Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1906-02-07
CRUSADE AGAINST VICE.
The Great Work of Anthony Com
stock has Brought Splendid
Results.

The Great Work of Anthony Com
stock has Brought Splendid
Results.
Few Of those who have read of the
accomplishments Of Anthony Com
stock in his crusades against vice,
which have made his name known III
every section of the United States,
have any idea of the history of the
man whose single-handed exertions
have been largely responsible for the
suppression Of obscene literature and
photographs. He has been painted as a
crank Of the weirdest sort, a notoriety
seeker, CRATER using a cloak OF
morality to enrich himself, and every
thing else wild and dishonest, but he
is none Of these and to-day his posi-
ton is stronger and his influence more
potent than ever before.
His life has been threatened scores
Of times by desperate criminals whom
he has deprived Of their unlawful
gains and sent to the penitentiary.
Many attempts have been made to
stab, shoot and poison him; ground
glass has been scattered in his food;
Internal machines have been sent him
through the mails and by express; he
has been accused of unprintable de-
pravity; his honesty has been sneered
at and his every motive impugned, but
he has gone unscathed amid physical
perils and his reputation has escaped
the cleVerly planned pitfalls designed
to ruin him in the eyes Of the people
and dissipate the enormous power for
good which he has built up by almost
a lifetime Of devotion to high duty.
Guardian Of Youthful Morals.
Mr. Comstock is best known for his
work in the prosecution Of those who
make it a business to sell indecent
books, pamphlets and pictures to the
young, but as a matter of fact he is
equally active in crushing out other
forms Of vice. not only III New York,
but in the country at large. He travels
great deal from city to city and has
been a prominent figure in reform cru
sades in various sections of the cOun-
try, and has frequently produced i'm
Dortant results while others supposed
to be helping him were engaged il
talking it over.
In a recent interview Mr.. COmstOck
tells for the first time the history Of
his life and how he abandoned a prom
Using business career, in which he
might have made a comfortable for
tune, to pursue q vocation which has
never melted him more than a living
and has left him, in declining years,
still with mortgage of $4,000 On his
house at Summit, N. J.
He is siXty-one years Of age and
was born in Connecticut. His brother
Samuel was killed at the battle of
Gettysburg and young Anthony took
his place until the end Of the war.
Returning to his native State he en-
tered a grocery store in New Haven,
but later went to Tennessee, where he
purchased supplies for the Lookout
Mountain Institute His health failed
and he went to New York, landing
there with s3.45 in his pocket. He got
a job at So per week, but resigned
it to take one at SIS because he thought
the new one offered better oppOrtuni-
ties for advancement. While eking out
an existence on this salary he found
that the young men in the store were
readers Of stories of the vilest sort,
and he made his first raid. He learned
that bookseller in shop a few doors
away was selling the books. Young
ComstOck took a policeman to the
place and had the proprietor arrested
and in the case involved resurrected
out
Progressing rapidly in the CONNER
cial world, the young man was soon
s., 500 year commissions as a
alesman, but his adherence of vice
was in nowise abated. He found
man named Simpson trading in OBJ
scene literature and told a policeman
his troubles. Instead Of arresting the
man the policeman warned him to
skip out, and that was the pivot on
which the life Of the young reformer
turned. He had the policeman dis
missed for the bit Of treachery and
The papers began to take notice. They
asked why he did not go into Nassau
street and proceed against the open
violators Of the law there. Mr.. Com
stock answered the question by going.
On all sides illegal publications wera
openly for sale, and on March 2, 1872,
when he was but twenty-eight years
old, he caused the arrest Of seven
men. The fruits Of this were the sup
preston Of 1863 different books, the
raiding Of three publishing houses, the
confscation of $4,000 worth Of plates
and engravings from one man in
Brooklyn, the Selling of $4,000 worth
of plates and books from man in
Manhattan, together with six tons OF
stereotyped plates from his printer,
and the destruction of $4,000 worth Of
bound books belonging to still another
man. All of this was accomplished by
Mr.. Comstock without any assistance
whatever from organization or COM
mittee.
He Found a Good Angel.
He had started to buy a home and
had paid $500 down on it, but giving
a mortgage for the rest, he used all
ne could save from his salary to carry
on his crusade. He was firm believer
in prayer and he believed that 1t was
in answer to his supplications that