New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-06
WORLD IS SEX MAD,'
JUDGE SWAMI SAYS
White Slave Film Producers
Scored When Jury Finds
Them Guilty.
PICTURES REX OF
SEWER, COURTS IDEA
Jury. Out Only IS Minutes. Acts
to Save Boys and Girls
of the State"

The Inside of the White Slave Traffic"
moving picture, was adjudged an H.
legal exhibition Yesterday by a Jury in
Judge SWANS part OF General Sessions
The approval expressed some time ago
by Mrs. ". X. Vanderbilt and Mrs O. H.
p. Belmont had no effect.
After thirty-iive minutes deihcraton
the jury found Samuel n. London, author
of the scenario, and Harry c. Bohn,
manager OF the Park Theatre, where It
was produced guilty Of misdemeanor
The jury recommended clemency. and at
the suggestion OF William Hayward, AS
sstant District Attorney. Judge Swami
paroled the defendants in the custody OF
Samuel s. Koenig. their counsel
You are to be congratulated upon your
verdict" said Judge Swami 10 the Jurors
1T seems to me that the world is sex
mad, and such plays as this result. \
verdict OF not guilty would have been
taken as a certificate Of good character
and the reels would have been exhibited
broadcast.
How anybody can go 10 see show o.
that kind | can't explain. Most people
would walk miles 10 avoid IL. II reeks OF
the sewer"
The trial was unique, not only IN that
the pictures themselves were flashed on
the walls OF the courtroom as evidence,
but also because. by agreement Of AS
sistsnt District Attorney Hayward and
John B. Stanchfeld, OF counsel for the
defendants, Judge Swami was able to put
in practice some OF his ideas regarding
the simpifcation Of court procedure.
Had all the formal proof been intro
duced the trial would probably have
lasted two weeks. As it was, jury was
obtained in three hours. Mr.. Hayward's
outline of the case and the production Of
the pictures took two hours, and the rest
OF the case, including the summing up
ard the Judges charge, took three hours
and half, making a total Of eight hours
and half.
The only witnesses who We're called
were Miss Rose Summerfled, of the Clara
de Hrsch Home for Working Girls, and
Robbins Gilman, OF the University Settle
reputation and said they had seen the
play The testimony OF both did not take
more than ten minutes. In his charge
Judge Swami said:
Mr.. London's character IS not an issue.
II is the character OF the reels and moth
ing else that Is in question; His intent
does not enter into the case. The test OF
criminalitv is whether the exhibition
tends to deprave and corrupt those whose
ind to ;ra
the exhibition is calculated TO have this
effect, the motive OF the exhibitor Is i'm
material. This action is really very much
in the nature OF trial OF the reels
John b. Stanchfeld in summing UP FOR
tho defence said that while the reels
we're undoubtedly gloomy, repellant and
repulsve," they were not salacious. The !
play portrayed the truth, said Mr..
Stanch6eld, and an attempt to suppress
free speech.
THE subject" said Mr stanchheld. 'is
one that is treated nightly on the stage |
in frivolous and fantastic vein without a |
word OF protest"
Summing I'D, Mr.. Hayward said that |
the case should be entitled, not THE I
People Of the State of New York versus !
Samuel n. London and Harry G. Bohn,'
but 1.-THE Boys and Girls Of the State OF
New York versus Samuel II. London and |
Harry G. Bohn." The defendants were on
trial. not as reformers, but as showmen,
Mr.. Hayward declared. He told the
Jurors that they stood in the place Of
every father in the land. and they should
consider we'll the effect such a play might
have upon children.
The assertion that the play is intended |
rs a warning" said Mr.. Hayward, has
neither relevancy nor merit. We may
wish to warn our children against wild
beasts, but we don't have TO turn skunk
loose in the schoolroom TO do il. The pur-
pose, and the sole purpose, OF the objec-
tionable features In this play was to draw
a crowd and All the purses OF the pro-