In 1886, if you used colorful language in a letter, you could find yourself in legal hot water. J. M. Stanley, a Ridgeway merchant, consigned a shipment of game and another shipment of hazel nuts to Wheeler & Doniphan, merchants in St. Joseph. There were some disagreement about the amount due for these shipments and Mr. Stanley “took occasion to ventilate his sentiments in a letter to the commission men in language less elegant than forcible and less grammatical than expressive.” The men at Wheeler & Doniphan took offense at this and “swore out a warrant” before a United States commissioner named Stewart to charge J. M. Stanley with sending “obscene” matter through the mails.
Deputy Marshall James Swallow then travelled to Ridgeway to arrest Mr. Stanley and bring him back to be arraigned. Dr. Charles W. Robertson, also from Ridgeway, provided the bond of $500 (According to the inflation calculator at officialdata.org, this would be $16,787.50 today.) (St. Joseph Gazette, 1/14/1886)
Funny note The first article that I found for this news referred to the charge as being for “passing obscure literature through the mail”. I was puzzled about what could have been said that was so mysterious as to be illegal. “The affair has cause no little excitement and comment among the citizens of Ridgeway where Stanley resides.” (St. Joseph News Press, 1/13/1886)
Mr. Stanley travelled to Kansas City in April 1886 with Dr. Robertson where he pled guilty to the charge. He paid a fine of $100 and was released. (Kansas City Times, 5/23/1886). Sadly, Mr. Stanley took his own life in 1892. (Ridgeway Journal, 12/29/1892.)
