HIE DISSEMINATION OF INDECENT LITER A TURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9184, 13 October 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

HIE DISSEMINATION OF INDECENT LITER A TURE.

AN INFAMOUS GANG BROKEN UP. At tho Liverpool assizes on August 10 —beforo Mr. Justico Stephen — three brothers named Robert, John, and George Murray, all young men, tho two firstnamed living in Liverpool, and George Murray at Glasgow, were indicted for obtaining and selling a large number of obscene prints and photographs, and a quantity of indecent literature. They were also charged with conspiracy to disseminate the same. Tho prisoners, it appeared, had advertised in the Sporting Times and the Bird of Freedom foreign photographs for sale. They gave the address of C. Dupcmt, 19 Faulkner-street, Liverpool, and here they received an immense number of orders from all parts of the kingdom. The letters were taken to a house in Shall cross - street, whence the photographs were sent out all over the country. The observations were carried on with such care and secrecy that for some time the police were baffled, but ultimately they were enabled to arrest the prisoners, and in the house in Shallcross-street a large number of lilthy prints were found, together with price lists from houses in Paris i who had supplied them. The prisoner ! tjoorge Murray was employed to colour! some of the photographs, and when finished . he forwarded them to Liverpool for sale. ! His lordship expressed the hope that the '•■ attention of the Paris police would be (.ailed to the matter with the view of putting u stop to the infamous trade. John ! Murray pleaded guilty, and the defence on i behalf of the other two was that they knew ' nothing whatever of their brother's business, and had seen nothing of any of tho prints or photos. They were both found guilty, and his lordship, in passing sentence on all three, said they had been convicted of one of the foulest offences it was possible for a human being to commit, and it was awful' to think of the amount of injury they must havo done to their wretched customers. He would sentence each of them to two years' imprisonment, or pay a fine of £100 each, and ordered that each should give his own recognisance in £200, and two sureties of £100 each, to be of good behaviour for seven years after tho termination of the two years' imprisonment, and that they be kept in prison until their fines were paid, and the recognisances ..riven.