Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-27
FIGHT FILM CASES
HANDLED. LOCALLY,
c. ". HACER SAYS

! Dempsey championship ring fights
have been transported into and ex-
hibited in Georgia during the pres.
ent national administration, neither
the department of justice at Wash
ington nor Attorney General Harry
! NJ. Daugherty took any hand in the
prosecution of the cases made
against the persons who brought the
films into the state, Clint w. Hager,
United States district attorney for
! the northern district of Georgia,
| stated Monday.
1.-The prosecution was entirely a
! local matter" the district attorney
said, land the department, knew
4 nothing about the films coming into
| Georgia until We reported the prose
cutions in the routine monthly re-
ports
Mr.. Hager's statement was made
| in answer to questions relative to
| the transportation of the Carpenter
! Dempsey fight films into the state,
| Attorney General Daughery having
been charged, according to Wash
ington reports, with having been in
| terested in fight film IDEALS"
Both Pleaded Guilty
In the course of his assertions that
neither the department nor Mr..
| Daugherty had issued any instruc-
tons to him relative to prosecution
| of persons who brought tight films
into the state. the district attorney
noined out that the two men who
have been charged with that offense
| had thrown themselves on the mercy
| 70 eft hn did If
recommend that the court view their
cases with leniency.
In both instances the men PLEADED
guilty and were fined before the
films were exhibited here or else
where in the state, Mr.. Hager SAID
The men walked into his office, eX-
nlained that the films were in the
state and expressed their intention
to plead guilty just as soon as IL
could be arranged, Mr.. Hager stated,
adding that he had accommodated
them within the period of an hour or
two. The men pleaded guilty to GRIM
inal informations, no indictments be-
j ing. necessary as the offense is only
2. misdemeanor and can be prose
cuted nv criminal information, Mr..
Hager explained.
Two Fined Here
Records in Mr.. Hager's office
show that w. II. Rudolph, whose
name has been mentioned in the
WASHINGTON dispatches and Leon
Silverman are the men who pleaded
guilty to violating the statute, Ru-
dolDh was fined $500 by Judge w.
I. Grubb in federal district court
here January IS, 1922; while SILVER,
man pleaded guilty and was llhed
$500 on November 16, 1873, ny
Judge Samuel H. Sibley.
Rudolph brought the Carpenter
Dempsey films into the state, Whlle
Silverman was connected with the
TRANSFORMATION of the Firpo-Demp-
sey films.
Rudolph, according to Mr.. Hager,
not only brought the films INTO
Georgia but into at least one other
state. Alabama. Rudolph, he stated,
walked into the courtroom with hlm
to enter his plea and was appalled,
when he saw Judge Grubb on the
bench, Judge Grub, whose home IS
! in Alabama having been sitting Tor
/ Judge Sibley at the time. Mr.. Hager
said Rudolph expressed the fear
that sJudge Grubb would send him to
iail. explaining that he had already
pleaded guilty before Judge Grubp
/ in Alabama to a similar violation
early in 1922, a man named
| Rudolph, or his attorney, do not
recall which, came to my office and
/ asked me what I would do if any
one brought fight films into my dis
trict," Mr.. Hager said. Il told him
that I would prosecute anyone who
/ violated the law. The man then
asked me did l not think the law
had served it's purpose? Did L not
think that it was intended to stop
! exhibition of the Willard-Johnson
/ fight films? told him that
thought that had been the purpose
of the law, but that it was still on
the statute books, had never been re-
! pealed, and that i, therefore, would
enforce it.
"He then asked me what [ would
say if he should tell me the films
. were already here, to which l re
| pied that I would have him arrested
within two hours time, just as
quickly as I could draw up Grim
! inal information. The man then .eX-
planned that it would be unneces-
sary to arrest him and said he would
be back in two hours to plead guilty.
He returned as stated, pleaded guilty
and was fined"
Mr.. Hager said that the same pro-
cedure was followed in the case of
| Leon SilVerman.
DEMPSEY FIRPO PICTURES
SHOWN OVER COUNTRY
I NEW YORK March 24-MOtiOn