The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-21
Facts At Last Leak Out About
 Run0fs of Blowing Up K War Vessels
CONSPIRACY IS PLANNED
 IN \ PARISIAN CAFE
According to the Reports Vessel Was Sent From a German Port With Explosives To Blow Up
 Vessels at Rio.

Paris. January 20.-The reports cabled Ifrom Rio Janeiro that the Brazilian au- thorities were warned from Paris of a possible attempt to blow up the Amer ican battleship fleet while in the harbor there are true.
 Some time ago certain suspicious. indl- eating the existence of a plot to destroy the whole, or portion of the fleet, either at Rio Janeiro, or in the straits of Magel- Ian, were aroused here, and naturally communicated to Rio and Washington. A chartered steamer was reported to have conveyed explosives flor the use of the conspirators to Rio Janeiro arriving there about the middle of December, and John Fedher, whose name is mentioned in the Rio dispatches, was one of the men whose name was revealed here as im- plicated in the conspiracy. The alleged plot Is supposed to have some rather startling notifications, but the evidence along this line is far from conclusive and rests chiefly upon the statement of an individual, whose record was subsequently proved to be anything but creditable. Consequently the whole affair is regarded with much skepticsm, and, indeed the presumption has been raised that it may have been deliberately concocted scare In any event it is now believed here that 1T the plot actually did exist the timely warning and precautions taken have com pletely frustrated the plans of the con spirators at Rio Janeiro and compelled to Ira far |, south, if not to abandon them entirely. The latter hypothesis is considered here to be most probable.
 Only a few people here treated the story seriously, others regarded it as fan tastic, while many discussed the whole affair as a myth. The reports today from Rio Janeiro have been characterized as another weird chapter of the fantastic 7 recital. It is believed here that the ac- tion of the Rio Janeiro police grew out of the information forwarded to Rio from Washington and this city. The story in brief as given by those responsible for is is substantially as follows:
 young man of good family, residing here, claims to have overheard snatches of telephone conversation in which vague reference were made to the cruise of the American fleet and of plans con cerning the fleet, which were being matched at certain cafe. Being of a Sherlock Holmes disposition, the young man communicated his information to an American official in Paris and also es- tablished a surveillance of the cafe. It is claimed that the observations at the cafe disclosed several suspicious charact- CTS holding mysterious conferences. Their movements are said to have been traced and their plans in part learned as to the shipment of explosives to Brazil When the suspicious parties were surprised they are said to have shown fight and in a scrimmage which ensued the young man claims to have snatched portion of the paper over which they were boring, con- taining the cabalstic words "Menaced destroy" supposed to mean If menaced destroy"
 Meanwhile the official to which the young man had confded the secret made inquiries as to the shipment of explo- sives to be sent. This inquiry appeared to give some color to the story, for 1t showed that q small steamer dispatched
 
 a North German port with certain boxes which were at least open to suspicion.
 Boxes of Explosives.
 It is claimed the testimony of the men who loaded the boxes was secured and 1t shows they contained explosives. The destination of the steamer was Rio where her arrival early in December, was also established. This appeared to fit in with the disclosures at the cafe, and with the cabalistic writing which Is said to have shown that the plotters designed to plant submaries off Lsclave island, at the narrowest point in the Straits of Magellan, using the island as their base of operations. The existence of the island at this point in the straits, where the current runs almost 10 miles an hour, was duly verified. How the explosives were to reach this island from Rio .s not dis closed. There were many other details unearthed in the course of the inquiry set on foot.
 The parties responsible for the story did not neglect to make the most of the Japanese scare" which has affected Paris of late. It was said that the mys- terious strangers were Germans, but vague references were made to Jananese names which were said to be figuring in the affair.
 These fantastic details were received . with incredulity in most quarters, but as stated, the precautionary step was taken to acquaint the authorities at Washing ton and Rio of the steamer. This has brought about much cabling during which the Brazilian authorities have been ad- vised with a view to their taking any precautionary steps deemed desirable.