The New York herald., 1922-09-29
ANTI-YICE CRUSADER
SUED THRICE IN DAY
Books Sumner Called Naughty
Lead to Litigation for
$65, 900 Damages.
RECENT QUEST SEARCHING
Successor to Comstock Says He
Doesn't Know What It's
All About.
RECENT QUEST SEARCHING

Process servers who logged the foot.
steps of John S. Sumner yesterday and
for days previous finally were able
to thrust at him papers in actions for
damage aggregating $65OOO Mr.. Sum-
ner Is the successor of the late Anthony
n. Comstock, the most celebrated raider
since Mosby. as head of the Society for
the Suppression OF Vice. Recently he
has been active against persons and
business concerns held by him to have
been responsible for circulating naughty
books. and it was this activity that
bounced back on him yesterday.
Boni & Liveright, publishers, who
won decision over Sumner in d mag
istrate's court on Wednesday, when the
cad! decided that the "Satyricon Of
Petronius Arb.ter'' was much too classi-
cal to be put in the category of vol
umes rejected by the professional
purists. placed in the hands of its
counsel demand for $4,000. making
Sumner and the society JOINT defend
ants. The complaint alleges that sum-
ner insinuated about two months ago
IN the columns of well known news
paper that Boni & Liveright bunked
the public their Limited editions not
being nearly as limited as all that
Such talk. Mr.. Liveright said yes
terday, constitutes flagrant attack
against the business integrity of the
firn1. and he purposes to make the pure
at heart pay for it. Sumner said at
his office that he hadn't been served
and didn't know just what it was all
about He declined to criticize the court
decision that broke the back of his
complaint against Boni & Liverisht
IN the "Satyricon" case. but did not
appear to be altogether satisfied with
the magistrates scholarly conclusions.
Another suit, for $4,000, is brought by
a girl who alleges false arrest and
wants cash satisfaction. Mary H.
Mark, an employee of a circulating
library in West Forty-second street,
was arrested by an agent of the society
and arraigned in a magistrates court
charged with having delivered a copy
of "A Young Girls Diary" regarded
by Sumner as hot stuff She was pa
rolled In the custody of her counsel and
later was released on the ground that
no offense has been committed. Sum-
ner lost out all around in the case OF
The Diary of Young Girl" since his
action against the publisher was de-
feated
The third suit was filed in the Su-
preme Court yesterday by Thomas
Seltzer. the publisher. asking $50, 900 dam
ages for false arrest. at the rate of
$4,000 a volume on the three books,
Women in Love-" by d. II. Lawrence;
"Casanova's Homecoming" by Arthur
Schnitzler. the Austrian playwright and
author. and "A Young Girls Diary
by an anonymous Austrian girl who
seemed fond OF. putting her inmost
thoughts into print
Through his attorneys the publisher
asserts that these books are standard
works of recognized merit. have been
sold by leading booksellers in the city
without objection and have been placed
on the shelves of various/ public IL
braries.
The original charge was made on July
Z and after various appearances in
court the charges were dismissed on
September II. The complaint also as
serts that the agents who raided his
publishing house seized 159 copies of "A
Young Girls Diary"