The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-10-01
TransIated clean story.


Guy de Maupassant's masterpiece,
"As Strong as Death" and eight other
stories by the famous French author
published in English by a New York
firm have been made the subject
of a suit of extreme interest to pub
fishers and the legal fraternity.
Mrs. Florence Crewe-Jones, of 61A
West 126th street, made the English
translation of LAS Strong as Death,
which is the leader of the collection
published here nearly a year ago and
given wide circulation. She is now
seeking legal redress because she is
credited on the title page as having
also translated from the French the
accompanying stories, eight or more
in number, which stories she charact-
erizes as somewhat saIacious.
The publisher named in the papers
is James Lamont Perkins of 1 8 Cliff
street.
Mrs. Crewe-Jones asks that the
courts give her judgment for $40, 900
for injury to her reputation by having
ton of the stories of which she disap-
proves. She has also served papers in
an injunction suit to prevent the pub
fishers from getting out another edi-
ton of the Maupassant stories in the
same way.
The title-page, to which Mrs. Crewe
Jones takes serious exception, does not
carry the names of the individuals
who translated the alleged objection
able stories; and she declares through
her lawyer, w. B. Hale, of 40 Wall
street, that the Inference is that she
translated them all.
Mrs. Crewe-Jones is prepossessing
and an extremely pretty young Eng
lish woman, who has made her home
in the United States for about five
years. She is highly educated, and is
we'll known among literary folk.
II feel that I have been terribly
misrepresented in this matter" she
said at her home yesterday. And I
never would have appealed to the
courts if Mr.. Perkins had only granted
my repeated request to make such ex-
PLANTATION in connection with the pub
LEGATION as would show that did not
make the translation to which I
have objected.
"I am quite alone here in New York
and am dependent entirely upon my
literary efforts for livelihood. This
sort of advertising will ruin me. Just
the other day I went to a publisher
for work and he indicated that a wo-
man who would permit her name to
be connected with the stories which I
say are vulgar and repulsive was
hardly the one to do what he wanted.
aside from that what do my
friends think of me? The translation
made of AS Strong as Death was
the best thing I ever did, but 1 could
not send it to my friends. One ac-
quaintance who knew how hard I had
worked over De Maupassant's master
piece insisted that I send a copy of
the translation I made. I granted
the request and sent the book, but
not until I had ripped out the other
stories and had it bound
Some days ago I learned that It
was the intention of the publishers
to put out another edition. I went
to them and asked that the necessary
changes be made but got no salts
faction, so there was nothing left for
me to do but appeal to the courts"
James Lamont Perkins declined to
make any statement concerning Mrs
Crewe-Jones' suit last night other
than an admission that the papers had
been served.
From a legal standpoint the suit
is interesting through the fact that it
is without recedent.-New York
American.