Vigorous action by local authorities and the Association of Christians and Jews has apparently ended a whispering campaign in Amiens that certain Jewish and non-Jewish shopkeepers were engaged in white slave traffic. The rumors that cropped up in the provincial city about three weeks ago are dying out and life there is steadily returning to normal, it was reported today. The rumor epidemic in Amiens was strikingly similar to one that occurred in Orleans more than a year ago. Unlike the latter it victimized more non-Jewish than Jewish shopkeepers. It came to public attention when a complaint was lodged by a non-Jew, Mrs. Blanche Dupont. As was the case in Orleans, the origin of the rumors was obscure and could not be traced to any group or individual. They held that certain shopkeepers lured women into their premises, drugged them and sold them to brothels abroad. The rumor campaign in Orleans was directed almost exclusively at Jewish tradesmen and caused a severe loss of business. Police there eventually attributed them to a school girl who had read a lurid magazine account of white slavery.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
