of books
whose titles offer promise of sensation
the dealers offer to place advertising
in such papers as the Weekly Herald,
the Christian Advocate, the American
Monthly Herald. and the American
Business Journal.
IT has been but short time since
Mr.. Leaken. secured the indictment of
Fl. Myslop of Quitman for sending OBJ
scene matter through the mails. Hys-
Top skipped out, however, and when
last heard of was in Switzerland,