THE DETROIT FREE PRESS

Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.

15 January 1922

(page 5)

O.T.O. CULT NOW FACES P.O. QUIZ.

Inspector E. E. Fraser Asked

to Help in Federal Investigation.

Frank Murphy, assistant U.S. district attorney, asked E. E. Fraser, postal inspector, Saturday to aid him in the investigation of the report that publishers of the official organ of the O.T.O. violated the U.S. postal laws.

The district attorney’s office now is in possession of a file of letters, the property of the publishers of the mysterious love cult literature, from which it may be established that the postal laws were violated.

May Subpoena Purchasers.

Requesting the postal inspector to investigate the reported violation of the postal laws was the first step of the inquiry Mr. Murphy intends to make into the operations of the love cult before he decides whether a federal grand jury quiz will be started.

The letters were turned over to Mr. Murphy by Grover L. Morden, attorney, following a conference, Friday afternoon. The communications are from various sections of the country, and indicate that many of the purchasers are persons of national reputation.

“If we begin a grand jury investigation, it will be necessary to subpoena many of the purchasers of The Equinox, official publication of the ‘O.T.O. “, Mr. Murphy said.

“Equinox” is Denounced.

The investigation of the “O.T.O.” by federal authorities is the outcome of bankruptcy hearings of the Universal Bookstores, Inc., where The Equinox was on sale since 1919. At practically every hearing of the bankruptcy proceedings the publication has been denounced as a salacious writing.

Mr. Morden, acting as counsel for the stockholders and trustees of the bankrupt concern, is attempting to place the responsibility for publication of the book on A. W. Ryerson [Albert Ryerson], former head of the stores, and to show that the publication was responsible for the financial difficulty in which the concern finds itself.

A federal officer who participated in an investigation of the “O.T.O.” more than a year ago related his experience at that time. He was unable to establish a violation of federal laws, but obtained considerable information, which is interesting, in view of the fact that some persons persistently deny the “O.T.O.” ever was established in Detroit.

“Do What Thou Wilt.”

“We interviewed a woman who was interested in the promotion of the love cult,” said the officer, “and during the course of one of several conversations with her she invited us to attend a sermon of the love cult. She did not go into details about the ‘O.T.O.,’ but mentioned that ‘Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law,’ was the byword of the society. She made several remarks which led us to believe that the organization was a ‘free love’ lodge. When we were unable to find that federal laws were being violated, we dropped the investigation, according to instructions.

This woman, it is believed, is now in Chicago with a national organizer of the “O.T.O.,” where an effort is under way to establish the society, according to reports.

It is highly probable that she may be among those subpoenaed in the event of a grand jury investigation.