The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-05
UNITED STATES
IN THE SCHEME
How Germany Got Secrets of
French War Office.
"a &
WENT THROUGH HANDS
OF AMERICAN CONSUL
Startling Story Of Former Clerk In
General Staff Office,
Most Important Documents Sent
y From Paris to Berlin Were Insur-
ed Safe Transit By Being Enclosed
In Envelopes Of the United States
Consulate, With the Official Con-
sular Seal Acknowledgements Had
No Hand In Giving Information.

Atlanta, Ca, Sept. 4-The gentleman
who claimed to know how the French
war office secrets reached Germany, and
/ the names of those instrumental I'M
their transfer from France, was scent
today by the Atlanta representative OF
the Associated Press. All the matter,
given in the Jewish Sentiment story,
sent out in these dispatches Thursday
night, was gone over and substantiat-
ed as far as possible, and much in
formation tending to amplify and eluci-(
date statements made there was OBJ
| tanned.
The additional and highly interesting
information was ELECTED that the letter
heads, envelopes and consular seals OF
the United States. were used as a safe
guard in transmitting the French war
office documents from that country to
Germany, and also that one of the chief
actors in the underground system at
the time the traffic in French war office
merchandise was going on. held the
position of United States vice consul
in a little German city.
The informant gives his name as
Charles E. Bentheirn. and his discharge
papers, which. are regular and duly
signed, show that he was a private i'm
New York volunteers, during the war
with Spain. He was, he says, not at
camp drill over ten minutes. but was
put in the commissary department. and
later transferred to. headquarters di-
vision, where he became brigade clerk.
Service In Spanish War.
He accompanied the Two Hundred
and Second New York to Tuba. and in
addition to duty as brigade clerk, was
called upon to perform the duties of
stenographer at the courtsmartial held
from time to time at Pinar del Rio,
where the New York regiment was sta
toned.
The paper to the adjutant generals
office in Washington recommending hts
discharge is signed by William f. HOr-r
| ton, assistant adjutantl general and
came from General William G. Oates.
brigade commander. The stamps of
| different railway companies from which
! he obtained half rate transportation on
his discharge papers. are plain
Bentheim is an artist. and this is the
avocation given in his discharge papers,
Since he left the service of the United
States, he has been travelling over the
south, and is at present on his way
from Montgomery. to Washington.
where he says he will visit the sculptor
TrentanOve. Bentheim says he has no
! interest in the matter, and wished no
notoriety. His name was given only at
the last minute and under pressure
His story was not told with that even
ness denoting rehearsal, and his con-
versation shows that he is fully ac-
quainted with the cities of Germany
and the French capital He says that
although he has known these things for
a long time, he has never made public
the information of which he is pcs
seSsed. This is the story:
Bentheim's Startling Story.
81 was born in Denver, Colo, and am
Sc years of age. When quite young
was sent to Paris to be educated
went to several countries ON the CONT
nent, pursuing my studies, and finally
to Germany. Here was employed for
about four years as a. translator OF
/ documents and map engraver by the
government, and in the headquarters
of the general staff at Koniggratzer-
strasse, Berlin. During my service
there several times translated papers
bearing information concerning French
Qualifications, arsenals, warships and
land plans, and know all those concern
ed in the purchase of this informa-
ton.
1.-The obtaining of intelligence regard
ing the French army and navy was
operated by the secret service depart
ment of the imperial ministry OF ma
rine This bureau was at one time un-
der the control of Prince Bismarck and
Herr Won Moltke.s The Germans in
Paris were always on the alert for in
formation. When a. document was OBJ
tanned from the Office of the minister
Of marine, or the war department. in
Paris, it was taken to Prince Heinrich
Hans Pless, the German representative
in Paris. Through him it Went to the
house of one of his sweethearts. where
copy was made. A few hours later
the original paper was returned to the
Office from whence it came.
The next move was to get these pa
pers to Berlin. Herr Franz, a toy man.
ufacturer at Sonneburg, Germany, aid
ed in this. He would send dolls to
Paris to be dressed. In the body of
these little playthings these copies of
drawings and descriptive notes were
securely sewed and started on their
journey to the fatherland. From Paris
they were sent by post to Holmbrook,
a. village in England.
An Agent In England.
Here another agent was located He
was Herr Lindau, at that time part
ner in some mining operations being
carried on there. Lindau performed
his duty by remailing the doll messen-
gers to Herr Franz at Sonneburg, and,
once there, they were safe. From Son
neburg they were SFSught to the great
headquarters by Herr Franz.
'Once, I recollect, a document of this
nature was brought in by the burgo-
master of LEIPZIG, whose name I cannot
recall Herr Alvin Florschuetz, bank
director of Sonneburg, was also in the
scheme.
About this time. by the way" said
NJ. Bentheim, Herr Florschuetz was
recommended by the German govern
ment to the United States as consul for
this country at Sonneburg. He was ac-
cepted, and later on, being allowed for
clerk hire. put his wife, Lima, in that
position, giving her name on the reports
as L. Florschuetz.
..All the time that the traffic in war
office merchandise as it was known,
was going on. Herr Florschuetz was
vice consul of the United States