Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-10-28
FIRST Maine Trial for Blasphsmy,
A CASE THAT HAS DRAWN ATTENTION
IN OXFORD COUNTY.

For three days last week the Supreme
judicial Court In Oxford County was
occupied with case which has no prece-
Dent In this state, and but few In the
country. For many years there has
been on the statute books of the state Q
section providing penalty for blasphe-
my, but it has never before been In
voked to bring an offender to trial. Az
the statute 10 unfamiliar to most people,
1t may be well to give the section In
full. 1t 10:
"Whoever blssphemes the holy name
OF God by cursing, or contradictory
reproaching God, His creation, govern.
ment, hnal judgment of the world,
Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost or the
Holy Scriptures as contained 10 the
canonical books OF the Old or New fiesta
ment, or by exposing them to contempt
and ridicule, shall be punished BY i'm
prisonment for not more than two years,
or by fine not exceeding two hundred
dollars"
Under this section an indictment was
returned at this term against Michael z.
Moskus Of Chicago, on account of utter
ances made at lectures given by him at
Rumford In the month Of September.
The indictment is long one, contain
ing eight counts, and requiring ten
minutes for the clerk to read, even when
emitting the parts containing the words
alleged to have been uttered in the
Lithuanian language. The utterances
alleged are various in their character,
and some of them verge upon what we
haua nanorollu 70
printable. Some of them relate to the
paternity of Jesus, and the conception
Of the Virgin Mary. 1t is alleged that
the respondent said that all religions are
a deception of the people; that religion,
capitalism and government are "all
damned humbugs, liars and thieves''-
that they are trinity of black army,
deceivipg the people. 1t is alleged that
Moskus referred to the Holy Trinity as
"scarecrows," and to the Bible az "mon-
key business" besides other utterances
Of similar character.
As appeared from the development of
the case, the addresses In which these
utterances were alleged to have been
made were given at st. Rocco's Hall at
Rumford, under the auspices of the
Lithuanian Society of that town, on Sat-
urday evening, Sept. 8, and on Sunday
afternoon, Monday evening and Wednes-
day evening following, and were attended
by large numbers of the Lithuanian peo-
pie, there being about three hundred
present at some of the lectures. The
evening lectures were illustrated with
lantern slides, and it was in connection
with some of these slides, such as those
of the Virgin Mary, the holy Trinity
and Christ on the cross, that some of
the alleged blasphemous remarks were
made.
The case was opened in the court
Wednesday morning, the first jury being
accepted by both parties as it stood.
County Attorney Dyer conducted the
case for the state, and Hon. F. A. Morey
of Lewiston for the defence. Mr.. Morey
was on-erutches on account Of an injury
to his foot when he was struck by an
automobile recently, but did not allow
the infirmity to interfere with his vigor
of action. Mr.. Morey was assisted by
Lieut.. F. j. Bsgocius, LITHUANIAN law
yer from South Boston, and County
Attorney Dyer had at his elbow young
Lithuanian, John B. Mikalauskas of
South Boston, to act as interpreter. A
representative of the United States
Department of Justice was also on hand
watching the case.
As all the witnesses were Lithuanians,
1t was necessary to conduct almost all
the examination through an interpreter,
and Abraham Stern of Rumford acted
as court interpreter throughout the
trial. 1t is unnecessary to say that the
trial dragged its slow length along. In
a case conducted entirely in English, 1t
is frequently difficult to get direct, con-
else and responsive replies from the wit