The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30
COMSTOCK DROPS ART CASE
AFTER JEROME'S MEN DESTROY
THE SEIZED CATALOGUES.


-
stocks Work anu Boosts Ills salary.
There will be no prosecution Of the young
woman known in the court records as Anna
Robinson, bookkeeper Of the Art Students
League, for the dissemination last summer
OF the catalogue OF the league containing
representations of nude drawings by the
young men and women pupils.
Anthony Comstock. who seized $3.50 OF
the IL, 900 copies printed. and who caused
the arrest Of Miss Robinson because she
sold him a copy and was about the only one
In the league building whom he could find
when he made his aid on August 2 last, has
consented that the case shall be dropped.
He has done this because, by order OF Dis
trict Attorney Jerome. the seized catalogues
have been destroyed, and also because il Is
the opinion Of the District Attorneys office
that the publication was done with honor
able intent and involves no such moral
obliquity as is deserving Of punishment by
law"
On December ~ Mr.. Comstock wrote a
letter to District Attorney Jerome saying:
Since there is nothing which in any way
inpeaches the integrity of Miss Robinson l
shall be most happy to extend to her a Christ
mas greeting by the dismissal Of any further
proceedings against her.
None OF III officers Of the Art League
was consulted about this move. One OF
the directors said last night that there
had been no official consideration of the
subject. and that il it was true that the
matter was to be dropped 1t would be done
despite the protest Of the leagues officers.
Our disposition he said, lis to fight this
thing out to the end. As a body we have
not consented to any such arrangement.
and II any Of our officers or our counsel
have done so It has been without any spe-
ciao authorization l rather think the
matter is not ended yet"
This director said also that Mr.. Jerome
not long ago offered to drop, the case IL
the offending nude pictures should be
torn out Of the catalogues. The offer
was declined at the time. and it was the
belief that when Miss Robinson's case
should come up before Special Sessions,
for which court she was held by Magistrate
Mayo on October 30 last. a strong fight
would be made to prove that the catalogue
did not offend the law in any way.
The catalogues were destroyed in Mr..
Comstock's Office early last week. Several
OF Mr.. Jerome's detectives spent two or
three hours of hard work in ripping the
catalogues TO pieces. The remnants were
carted away and burned. Mr.. Zero me
had them destroyed on his own authority,
precisely as he would ave gambling APP
paratus destroyed. He did it after he
had made up his mind not TO prosecute
Miss Robinson. As soon as Mr.. Comstock
saw the catalogues destroyed he gave his
consent to dropping the prosecution, con-
tending that the object at which he aimed
(the more or less general suppression OF
the pamphlet) had been accomplished.
Assistant District Attorney Smythe, who
has had charge Of the case, will move its
dismissal when il comes up for trial. A
new catalogue, emitting the pictures, has
been put out and Mr.. Smythe held that any
legal questions involved we're purely aca-
demic and that therefore the interests OF
justice require no further prosecution of
the matter.
An officer Of the league said last night
that while IL would doubtless be welcome
news TO Miss Robinson that she would not
have TO face a trial the officials would really
regret a dismi ssal of the case without having
a judicial determination of their oonten-
ton that the catalogue was a work OF art.
Il am glad that the case has been di sposed
Of said Comstock. w have gained our
point. We never wanted TO prosecute Miss
Robinson, much less persecuts her. We
regard her "a absolutely innocent of any
Intentional wrongdoing and We are glad
that the case will not come up again. Our
only desire was to uphold morals and the
law and we acted in accordance with de-
cisions of the Cour Of Appeals of New
York"
Mr.. ComstoclS was exhibiting yesterday
to his friends his COMM ssion from the
Post Office Department as a post Office
inspector for 1907. 1t had been printed
that he had been dismissed from the ser vice
as a result OF complaints about the Art
ts' League raid and also on other
complaints. For thirty four years he has
been an inspector at a nominal salary of
q a vnar mo afar. Caparal Govt ,I-On
has raised his salary 10 81. 200 a year and
has Endorsed his work In 5uppressing vice.
Last summer Mr.. Comstock had a personal
encounter with Hugh Gordon Miller. who
charged that he was a CRATER and who
has since repeated his accusations In court.
Comstock made a report of his financial
affairs TO Chief Inspector W. S. Mayer in
the New York Office and he in turn for
warded IL co Chief Inspector Vickery in
Washington. with the complaints that had
been made against Comstock. The papers
were transmitted 10 Postmaster General
{ ortelyou, who IN November 5 last wrote
TO MIR. Vickery saying that the reports
did not seem to call for further action and
adding
| feel that / should avail myself Of this
opportunity to express in the strongest terms
the departments appreciation of the faithful
rendered for so many years by In
spector Comstock. There may ha We been a
few cases in which his methods nave been
open to some criticism. but any man who
wa ges war upon impurity and obsoenity
ca mot hope to avoid criticism. lie Ia $
stood as q barrier between the youth Of the
land and a frightfully demoralizing traffic,
and want him to know that, looking at his
work in Its larger aspect. he has had and will
continue to have the hearty support OF this
department.
Speaking of this Endorsement by Mr..
Cortelyou and Of his appointment for an
other year as inspector. MIR. Comstock said
yesterday:
Il would be willing 20 spend another
thirty-five years in my work IL l could
secure at the end such an Endorsement as
that of Mr.. Cortelyou and my superior
officers. 1t pays for all the hard knocks
l nave received"
Comstock spent several days in Wash
last week consulting with Chief
I~nspector Vickery and with the Postmaster
General. He declared yesterday that they
all expressed complete satisfaction with bis
work. and he said his raise Of salary. with |
out any stipulation that he should sever
his connection with the anti-vice society, |
showed what his standing was.
One of the reasons why the Government
has raised Comstock's salary and has kept
him as a post Office inspector, il was said
Yesterday, is because none Of the other in
spectors cares to do the kline of sleuthing
in which he engages. The Government