Court Levies $100 Fine For Lampoon's Parody

Middlesex Country Superior Court yesterday fined the Harvard Lampoon Corporation $100 after the magazine's lawyers pleaded guilty to a charge of "selling and distributing obscene pamphlets." The charge was made in an indictment returned by the Middlesex County Grand Jury Thursday at the request of District Attorney George A. Thompson.

Thompson, however, did not handle the case today; Assistant District Attorney Ephrim Martin appeared to ask for a $200 fine. Judge Thomas Dowd decided on a lighter sentence. He told the prosecution that "something should be done to restrain these impetuous Harvard students," but that he felt the minimum fine would be enough.

Lampoon counsel Joseph E. Deguglielmo '29 pleaded guilty for his clients on the grounds that their action was a "technical violation of the law." He told the court that there was no intent to violate the law, and that the publication had gathered the cartoons in question from other magazines that had gone through the malls without trouble.

"Won't Happen Again"

"It was one mistake," Deguglielmo said, "and it won't happen again." Before the session began, Martin handed a copy of the magazine under discussion, The Harvard Pontoon, to Judge Dowd, who read it through without comment.

The Lampoon first came to police attention when a practical joker called them October 28 to complain about the editors' parody of mid-western humor magazines, The Pontoon. The police immediately had all copies of the publication removed from newsstands.

Thompson told the Grand Jury that he found The Pontoon "quite raw," and thought it should be prosecuted. No individual editor could be charged since the Lampoon is a corporation under a Commonwealth of Massachusetts charter.

Under an option granted by District Court Judge Arthur P. Stone '93 at the first court session a month ago. Thompson could take action or dismiss the case as he pleased.