Trafficking in obscene books
More than 20,000 kilos of brochures are in the hands of the police

"Money has no smell," said a famous emperor. Taking advantage of this maxim, Messrs. Georges and Robert Briffaut, booksellers, 4, rue de Furstemberg, and in their leisure hours chatelains in the department of Sarthe, had undertaken to make the trade in obscene publications prosper, which brought them a sum of approximately 800,000 francs annually.

In a small apartment, 39, rue Boissy-d'Anglas, the Briffaut brothers, transformed into Roussillon brothers for the needs of the cause, had therefore stored thousands of pornographic books, thousands of filthy engravings. These publications left from there for the provinces and abroad. Histories of religions. Treatise on psychology, one could read on the covers of this sad literature, How could one have discovered their traffic, especially since the booksellers were honorably known. Didn't they publish Pierre Louys, Lucie-Paul Margueritte, La Fourchardière. Carco, Paul Fort and several other writers of our time?

Two years ago, they had been awarded medals at the Amsterdam exhibition. They believed themselves unassailable. But the press campaigns multiplied. We do not need to recall the articles published in this newspaper and in which Gabriel Boissy violently rose up against all this unhealthy production, these filthy writings, these insanities which stupefy intelligences, ruin the spirit, make doubt the superiority of man over the beast.

Then a convention was signed in Geneva in 1923 by about fifty nations to put an end to this debauchery of licentious products. Only the police seemed to be dozing. But they were acting; given the quality of the culprits, they could only operate with caution. It took a year for Mr. Faralicq, commissioner of the research department, and Brigadier Clément, of the special brigade, to convict the Briffaut brothers.

Both on rue Boissy-d'Anglas and rue Milton, at the home of Mr. James Joffe, bookbinder, 54, rue Saint-Martin, and 299, rue Lecourbe, more than 20,000 kilos of obscene books and photographs were seized. More than 4,000 photographs and 10,000 pornographic prints were found at the home of Mr. Langlois, photographer, in Butry (Oise).
Charged with outrages against public morals by Mr. Warrain, investigating judge, Messrs. Georges and Robert Briffaut have chosen as their lawyer Me Charles Briand.

Let us hope that the discovery of the main purveyors of obscenity will stem this bad flow forever...

Pierre HEUZE.