The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-09-30
Long and Expensive Litigation Likely to be Terminated
 Soon FRAUD ORDERS" HAVE
 NOW BEEN VACATED Government Did Not Succeed in Sustaining Charges Based on Postal Inspectors
 Reports

Advices received from Washington, both through private sources to The Farmer, as well as directly to Rev. William, H. Lewis. rector of St. John $ Episcopal church, indicate that settle ment is imminent of claims aggregat- ing close to s3,000. 900, which arose out Of fraud ordeTs' issued in 1905 against Edward c. Lewis, Of tn local ec- c1esiastic, and various publications in St. Louis, controlled by him.
 Should the negotiations which are now alleged to be in progress by the federal authorities be consummated. it would result in the winding up of liti- gation which has been not only a, keen source of interest to publishers
 throughout the United States, but has involved hundreds of thousands of dol lars; one suit alone. tried before the Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. costing the people over $10O, 600 and re- Stuting in a disagreement.
 In addition it would entirely vindi- cate Lewis, as head of the Lewis Pub fishing Company. from charges of at tempting fraud for which several counts were found by Grand Jury in Missouri.
 That the government has already realized it's inability to prove such in tention, is believed from the fact that in recent conversation between Post master General Hitchcock, Congress
 
 Committee on Claims, and MT. Lewis, positive assurances were made that no further interference would be offered the publication and mailing of the magazines in question.
 Claims for over $3.000,0O0 dama ges for alleged loss sustained through the fraud orders',' issued during the in cumbency of ex-Postmaster General Cortelyou. are now before the House, and unofficial adyices- indicate negotia- tio7ls have been opened for a. serIIe-
 11eT1f substantial damages in reconsideration of the discontinuance of the case now bending before the Court of Claims. A brief outline of the magnitude of the operations controlled by Lewis and
 the inception of the litigation, may ba gained by a statement published in book form by Edwin c. Madden, for mer Third Assistant Postmaster Gem era1 in 1908: Starting the publishing business near St. Louis in 1899 Lewis with a capital buildings and plant valued in 1905 at $1,500,O00. The venture was designed exclusively for women. including a l number of monthly as well as daily publications and extensive banking g system was later ina.ugurated. Anon g the papers were two known as the Woman's Farm Maga zine and the Wo- mans Farm Journal. The company l at one time claimed to have 1,6O0 GOO circulation. although the publication of these figures was one of the eonten- tions upon which the issuance of fraud orders'' and the denial of mail ing privileges was based.
 Investigation by postal inspectors began in 1905. On July G. the first orders keeping the magazines from the l public were issued. Later the bank ing system, operated by the same cor
 poration, and using the mails. was investigated and indictments followed.
 Two years later, it was agreed by the ! postal authorities that the Woman's Farm Magazine could again be per nnitted to circulate through the post office and in 1908 the Woman's Farm Journal was permitted the same priv ilege- Trial of the indictments fol- | lowed through the circuit courts, the verdicts being favorable to the de-. fendant. The last trial which was bitterly fought at great expense to
 both sides resulted in a disagreement.
 It is not thought that it will be re- vived
 Edward C. Lewis, who is at present in st. Louis, could not be. reached in
 an attempt to verify the inforrna ton received by The Farmer. His friends here have not been definitely inform ed of the terms of settlement pro n0SA3