The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1922-07-03
BY CLARENCE DUBOSE,
Press staff Correspondent.

TOXIC. July 3.-The film pirates
OF the Far East are filled with fear.
The biggest market in the world
for stolen motion pictures-Japan
China, the Straits Settlements n
the tringes Of India-is being put out
OF business.
The keenest band Of super-crooks
on earth-who have had headquarters
in Japan, agents in every land, and
who have made millions by flooding
the Orient with stolen movie master
pieces from A~merica-are getting
ready to quit the game.
First. it has been made too hot for
them, and, second, they've made
more money than they can spend,
anyhow.
The movie thieves Of the Orient
have been operating on a scale actual
ly surprising in personnel employed,
area Of agencies and system OF or
Iganization, many of the largest legiti-
mate film industries Of the States
from whom they fitch.
The master mind Of the Far East
film thieves was chief of an outfit
which was as large, as efficient. as
car indexed and accurate and syste.
in the United States.
Master Mind Runs
He's on the run now. His identity
is suspected but officially unknown.
At any event he's through. 1t was
a great game for him while it lasted.
So the master mind-supposed TO be a
Eurasian, part Irish and part Chinese.
who once was a London music hall
star and who has a valorous record in
the French Foreign Legion in the
early period OF the World War-has
beat it to Europe, with enough real
coin to rent a palace and take things
easy the rest Of his life.
George Mooser came out from the
States not long ago with an assign
ment from David Griffith. Mary Pick.
ford, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas
Fairbanks. Technically he represented
what is known as the United Artists
Corporation. But his job was to put
a crimp in the pirating Of the pro-
auctions of these stars in the Far
East. Mooser made good
A "duped" (duplicated copy of Grit
hth's Way Down East" was running
in Toxic when Mooser landed. II
had been stolen by an agent of the
film thieves trust in New York. The
stolen print had been carried by cour
Ter to Hong Kong. For the last three
years couriers of the crock trust have
sped over the Seven Seas. carrying in
their grips stolen films. to be "duped"
at the various divisional headquarters.
Hong Kong was the producing or
duplication point for the Far East.
Passed as Tourist
A film stolen in Los Angeles. Sar
Francisco, New York or elsewhere
would be shot to Hong Kong by an in.
nocent looking chap, whose passport
proclaimed him a tourist or salesman
At The Hong Kong plant. experts die
the rest. Withint wo weeks all the
China coast. Japan, sometimes Manila
and usually the Malay States would be
seeing the show that was running
concurrently on Broadway-an6
weeks, maybe months later, when the
genuine, copyright film arrived. il
would be old stuff unmarketable.
Go stop thati' said the United Ar
fists Corporation-Griff. tn. Chaplin,
Pickford and Fairbanks-to George
Mooser.
Mooser started. And when he hit
Toxic a stolen, pirated. "duped' films
Of n Of his agents-GrIfith-wac
playing to s. r. o.
Found Eleven Films
Mooser sued for an injunction. Skip.
ping the legal details, the court final
Il oISsred the seizure OF the stolen