Evening star., 1924-12-14

fully deface, lnJure, mutllate, tear or
destroy any book, pamphlet or manu-
script, or any portion thereof, belong
ing to the Library of Congress or to
any Public Library in the District of
Columbia shall be guilty of a
mfsdemeanor, and, on conviction
thereof, shall, when the offense is not
otherwise punishable by some statute
of the United States. be punished by
fine of not less than $40, nor more
than $1,000, or by Imprisonment for
not less than one month, nor more
than one year, or both, for every such
offenSe."
The main Public Library and it's
several branches in the District cir
culate 1,136,000 books yearly to hold
ers of cards. Investigation reveals
that l in every 10 Of these books
is returned to the library desk de-
faced in lead pencil or ink or both
Most of the comments written on
the pages by borrowers are trivial
or silly, some are intended as criti-
cism or praise of the author or char
acters, a few are anarchistic and oc-
cassfonally obscene words and SEN
tences appear. On many occasions,
suTpected borrowers have been
brought before the librarian and grill
ed. but almost always they have
h,
for the first time, a case of deface-
ment was taken to the District at
torney with the result as stated.
Reader Is Incensed.
The last person to take out the
book "Cytherea" was so incensed
upon encountering 80 or more Of it's
franker pages cluttered up with such
notations as "They can swear like
sailors, can't they, Joe, dearest? Yes,
my darling sugar plum that he
carried the volume to DR.. Bowerman
and made complaint. The librarians
response was promptly to send the
book to the district attorney with
a letter asking his assistance in
breaking up the practice. Maj. Cor
don called for the library cards of
all persons who had taken out the
book within given period, and these
were handed to him. They bear the
signatures of the borrowers. These
gave the basis for comparison with
the two handwritings in the book
Assistant District Attorney Harvey
Given was put in charge of the case.
Himself an authority on handwrit-
ing, he called to his assistance a
handwriting expert in the Treasury
Department. They got to work. BY
elimination, they selected of 10
borrowers as the most probable Of
tenders; but that no ground should
be left uncovered, summonses were
issued for all 10, and of these
were served by deputy United States
marshals. The 10th has not yet been
served.
Suspected Educator Incensed.
These are the persons who an
swered the summonses and were ex-
amined in order by Mr.. Given: A hus-
band and wife, Government clerks:
high school teacher of English, a
woman; married woman; the prin-
cfpal of grade school, a woman; a
Government clerk, a man; the high
school girl who first denied and then
confessed; pupil in Business High
School, a girl who announced her
self "a student of Journalism; a
vivacious. twinkling lady of II, who
lives upon her income. The grade
school principal was the only one
of these who showed resentment at
being summonsed and examined by
the District Attorney. In the midst
of writing on a sheet of PAPER, for
comparison, some of the DETACHMENT
sentences in the book, she threw
down her pencil, threw back her head,
and demanded of Mr.. Given to know
why she should be subjected to this
numillation! Excused a moment
later (for her personality, and hand
writing were miles away in inno-
cence), she swept from the room with
out response to the prosecutors po-
lite Good afternoon"
The merry-eyed lady Of II was
dlrerent. OF course, she would write
the sample sentences, as -,any of
them as desired; why not? How could
the law discover the guilty unless
officials. Investigated? But really
"Cytherea," was rather a horrid book
didn't one think? Hardly one to get
into the hands of the youthful. She
had told the>young lady. at the library
so when she took it back Had her.
self. the borrower, found it, ah. in
teresting? Oh, well, but an old WON
an--ha, ha! -
Misspelt Word as Clue.
As person after person was brought
from the waiting bench in the corri-
DOR. examined and dismissed, Mr..
Given was keenly alert for one who
would mfsspell a certain word in
writing down for him. the DETACHMENT
lines. On page 4S of "cytherea'
Hergesheimer's text reads:
Why in the name of God was he
captivated by Anette.s casual ankles
and Indifferent TO his wife's?" In the
margin alongside this the defacer had
written, in ink:
why the
Duly, one after another, the ''wit-
nesses, {for a. such they had been
Summonedl Erote tha HQx4 oeefe1tl1