Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 162, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 July 1917 — Page 2

AMAZING STORY OF HOW PROVIDENCE JOURNAL UNCOVERED GERMAN PLOTS

Met Guile With Guile and Spy With Spy, and for Almost Three Years Kept the Government Informed of Teutonic Intrigue and Treachery in This Country—Editor Tells How It Was Done. \ ■ . 1 .. , «- r- ■■ ~■■ ■'V '

New York.—How the Providence Journal met guile with guile, and spy with spy, how It had Its man in Bernstorff’s own household and its two wireless stations ’‘listening in” on the German Sayville “line” to Berlin—how, in fact, this one New England newspaper for almost three years kept the United States government informed of the GennanAustrian plots in America —has at last been revealed. John R. Rathorn, in a speech made at the convention of the Canadian Press association in Toronto, and reported in the Editor, and Publisher from the Toronto Star, weaves a story of plot and counter-plot as remarkable as any that have come from the pen of E. Phillips Oppenhelin. And Mr. Rathom says that he has a safe full of documents yet unused which he will pull out if the situation ever again requires It. k The story bristles with dramatic little scenes almost unbelievable in humdrum America. There is Bernstorff’s confidential secretary at the last moment at Halifax revealing himself as an American. There is the pretty stenographer who sat on the packing box with Captain von Papen and made him write' the evidence of his own guilt. And through it all runs the trail of the “green blubber,” which is Mr. Rathom’s word for the strange “air holes” in German brains which make them overlook the most obvious things. We see t%e “green blubber” when Van Horne, the spy, dressed up like a workman and then rode in a Pullman. Follows, too, the Incident of the foolish little street car fight that cost Doctor Albert his famous portfolio of treacherous secrets. It's a Great Story. It’s a great story, and greater still In its hints of what it might be. Here it ilt “The Providence Journal,” begins the Editor and Publisher, “happened upon its course of exposure through having had for ten years before the war what other papers described as a •bug’ on wireless telegraphy. The paper had maintained two powerful wifeless plants at Point Judith and at Block Island. When war broke out they had decided to ‘listen in’ on the messages crossing the Atlantic. For five months they kept record of these messages, and then they set outrto find the codes and make revelations. Of the material they secured they used only a fractional part. “One of the newspaper’s stenographers was sent and secured an appointment in the Austrian consulate In New York. Other of its workers were constantly engaged in shadowing Captain Boy-Ed, Captain von Papen, former Austrian Ambassador Dumha, the German Ambassador Bernstorff and other German and Austrian officials. The two wireless plants unceasingly listened in, two shifts of operators at work day and night, on Sayville and Nantucket, the two wireless stations which were being used mostly by the Germans to keep in touch with Berlin, from where they received instructions for every detail of their plotting policy. “For the United States government the Brooklyn navy yard had had instructions to keep a close watch on the Sayville and Nantucket stations, but nothing suspicious was ever reported until Mr. Rathom took some of the messages which he had received from his operators to the state department. It was then learned that the navy yard operators had been in the pay of German agents in America, and had been told not to hear too much. Ingenious Codes Used. . . “The codes used by the Germans -were of the most ingenious nature. Many of them pretended to be stock quotations, and some were even done up as funeral directions. In some cases, however, the codes showed evidence of the “green blubber,” referred to by the speaker, as on one occasion when Mr. Rathom was able to go to President Wilson and show him cojffts of eight separate messages sent by the wireless plant within nine days, all relating that “little Emily” had died #f such and such an illness, in a certain part of a room, hack been buried in a rertaln cemetery beside such and such K previously deceased relative. In every one of these messages the illness, the part of the room, the name of the relative, the cemetery, and .so on, varied, and a clear code was detected in each of the messages. Green Blubber in Brain. “The first revelation which Mr. Rathom told Illustrated the German capacity for blundering. It was the «tory*nf Werner .Horne —the man who 'was responsible for the attempt to blow up the Vanceboro bridge. Horne had been detected as a German spy by one of the Journal reporters in New York. In an effort to disguiie himself Home allowed his beard to grow for three days, put on an old suit which he purchased for three dollars (even this detail was reported) and packed his personal effects in an old carpet bag. Having carried out these elaborate precautions he took passage for the point where the “job" was to be done, on one of the finest and most luxurious trains in the United States. As is well known bow, he was caught. When asked later • ,

by Mr. Rathom why he had been foolish enough to travel first-class in such shabby dress, Horne replied that he was a German officer and a gentleman and always traveled in the best style. Passport Fraud Outlined. “Another German scheme in which the Journal reporters outwitted the Teutons occurred soon after in New York also. A fraudulent passport bureau, operated by German officials, was discovered doing a land-office business in an office building oil Broadway. The Journal —faking as a public accountant on the one side and a manufacturers’ agent on the other —sandwiched the passport forgers between them. Every word that passed in this office was recorded by means of the instruments used for that purpose, and reported to the Providence Journal. When sufficient evidence was gathered the United States secret service was notified and the three forgers were taken away. As soon as they had been removed three of the Journal’s employees were allowed to take charge of the office to receive the patrons. It was not long after that Von Papen and the German military attache at Tokyo came in with a list of names of men for whom they desired passports. The name at the top of the list was that of Werner Horne. Journal Man Bernstorff’s Secretary. “ ‘A friend of mine,’ said Mr. Rathom, ‘thinking himself very friendly, but in a thing which I objected to, went to Paris and while there bought a lot of war relics. Among them was. one of the first Iron crosses that had Been given by the German emperor to a major of a German regiment, who died on the field and whose cross had been taken from him and taken to Paris. It was sold to my friend, with statements as to whom it had belonged, and my friend sent it to me. I sent it to Bernstorff with a letter, saying that that mark of honorable distinction of a man who had done his duty for his country belongs to his family. I gave the name of the man and the name of the family, and begged him to take care of the cross so that it could be sent bqck after the war or at some time to the man’s people. Tears Note to Pieces. “ ‘TJj*-,ambassador tore the note to pieces, threw the note in the face of the man I sent, and threw the cross on the floor, saying that, after having been defiled by the hands of American dogs, that cross was of no use to anybody in Germany. I knew my man was telling the truth, because the man I had in there reported the incident to me exactly the way he did. Incidentally I might say that the individual to whom I refer was in the German embassy 17 months as one of the ambassador’s secretaries, and the ambassador had n<- knowledge that he was not what he pretended to be until the Frederik VHI left New York for Halifax. He said to my man, “You had better get aboard of you will lose your boat,” and he replied: “I am safer on this side.” Mr. Bernstorff had no idea of that man’s® identity or whom he was serving until he left New' York. And he wrote a letter from Halifax to a friend in New York, which he attempted to get sent back, but which was intercepted, telling some of his friends what he thought of this individual. When Huerta Met Boy-Ed. “ ‘The famous Huerta case, the attempt of the German government to embroil us with Mexico, an attempt that the recent Zimmermann letter proved beyond any doubt to be true, was already proved by u.s a long time before. Early in the war my man in the embassy—l say my man; you must pardon me for that; I mean our man, because I am not the Providence Journal —was ordered by Captain Boy-Ed to go to New York and get a suite of six quiet robins in a hotel where BoyEd and his people could meet Huerta. Naturally enough, my man, being loyal, could do nothing else than select the rooms we selected for him, so lie went to the Manhattan hotel and got a suite of rooms which he rigged up with the apparatus I spoke of ;-and, to make assurance doubly sure, I got another man to act as chauffeur on the auto that brought Huerta, " '• .*•: “ ’They had their conference, and at the conclusion of that conference every w-ord that was uttered —uttered through an interpreter, because Boy-Ed did not speak Spanish —was sent down to the department of state the next morning. They had the entire facts before them and knew everything, and for several months later, when Boy-Ed and Bernstorff were frothing at the mouth and uttering denials, the state department had the very words that were uttered. Romance Among Spies. ‘“Another incident,’ he continued, ‘that is 6f great interest came when one of our valued and keenest stenographers in our own office, a girl that came to us seven years ago from about twenty miles optside of Providence, was given a position in the office of the Austrian Consul general in Ne>v York city. She had never been in New York before, bat she was ahead of a number of people; in competition, and the man choosing the stenographer they wanted (a capable girl able to do his work’ and* to keep her mouth shot) had been informed that she was A ...

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, INP.

the party to choose —by other friends of ours. One day about five or six weeks after she got there she informed us that a great packing case was being filled up with propaganda documents and'with bills of expense in connection with explosions In mbnitlon plants and other vital and valuable things, and was to be shipped off the following week right straight to England on a Swedish ship and from there to Germany. ... Von Papen Flirts. “The only thing we could possibly do was to identify the package. One day when they were about to close the package up this girl, under Instructions—and I may say incidentally she Is now back at work getting her sl6 a week —sat on this box eating her lunch. Nearly everybody else had gone, but Von Papen, rather debonair and fond of ladles, wandered in and sat on the packing box and asked if he could share her lunch with her. She said certainly, and while they were sharing the sandwiches he made some sentimental advances and she in rather a dreamy way took out a large red pencil and drew two big red hearts on this packing case. It was Captain Von Papen himself who put an arrow through them. And, ladies and gentlemen, when the ship Austrlas II reached Falmouth they picked that package otlt of the hold from about a hundred and fifty others and identified it by the two big red hearts. And yet they say there are no brilliant buL the Germans.’ Sep “Another incident, the loss of a portfolio belonging to Dr. Heinrich Albert, an Austrian official, which contained papers relating to Ambassador Dumba’s efforts to incite labor troubles in the United States, created quite a stir among the diplomats. Mr. Rathom told of how a Journal reporter got the papers as the result of which Dumba w’as sent back to Austria by the president ‘“One of the Journal reporters had been shadowing Doctor Albert in New York, but for months nothing seemed wrong. One day he went into a leather goods store, where he ordered a portfolio and gave the salesman instructions to put his initials on it. The reporter, as soon as Albert had gone out, walked up to the salesman and ordered another portfolio of the same kind, but With no" initials, saying he would Yather first see how the other gentleman’s initials looked. When he came back and saw the initials he said he didn’t like them ami departed to go to another shop and have the same initials put on his portfolio. His work was becoming less tiresome and less fruitless than it had been.

“ ‘A day or two later Albert, carrying the new portfolio, was followed from-the front of his apartments by the Journal man. Albert boarded an elevated train. He placed his bag containing papers on the seat beside him. Suddenly he was stirred by a fight in, the front of the car. As he stood up to see what the trouble was, as did nearly everybody else in the car, the portfolios were changed. This happened on a Saturday morning. Albert, in a statement later, said that he discovered the trick the same day, but we know for a fact that he did not discover the difference until Monday morning. Needless to say, the men who were fighting on the street car were also in the employ of the Journal. “It was through the Journal, Mr. Rathom said, that a great quantity of important papers were secured from Wolf von Igel. These papers revealed the Casement plot for the Irish uprising. When the papers were taken, Mr. Rathom said, in illustrating his point that there Is a certain amount of stupidity in all German diplomatists, Von Bernstorff made application to the state department to have them returned. He was told that any paper he could identify would be returned to him, and then realized how he had cohimitted himself In asking that the papers be returned. Asked Journal Suppression. “Three days before Bernstorff was ordered to return to Germany, Mr. Rathom declared, he demanded that the American government suppress the Providence Journal. “ ‘Every statement that we have made in regard to Germun plots in the United States has been proven to be positively true.’ declared Mr. Rathom. ‘For the first nine or ten months no one believed what we were saying. We were shouting against the wind. The dismissal of Doctor Dumba was the first result of our months of effort. “ ‘We have not printed one-fiftieth of what we secured, hut we were verjt glad, when events turned, to turn the key on the safe in which It is deposited and forget the balance, because the work we tried to do has been accom« pushed.’ ”

CHARGES HE ROLLED UP UNCLE SAM’S SLEEVES

Chicago. —Because Frederick W. Eichorn has been selling statues of Uncle Sam with his sleeves rolled up, Henry Borzone has sued hipi for $50,000., Borzone claims that he designed , a statue of Uncle Sara showing him peacefully carrying a flag, and that Eichorn copied it, rolling up Uncle Sam’s sleeves as the qnly change.

Waste Worth $10,000.

Bloomsburg* Pa.—For years a pile of waste from lrridium, a material used in making diamond pointed- fountain pens,, was thought worthless by manufacturers here. Recently aj stronger dropped iq and offered $75 aj .pound, or more thaA SIO,OOO for it. ft is used In the munitions Industry.

RED SOX UP AGAINST PITCHING PROBLEM

PITCHERS MANAGER BARRY MUST DEPEND UPON.

Babe Ruth and Dutch Leonard must shoulder the heavy end of the box work if the Red Sox are to win the American league pennant this year. During the first seven weeks of the race Manager Barry depended almost entirely on these two pitchers to keep his club in the-rutmtog; —and- they came through nobly. Ernie Shore and Carl Mays, although both are good pitchers, cannot be classed with the first two mentioned, and the fact that Barry has not used them In a greater number of games indicates that he is not confident of their ability to “come through.” Bader, the new member of the Red Sox regular staff, is an experiment. Although he pitched several good games for the Sox, he

PITCHER “BULLET JOE” BUSH

One of the Outstanding Figures in Baseball Because of His Loyalty to Connie Mack. When Connie Mack promised the fans that he would get into the American league pennant race this year, he based his statement on the belief that some of his new pitchers would come through. Myers, Nabors and others gave signs of this last season, but their failure has been absolute. The result was that Mack was left with only Joe

Joe Bush.

Bush to fall back on. “Bullet” Joe worked hard, so hard, in fact, that he has put himself out of commission and the case of the Athletics now seems hopeless. Bush is not only one of the greatest of pitchers, he is one of the outstanding figures of baseball because of his loyalty to Mack. He is more than Mack’s pitching staff and right-hand man.

BARGER IS MANAGER AGAIN

Pitcher Is Seventh Leader Team Has Had Singe Mike Finn Piloted That Organization. Pitcher ..Ezra Barger, who acted as manager of the Memphis team in the latter part of 1916, when George Moriarity was stricken with a fever, Is back on the job again, having been put in charge of the team after Mike Donlin quit last week. Barger is the seventh manager the Chicks have had since the 1914 season, when Mike Finn piloted the team. Brls Lord started in 1915. Dolly Stark started In 1916, and I)onlln started 1917. Lord was the only one to last a full season. Mortality succeeded Stark In mid-season, Barger succeeded Moriarity, Donlin succeeded Barger, and now It Is Barger pgain until another change Ik made.

was used against the weaker teams. From indications it will be up to Leonard and Ruth to hold the fort against the White Sox, Yankees and Indians, or at least do 75 per cent of the pitching against these clubs. The heavy strain of hard pitching will soon begin to make itself felt in Red Sox ranks, an<f unless Mays and Shore round into the pink of form and are capable of holding up their end along with Leonard and Ruth from now till the wire is reached, look out for a pitching slump,, which is very liable to come. All Ihings considered, a pitching slump is the one big danger in the path of the • Boston club, yet Barry may solve the problem, big as it appears to be.

BASEBALL STORIES

A double-header In the capital city is a warning, not an attraction. * * * Johnny Evers is in the game, but he is not playing like the Trojan of old. * * * There is many a pitching corps that should be spelled with an “e” on the end. v * * * The Yankees are not out of the running for the American league pennant by any means. * — * - Haven’t had much rain fn Washington this season, and they haven’t had much baseball. * * • Pittsburgh critics are hailing Jake Pitier as the best double-play starter in the big show. * * * Rube Schauer and Ping Bodie are showing up well under the management of Connie Mack. * * * Red Sox made nine runs in one inning the other day. they call the Sox a weak-hitting team. * * * Cincinnati won a ball game from New York, which shows that the day of miracles has not passed. * * * Pat Moran still says that Niehoff of the Phillies, is the best second baseman in the National league. * * • •> Conscription can do a lot of the teams some good if any of the regulars cdme within the drafting age. * ■* And some of the American league tall enders seem to think it is pinochle they are playing, not baseball. * * * Watching the ticker from Shibe park is getting almost as exciting as unfolding the contents of a cream puff. * * * Even a good right-handed pitcher can’t undo all the harm perpetrated by a team of left-handed thinkers. * * * Crane, the Washington shortstop, Is kept on the team because the fans at home have soured on George Mcßride. * • .*. There Is some talk about giving the Washington franchise to some other city. Questipp is, “Who would want itr * • • The Pirates have gone to the Poles for recruits. Joseph Kowalski, a righthanded pitcher, who has beep physical director with St. Mary’s college, is the new man. Happy Felsch has not been hitting the ball as well this year as he did last summer, but it is a little early for the Milwaukee German to get in his best wallops. -

LAUDS HIS OLD-TIMERS

Were Superior to Modern Crop of Players, Says Anson. Amos Rusle, Buck Ewing and Bill Lange Best Men Game Has Ever Known —Tim Keefe Also Was Powerful Pitcher. Cap Anson, one of the daddies of baseball, believes the old-time ballplayers were superior to the modern crop. “Good baseball was played 20 years before the game was taken in hand by the National league in 1876,” said Anson, recently. “But, of course, in those days there were not so many ball players 'to be had. “Yet with the present wealth of material In the big leagues there are comparatively few really good players. In my opinion, Wagner and Lajoie, though they are growing old, possess more natural skill than the younger stars of today, with the possible exception of Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker." When asked if he had ever seen any pitchers better than Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Alexander and other modern stars, Anson said, “Yes.” He believes that Amos Rusie, who pitched for the Giants from 1890 until 1899, was the greatest of them all. “Rusie had as much speed as Johnson, better control and the fastest curve ball I ever saw,” said Anson. “He was physically the superior of John-

“Cap" Anson.

son, Mathewson and Alexander, and was built like Jeff Tesreau of the Giants. There was no limit to his endurance. “Tim Keefe, who was with the Giants back in 1888, was also a master. He was among the first pitchers to perfect what is known as ‘change of pace.’ “The best catcher I ever saw was Buck Ewing, who caught for the Giants when they won the world’s championship in 1888 and 1889. I have never to this day seen his equal, but little Walters of the New York Yankees, reminds me of Ewing’s throwing on bases. “Ewing w r as a quick thinker and a natural-born leader. Bill Lange, who played for me when I had charge of the Chicago National league club, was in a class by himself as an outfielder. He was a better outfielder than Cobb or Speaker and a .phenomenal thrower, and one year he stole 106 bases.” “How about Billy Sunday?” Cap was asked. “Billy is a better evangelist than a ball player,” w r as the reply. “He was the fastest runner that ever drew on a spiked shoe when we played on the Chicago team, but he didn’t always exercise the best judgment in stealing bases. He was an excellent outfielder and a fair hitter and his Influence among the Chicago players was good.”

RAPID RISE OF PUG GRIFFIN

Lincoln's Sensational First Sacker Has Been Picked Up by Philadelphia Athletics. The orise of Pug Griffin, Lincoln’s sensational first sacker, is one of the most remarkable in baseball. He wast pickfed up off the lots to start the season when Schmaiidt was injured in the last practice game prior to opening the season. He started with a rush and kept it up so that Schmandt never got a chance to get back on the bag. Now it is announced that Griffin hns been sold to Connie Mack. He is green and not a finished -fielder, but he has murdered Western league pitching from the day<jhe broke in.

MISTAKE MADE BY MITCHELL

Seems tp Have Erred in Judgment Whin He Let Catcher Bill Fischer Go to Pirates. Fred Mitchell Is a great manager, no doubt, but i«e seems to have made a mistake when he let Catcher Bill Fischer go to the Pirates. The German nobleman Is putting up a wonderful game for Callahan’s crew. Chicago is said to have let him go because It had too many left-handed hitters, but Bill hits both kinds of pitching with abandon. - - ♦-