Atlanta Georgian., 1913-10-19
WATSON, ON
EVE Of TRIAL.
MAKES PLOT
ACCUSA
Noted Georgia Editor and PoIiti-
clan Declares Catholics Insti-
gated Charge of Sending OBJ
scene Matter Through Mails
Expose Of Alleged Confessional
Questions No Worse Than 9th.
ers Published, Asserts Former
Presidential Candidate.


AUGUSTA. Oct. Is.-rhou,.. p
Watson, editor Of The Jerrer.oniar
publication, former nomine. Of tba
Popuiist party for President Of the
United States. running mate OF VII
liam J. Bryan on the same party
ticket in 1896. lawyer and author. win
be placed on trial hero MondA~
upon Federal indictment charging
him with sending obscene matter
through the mails.
The Governments case WITH BE- ban-
died by United States District Attor-
ney Alexander Alderman, OF Maeon,
assisted by Arthur H. AddinEton NJ
the Federal Department of Ju,tice
Mr.. Watson will be defended by Colo-
mel Guyt McLendon, Of Atlanta. for
mer Railroad Commissioner. candidate
for Governor and lifelong friend oR
the accused. Judge Rufus =. Foster
viii preside, Judge speer being dis
qualified.
Mr.. Watson was indicted by a Fed
eral Grand Jury on November Il. 1912
upon three counts, alleging that in tho
April May and July numbers OF his
Jeffersonian Magazine he caused 10
be circulated through the rails mat
ters coming within the prohibition NJ
the postal regulations relaxing to OBJ
scene publications.
The specific sentences alleged to he
obscene were printed In Latin. bur
this does not. in the eyes Of the Grand
Jury. relieve the author thereof in
the least
Questions Relate to Church.
The sentences objected to by .hs
Government relate to questions sale
to be asked in the confessional hy
Catholic priests OF " omen and girls
coming to confession.
Several weeks before Mr.. Watson
was indicted hc was arrested upon a
Federal warrant charging him with
the same offense, and at the hearing
upon this warrant much OF The Stare's
case was developed.
This hearing, curiously enough, was
held before United States Commits
sioner Walter H. Goodwin, in Ausus-
ia. which is near Mr.. Watson's coun-
try home and Goodwin later commit
ted suicide in Savannah by shooting
himself through the heart.
At the first hearing II was estab-
lished that the matter complained OF
was actHsllv circulated through tho
mails, but the line OF Mr.. watson's
defense was that, while the printed
matter did not come within the pro-
hibitory regulations, It nevertheless
was not matter for which Mr.. Wat
son personally was responsible, IN
that the magazine was published by
the Jeffersonian Publishing Compa-
ny, Of which Mr.. Watson is DresidenL.
The Government held Mr.. Watson
responsible, however, in that he is
the editor-in chief Of the magazine
Claims Prior Publication.
Mr.. Watson further undertook 10
show that the very same matter ssE
up against him was circulated
through the malls. time and again.
in the past, and without protest, by
other publishers. including Professor
Peck, OF the University Of Virginia.
Mr.. Watson claimed at the hearing
that the entire matter then up was
attempted persecution by Catholics
against whom the editor for months
had been leveling his deadliest and
most venomous darts.
Mr.. Watson developed the fact that
the postoflce inspector proceeding
against him was Robert F. Sharp.
and that the specific work objected 10
was in his book, The Roman Cath
Ole Hierarchy. the Deadliest Menace
to Our Liberties and Civilization"
This work is a bitter attack on
Catholicism In general and upon The
priesthood in particular.
Mr. Watson's defense on trial to- 4
morrow win be practically the same
as that advanced originally.
Questions Asked in Latin
On the first trial he said that he
was a historian, who had written q
number OF books now on the market
that he had been a great student and
had studied exhaustively the meth
ods OF the Roman Catholic Church
and had begun several months before
a serial in his monthly magazine on
the Roman Catholic Hierarchy" and
had printed a number OF questions IN
Latin which priests are said 30 ask
women in the confessional He SAID
that he used Latin bee&nss he sDa