The Washington herald., 1908-03-06
German Held i'll New York
OH Serious Charge.
ARRESTED FOR LARCENY
Government May Take a Hand
as Result Of Inquiry.
Esser Believed 10 Have Been Con-
ductinG Negotiations with Father
land for Sale of Information About
PrOjectiIes Manufactured for the
Stealing Tools from Plant.

New York, March 5-Although locked
up on the specific charge of grand
larceny, William Esser. forty years old.
a German maehinist, who was arrested
after hard fight with detectives to-
night at his home, Lenox road and Al
bany avenue, Flatbush. is suspected of
having been negotiating with the Ger
man government for the sale Of the
secret Of a patented projectile which the
f. W. Bliss Company has been manu-
featuring for the United States govern
ment.
Acting Captain August Kuhne, of the
Brooklyn detective bureau, said the ar
rest OF Esser is one Of the most impor-
tant the department has made in years.
and that It viii be established in court
that for a long time he has been in COM
munication with officials in Berlin. seek
ing TO have the imperial government pur-
oi.ase ise.a him the process for the con-
struction OF the 1proje6tile. which has
been carefully guarded ever sine, il was
invented.
Esser is accused by Francis Page. Woe
president OF the f. ". Bliss Company.
with having stolen tools from the projec-
tile works of the company, at the foot Of
Fiftythird street. Brooklyn. and dispos-
ing 2f them in New York.
Suspected for Some Time.
While ne has been sasiected for some
time OF having tried 10 sell The secret
TO the German government there was
no way Of catching him at It. but when
he was taken 20 Brooklyn police head
quarters tonight and searched. there
were found on him several letters writ
ten in German which convince the police
that it viii be well for the Federal gov
ernment to step into the case to-mor-
row.
|. William NJ. Clemens. a private detec-
tive. who was employed by the Bliss com
pany to investigate the theft Of the tools.
made the discovery that Esser had been
making aegot.atiOns NTH people IN Ger
many for the sale Of the secret
Following on this. 81 developed that
parts Of the new pT0jectile were missing
from the company's works, and tonight.
when six headquarters detectives de-
scended on the machinists home. they
found pieces Of the projectile in a work
shop In the rear of his house.
Esser Expert Machinist.
Esser, who is an expert machinist. came
20 this country from Germany in 1902
He secured employment in the Bliss COM
pany. where he quickly demonstrated his
exceptional skill in working on torpedoes
and projectiles. and was sent to the pro-
jectile works IN Bay Ridge II was evil
dent TO his employers that he had worked
on explosives. and he hadn't been there
many weeks before he was rated as one
OF the best men in the place. He was n
keen student. and kept much 10 himself,
and his fellow-workmen learned mighty
little Of him.
Nine months ago. he quit the company's
employ and hasn't worked for any con-
cern since. In Flatbush, he built pretty
house and in the rear of it he erected
an elaborate workshop. where he labored
alone, seemingly on inventions OF his own.
His wife and two sons and a daughter
said they believed he was inventing some
apparatus. but what IL was they did not
know. and they hadn't the slightest Idea
because they never questioned him about
his work.
Tools Are Missed.
Not long after Esser left the Bliss
works the section foremen and the head
Of the supply department found many
valuable tools were missing.
A search OF the machine shop was
made and several Of the Bliss Company 5
tools were found. besides the parts Of the
secret projectile which the company is
manufacturing for the government
There was one letter found on the pris-
oner. which was postmarked New York
and warned him 10 lay low" Also. there
were many letters. all written in German.
which Clemens said clearly show that
Esser had been negotiating for a long
time to sell the secret. Acting Capt.
Kuhne. who took charge of the letters,
would not make their contents public but
Detective Clemens said that they indi-
Gated that Esser claimed all along that he
was not striving to earn a fabulous sum.
but was prompted in what he did through
his patriotism for the fatherland
Although Esser has been in this coun-
try six years. he never took out even his
intention papers.
The +. W. Bliss Company manufactures
the Whitehead torpedo for the govern
ment, and is now working on q 81 600 0O0