Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-11-21
Nationwide Cleaning Up Of Con.
Germs Using the Mails to
Defraud.
CRUSADE LONG PLANNED
Many Of Those in Custody Mem.
bers of Prominent Drug
Houses-Arrests Cause
Sensation.

Washington. Nov. 2o.-A nation wide
raid. involving the arrest practically sim
1ltaneously of l73 persons in the principal
cltits of the country, was made to-day by
postofice inspectors and United States
marshals upon doctors and drug con-
Germs. charged with misuse Of the mails
10 solicit criminal medical prac-
tice. or to dispose Of medicines and in
struments connected with such practice.
The raid-the most extensive and far
reaching ever made by any department
of the government-was under the per-
sonal direction Of Postmaster-Genera
Hitchcock and Chief Inspector Robert s.
sharp of the postofice department So
carefully had its details been guarded
that until the first OF the arrests were
made at Indianapolis early in the day,
practically nothing was known of the
governments contemplated action Work
ing with clock like precision, the in
spection force spread over % States
carried out the prearranSed plans, and,
at an early hour tonight, the postoffice
department had received word that
practically all OF the designated persons
had been arrested.
The results OF the crusade are still
being received tonight by the inspectors
division OF the postoffice department in
the form OF dozens OF kilograms from
various divisional headquarters In iso-
lated Instances it was found. for various
reasons, to be impracticable to effect
the arrests, but the suspected persons
against whom warrants have been is
sued. are under surveillance and proba-
bly, will be unable to escape
Chief Inspector Sharpe and large
part of his force of 800 inspectors had
been engaged for seven months, under
the orders OF the postmaster-general in
working UP the scores OF Individual
cases. in which arrests were made to-
day. Many of those taken into custody
were members of prominent wholesale
and retail drug concerns, or physicians
we'll hnpwn in their own communities.
Tho &overnment will prosecute the
cases vigorously, according to state
Inent by Postmaster General Hitch
cock tonight.
The work OF the postoffice inspec-
tors to-day is the elimination Of the
crusade instituted more than two years
ago against the fraudulent and unlaw-
fu, use of the mails" said Mr. Hitch
cock. 'In that comparatively brief
time we have wiped out of existence
concerns which have mulcted the peo-
pie Of this country out of more than
100000, 900 by frauds perpetrated
through the use of the mails and the
courts have sent many OF the promo
ers of the fraudulent scheTes to the
penitentiary where they now are serv-
ing time, The wide publicity given
to the arrests made to-day will do
more to put an end to this particular
sort Of criminality than any number
of practically unknown prosecutions
Of widely separated cases"
FIVE ARRESTS IN PITTsBURG.
Irttsburg. Pa. Nov. 20-FHve arrests
were made in connection with the ma ation
wide raid ordered by Postmaster-General
Hitchcock. The persons arrested We're
Dr. Anna NJ Hill. Mrs Jane Holdt, Ma
ria Louise Traytle and Or. jim Fuzzy Moy
of Pittsburg. and Robert NJ. Headley.
merchant and postmaster OF Pine Bank,
of 1900 each.
ARREST CAUSES SENSATION.
Heden. Mo. Nov. 2O-The arrest here
to-day Of DIR. Edward Andruss in con-
nectlon with the postal Department.
crusade against alleged Illegal medical
practices caused a sensation.
DR.. Andruss Is elder In the Presby
terian Church, superintendent Of the Sun
day school and a director Of the Com
mercial club.