Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 140, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 June 1910 — "SHERLOCK HOLMES” BANNED. [ARTICLE]

"SHERLOCK HOLMES” BANNED.

Ourloua Action of Swiu Authorities in Re*ard to Boole. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Is the latest author to come under the ban of the book censors. It Is reported, says the London Standard, that, "owing to a murder committed recently by two Swiss farm hands, who nearly exterminated the whole farm household, it has been decided by the Swiss railway authorities, as a beginning, that no literature of a tragic sort, especially of that kind dealing with detective stories, shall be on public sale. Amon* others, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes’ books are on the Swiss Index, and cannot henceforth be bought at Swiss railway stations.” It appears that the farm lads declared that they were led to commit their crime through having read fascinating stories of how murders were committed. “If Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books are going to Incite the Swiss people to murder, then the Swiss will not be without another ready excuse for their actions, even though they are unable to read ‘Sherlock Holmes.’ ” This was the comment made upon the action of the Swiss railways by Sir Robert Anderson, once head of the criminal investigation department at Scotland Yard, and hlniself author of the book, “Criminals and Crime.” Sir Robert added: “There Is not the slightest doubt that a certain sort of literature has a thoroughly evil effect upon growing lads. We have dealt with this in London In many ways. The books I am speaking of are, of course, those of the ‘penny dreadful’ type. At one time I Issued orders Uat the police should call my attention specially to cases In which literature of this kind was found upon youthful offenders. Our work in this direction was the outcome of our attention being drawn to the subject by certain public bodies and public men, though it is impossible bo estimate the good effects of our efforts toward stopping the clraulattou of the ‘penny dreadful* liters-

turs. But works of the type of Sir Arthur Oonan Doyle’s, which always point out how the cleverest criminals are brought to justice, would, of course, not be Included in the same category.”