The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-03-16
RUSSELL BOOK
SUPPRESSED
IN RICHMOND
AS DISLOyAL
Leader of Sect Here Denies
Book Is Disloyal- Says
There Are Six Colporteurs
+ Here.
VOLUME IS PACIF|ST

DR.. E. r. Churchell, chairman of the
defense council, acting on instructions
from the department of justice has or
dered the book THE Finished Mys-
! terry" confiscated wherever it is found
in Wayne county.
The volume purports to be a post
4 who was founder and leader of the
| Associated Bible Students, and who
n had his headquarters in Brooklyn dur
|. ing his lifetime.
h Sheriff Carr Friday night found sew
7 eral volumes Of the work and confisc-
ated then.
Nationwide Campaign.
Action was taken in Wayne county
as part of national campaign to
suppress the alleged German propag-
anda OF this sect.
Z William c. Buhl, who is employed
at the Dille-McGuire plant and resides
on North Twenty.first street, is head
Of the sect in Richmond. There are
sixteen members here.
He denies that the book is pro-Ger-
man.
There is one section which the gov
eminent took exceptions to but that
has been deleted and the Bible House
in Brooklyn informs me we can go
ahead distributing the book now,' he
said Saturday.
II don't know why it should be sup
pressed unless it is because the clergy
is prosecuting US. | have read it
through three or four times and |
don't find anything disloyal in it
Six Are CoIporteurs.
Bull had no idea how many copies
of the book were in Richmond. but he
doubted if there were very many. OF
the sixteen members of the sect six
are distributors of it's literature,
known as colporteurs. These are the
only means of distribution employed
as the book is not sold by book stores
nor placed in Libraries.
When informed the government had
banned the book he said he supposed
they would have to quit circulating
it, but he doubted the truth of the
statement.
Samuel +. Lehman. formerly of
Richmond but now of Greenfield, was
the chief distributor of the book un-
til he left here several months ago.
FIagrant DisIoyaIty
The book is believed to be the most
tlagrant bit of pro-German propaganda
launched in Indiana since the war
began.
DR.. ChurchelPs order from the De-
partment of Justice reads as follows:
"'Finished Mystery is a violation of
espionage act. Sale and distribution
must stop. Have sheriff seize and
hold any copies offered for sale. Wire
department of justice if there is any
headquarters for sale and distribu-
ton in your city. Hold any books
seized and notify the department here.
Department of Justice"
Canadians Ban Book
Federal officials all over this coun-
try and Canada have been conducting
a drive for the suppression of the book
recently. In many places persons who
aided in its distribution have been
jailed on charges of violating the es-
pionase act. Canadian authorities have
been particularly severe in their deal
ings with the agents. In Omaha, Neb,
yesterday federal operatives raided the
state headquarters OF the association
and seized 1000 copies of the barred
book.
Pages 247 and 255 of The Finished
Mystery" fall under the federal ban in
particular. but the entire book is con-
sidered disloyal and inimical to Ameri-
can interests.
Here are a few excerpts which re- |
fleet the general tone of the publica- |
tion, federal authorities say:
The three fundamental truths OF
tp {N,
and restoration. Stated other Ian !
guages these three truths are: The |
mortal nature of man, the Christ of |
God and His millennial kingdom. !
Standing opposite to these Satan has
placed three great untruth: Human
immortality, the anti-Christ and cer-
tain delusion which is best described
Continued on Page Tenn