Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-11-23
DRUG CONCERNS
ROUNDED Up FOR
ABUSE OF MAILS
Federal Authorities Arrest 173
Practitioners In ~ Cities.
OFFERED DEVICES
FOR ILLEGAL USE

Many Of Those Caught In Raids Are
Prominent Financially and Socially
--oraenct Extended Clear Across
country-Two Cumberland Men
Are Among Victims.
WASHINGTON. Nov 21.-Acting
under direction OF Postmaster Gen
eral Hitchcock postotiice inspectors
and United States marshals in 70
leading cities OF the country began
yesterday practically Simultaneous
raids for the arrest OF 173 persons
charged with using the mails to pro-
mote criminal practices or the sale Of
drugs and instruments used for IL
legal purposes.
The postofIice department officials
expressed belief today that the ma
tioniwde raid against the 'quacH
medical concerns, charged with the
misuse of the mails, win shatter the
criminal practices. During the past
two years the department has been
at work, and has made over 1880 ar
rests and secured 500 convictions
The prosecutions We're handled dir
ectly by the United States District
attorneys at each place where the ar
rests were made and the trials We're
held by the federal courts in their
respective districts. One hundred
and forty.fou rarrests we're returned
from yesterdays raids.
The arrests are made for misuse
of the mails. each case being based
on the use of the mails to solicit bust
ness or dispose of wares.
This concerted official action COW
cred the United States from the At
lantie to the Pacific and from the
Lakes to the Gulf Many of the per-
sons to be arrested are prominent,
commercially and socially, in their
communities. Some are leading ply
sicians; others are rich and influen-
tial business men; yet others are men
who live by their wits and are com
own small coterie of associates; and
ore Il Chinaman, who is alleged to
have practiced his calling upon wo-
men OF his own race and upon those
OF the lower strata of society.
All OF The arrests are to be made
for alleged violation of Section 211
Of the penal code Of the United States,
which bars from the mails any vile
or obscene matter, whether sealed or
unseaied any advertisement, letter
or circular proposing or suggesting
criminal pract ces; or any packet
containing any substance. drug or
thing intended to be used for immor-
al or unlawful purposes.
Chief Inspector Robert S. Sharp of
the Postohice Department and many
Of his force of 800 inspectors have
been working upon the cases for many
months. The development of the plans
which eliminated yesterday, is the
most extensive raid in the history ol
any department of the Government
approximately 80 of the persons
by United States grand juries in va
rious parts of the country; and the
cases OF the others viii be presented
TO grand juries now sitting as rapid
lily as may be feasible
Strict enforcement of the laws in
the East is said to account for the
comparatively few arrests in the large
cities in that part OF the country. 1t
is said by the inspectors that a hot
bed of this sort OF criminality is in
the Pacific Coast States. In San Fran
cisco it is claimed a fictitious name
was used by several wellknown ply.
sicians who employed a woman to do
the necessary work.
approximately 20 per cent of those
arrested are so-called pill doctors
men who advertise their practice
and send to their patients various
compounds is said TO have disclosed
that some of them are wholly inoeu-
Gus, while others are dangerous pois-
ons
One of the men accused is said to
have been the secretary of the Board
of health in his city.
1t is the expressed determination
Of the postal authorities to put an end
to the promotion By mail Of criminal
practices.