Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-03-07
.laaa Accused Of Giving Germany
Information on Our PPaIeellIss.
DISCRIMINATING LETTERS F0uN0
ssa'r, an Expert MaehInist, Came
From Europe Six Years Ago and
Waa Employed by E. W. sisa Co.,
Watch Makes Secret shell.

NEW YORK. March 6.--Althoueh
locked up ON the specific charge OF
grand larceny. William IJsser. forty
years old. II German machlnist. who
was arrested after n hard fight with
uetectives tonight ut his home. in
Slatbush. is suspected OF having been
negotiating with the German govern
ment for the sale OF the secret OF Il
projectile which the Il. w. Bliss Com
pany has been manufacturing for tho
united States government.
Acting Capt. August Kuhne. OF the
sbrooklyn detective bureau, said tho
arrest of Esser was ono OF the most
important the department had made
IN years, and that II would be estab.
iished In court that for n long time
ne mad been in communication with
\ oincisls In Berlin. seeking to have the
imperial government purchase from
MN the process for the construction
OF The proiectile which has been care
fully guarded ever since II was in
vented
Papers Found on Him.
Easer Is accused by Francis Page.
:. vice president OF the II. w. Bllss Com.
/ panyr with having stolen tools from,
ne projectile works OF the concern in
Brook!yn and disposlng of them in
New York. While he has been sus
pected for some time of having tried
10 sell tho secret 10 the German gov
ernment. there was no way OF catch
Ing him Mt 1t; hut when he was taken
70 the Brooklyn police Headquarters
tonight and searched, there were
found ON him several letters written
4 In German, which convinced the po-
lice that 1t will be we'll for tho T,,a.
eint government TO step into tho case.
William Nj. Clemens. private de-
tectivc. who was employed by the
: BLISS Company TO investigate the theft
of the tools. made the discovery that
Esser had been making negotiations
with people In Germany for the sale
or the secret. Following this, IL de.
Veloped that parts of the new projec-
tic were missing from the company's
works, and tonight when six head
quarters detectives descended on the
anachinist's home they found pieces
sof the projectile in workshop I'm the
{ rear OF his house.
Came from Germany.
Esser, who Is an expert machlnist,
came to this country from Germany
In 1909. He secured employment In
the Bliss Company. where he quickly
demonstrated his exceptional skill In
working on torpedoes and projcctiles,
and was sent to the projectile works
In Bay Ridge. II was evident to his
employers that he had worked on OK.
pioslves and he hadn't been there
many weeks before he was rated as
ono OF the best men In the place. He
was q keen student and kept much
to himself and his fellow workmen
learned mighty little of him.
Nine months ago he quit the com
y pany'siemploy and has not worked for
any concern since. In Flatbush he
built pretty house ana in the rear OF
II he erected an elaborate workshop,
where he lahored alone. seemingly on
inventions OF his own.
His wife and two sons and tiaugh.
ter said they believed he was invent
ing some apparatus. bu, what Il was
they didn't know. and they had not
4 the slightest idea. because they never
4 questioned him about his work.
Warned to Deetroy Evidence.
One OF the letters found was a writ.
ten in German on the letter head of n
German steamship company, with Of
ficcs In Manhattan. and warned Esser
that detectives were on mis- trail and
advised him to destroy any evidence
that might incriminate him.
AT police headquarters lesser denied
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