Norwich bulletin., 1912-11-21

Washington, Nov. 2e.-A nation wide raid involving the arrest practically simultaneously of 173 persons in the principal cities of the country was m&da today by postoffice inspectors and United States marshals upon doc tors and drug concerns. charged with misuSe of the mails to solicit crim- inal medical practice, or to Dispose of medicines and instruments connected with such practice.
 Roundup a Complete Saccess.
 The raid, the most extensive and far reashins ever made by any depart nent of the government, was under the personal direction of Postmaster General Hitchcock and Chief Inspec- tor Robert s. Sharp of the postof1ce department. So carefully had it's de- tails been guarded that until the first of the arrests were made at Indian Euolia early in the day practically nothing was known of the govern n@nt's contemplated action. Working with cIock-Hke precision the inspec- ton force, spread over 22 states. car risd out the re-arranged plans. and. at an early hour tonight, the postomke department has received word that practically all the designated persons had been arrested.
 Some Arrests Deferred.
 Tke results of the crusade are still belhg received tonight by the inspec- tors, division of the postoffice depart ment in the form of dozens of tele- grams from various divisional head quarters. In isolated instances it was found for various reasons to be im- practicable to effect the arrests, but that suspected persons against whom warrants have been issued are under surveillance and probably will be un- able to escape.
 Worked Up for Seven Months.
 Chief Inspector Sharpe and a large part of his force of 390 inspectors had been engaged for seven months, un- der the orders of the postmaster gen. eFal, in working up the scores of in divfduaI cases, in which arrests were made today. Many of those taken in to custody were members of promi- nerit wholesale and retail drug con- cerYis, or physicians we'll known in their own communities.
 The government will prosecute the ca&es vigorously, according to a state nent by Postmaster General Hitchcock tonight
 C4sirination ee Two Years' Crusade.
 '-The work of the postoff1ce inspec- tors today Is the continuation of the crusade instituted more than two years ago against the fraudulent and unlawful use of the mails,'' said MT. Hitchcock. Tn that comparatively brief time we have wiped out of ex- fstence concerns which have micted the people of this country out of more than $1o0, ,000, 900 by frauds perpetrat- cd through the use Of the mails, and the courts have sent many of the pro- IisotsrS of the fraudulent schemes to the penatentiary, where they are now serving time The wide publicity giv- on to the arrests made today will do more to put an end to this particular sort of crin7inality than any number of practically unknown prosecutions of widely separated cases"
 Violation sf Section 2f1.!
 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 un- sealed; and advertisements, letters or circular proposing or suggesting crim- inaI practices: or any packet contain ing any substance, drug or thing in- tended to be used for immoral or unlawful purposes.
 Mary Are 'fpiII Doctors"
 Approximately 20 per cent. of those arrested today are so-ca1ied pill doc- toras--fnsn who advertise their prec-