Hi,
***jvchap.29pp.653-654"ObjectsofHatredbyAlltheNations"*** The decision was immediately appealed to the U.S. circuit court of appeals. But bail pending the hearing of that appeal was arbitrarily refused by Judge Howe, and on July 4, before a third and final appeal for bail could be heard, the first seven brothers were hastily moved to the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia. Thereafter, it was demonstrated that there were 130 procedural errors in that highly prejudiced trial. Months of work went into the preparation of required papers for an appeal hearing. Meanwhile, the war ended. On February 19, 1919, the eight brothers in prison sent an appeal for executive clemency to Woodrow Wilson, the president of the United States. Other letters urging the release of the brothers were sent by numerous citizens to the newly appointed attorney general. Then, on March 1, 1919, in reply to an inquiry from the attorney general, Judge Howe recommended "immediate commutation" of the sentences. While this would have reduced the sentences, it would also have had the effect of affirming the guilt of the defendants. Before this could be done, the attorneys for the brothers had a court order served on the U.S. attorney that brought the case before the appeals court.
Nine months after Rutherford and his associates were sentenced—and with the war past—on March 21, 1919, the appeals court ordered bail for all eight defendants, and on March 26, they were released in Brooklyn on bail of $10,000 each. On May 14, 1919, the U.S. circuit court of appeals in New York ruled: "The defendants in this case did not have the temperate and impartial trial to which they were entitled, and for that reason the judgment is reversed." The case was remanded for a new trial. However, on May 5, 1920, after the defendants had appeared in court, on call, fivetimes, the government’s attorney, in open court in Brooklyn, announced withdrawal of the prosecution. Why? As revealed in correspondence preserved in the U.S. National Archives, the Department of Justice feared that if the issues were presented to an unbiased jury, with the war hysteria gone, the case would be lost. U.S. attorney L. W. Ross stated in a letter to the attorney general: "It would be better, I think, for our relations with the public, if we should on our own initiative" state that the case would be pressed no further.
On the same day, May 5, 1920, the alternate indictment that had been filed in May 1918 against J. F. Rutherford and four of his associates was also dismissed.
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w875/1pp.26-27LookingBackOver93YearsofLiving*** "TheFinishedMystery"On Tuesday, October 31, 1916, Charles Taze Russell died, without having produced the seventh volume to his series of StudiesintheScriptures. When on his deathbed, aboard a train returning from California, he was asked by his secretary about the seventh volume, he replied: "Someone else will have to write that."
In the following year, 1917, the seventh volume did appear as a commentary on the prophetic books of Ezekiel and Revelation, together with a lovely explanation of the Bible book The Song of Solomon. The Society planned a tremendous circulation of the new book. Accordingly, they sent cartons of this seventh volume to certain ones in the congregations throughout the United States. Many cartons were sent to my home at 1810 Baymiller Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, and stored while we awaited further instructions as to how the contents were to be distributed.
There were eight pages of TheFinishedMystery that contained quotations of what prominent figures had adversely declared regarding warfare. Under incitement by the religious organizations of Christendom, Catholic and Protestant, the United States government raised objections, so pages 247-54 were cut out. Thereafter, when TheFinishedMystery was offered to the people, an explanation was made to them as to why these pages were missing. The United States government did not remain satisfied with this move, and under further incitement by the religious organizations of the land, it banned the entire seventh volume of StudiesintheScriptures.
I recall that on one Sunday morning I was working at the rear door of our house. Men came walking down the walkway alongside the house, and the leader pulled back his coat lapel, showed me his metallic badge and demanded entrance into the house. So I was obliged to take them inside and show them the cartons containing copies of TheFinishedMystery. After a few days, they sent a truck and took them all away.
Later we learned that Joseph F. Rutherford, the Watch Tower Society’s second president, and six of his associates serving at the Brooklyn headquarters were erroneously convicted of interfering with the war effort of the United States. They were sentenced to serve 20 years at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary on each of four counts, the sentences, however, to run concurrently. The war ended on November 11, 1918, and then on March 25, 1919, Brother Rutherford and his associates were released on bail. They were later completely exonerated. The book TheFinishedMystery was also removed from under ban and authorized to be circulated freely once again.
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yb75p.119Part2—UnitedStatesofAmerica*** After their trialsome period of 1917-1919, Jehovah’s people subjected themselves to scrutiny. Realizing that they had acted in ways that did not meet with God’s approval, they sought forgiveness in prayer repenting of their former course. This led to Jehovah’s forgiveness and blessing.—Prov. 28:13.
One compromise had been the cutting of pages from TheFinishedMystery, this to please those who had assumed the position of censor.
These are all Watch tower quotes (Watchtower Library 2007). Is this the right point of view ? The underline text has my special attention.
