Harris Seeks Book-Burning Order 17 April 1971


Harris Seeks Book-Burning Order
By John Reiner
[April 17, 1971]
Distric Attorney Curtis P. Harris will seek permission next week to build a bonfire out of nearly 7,000 books taken from city stores acused of selling obscene material.
The books and magazines, confiscated by teh city vice squad from three branches of The Way-Out Bookstores, presently are stacked in boxes in the district attorney’s evidence room.
Earlier Friday, Harris revealed that the three stores are out of business since their shelves were cleaned out by the police.
Harris dismissed charges against three young men accused of selling and distributing obscene materials and offered to allow the manager of the stores, Adolph A. “Tex” Talerico, to plead guilty to a lesser offense and pay three $100 fines.
The distric attorney will file his request to destroy the evidence on Monday.
If it is approved, the books and magazines probably will be burned in a gas-fed incinerator in the old portion of the Oklahoma County courthouse.
probably will be burned in a gas-fed incinerator in the old portion of the Oklahoma County courthouse.
The three Way-Out bookstores were located at 821 Classen Blvd, 821 N Walker and 2518 S Walker.
An injunction to prevent the stores from distributing the material was dismissed after the stores attorney, James W. Bill Berry, reported that the stores are out of business.
The three men who were released from charges Friday were Bill Dixon, 21, Oklahoma City, John Meyers, 21, of 208 SE 38, and William L. Bond, 21, of 1842 W. Park Place.
Harris said they worked for the stores for a very short time and he was more interested in nabbing their employers.