Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-08-07
4 SPY IN
]. s. ARMY /?
Private George Peter Charg.
ed With Being Austrian
Secret Agent
cMEETuKlpT EuEc lECInlvlT
FILES AFFIDAVIT
Tried to Discover Secret of
Manufacture of Explosive
Dunnite.

| tBy Special Leased Wire to New Mexican
Washington, D. c., Aug. THE
war department today for the first
time in many years, is perturbed ovel
| the case of an alleged spy in the army
Captain James Watson, the army re
cruiting officer at Indianapolis, Ind,
has advised the department that he
holds afadavits charging Private
George Peter with being an Austrian
secret agent The department is con
sidering the charges.
This is the first case to be brought
up under the law passed at the last
session of congress to prevent the dis.
closure of national defense secrets.
Under the law those proved guilty
may be fined $1,000 or imprisoned for
one year. If an attempt is made to
communicate any secrets of defense tc
foreign government, the maximum
punishment is Imprisonment for ten
years.
1t is not believed that the charges,
lit well founded, indicate that the Aus
trian government even remotely con.
templates future hostilities with Amer
lea. The probable object of the alleg.
led spy was to discover for his govern
ment the composition of remarkable
high explosive "dunnite" Used in army
and navy shells, and said to be far
superior to any foreign explosive.
One of the papers in possession OF
Captain Watson is an affidavit of Miss
Clara A. Dyer, who mad previously in
quired about obtaining Peters release
from the army.
She said Peter was stationed at Fort
Totten, N. Y, in the 135th Company,
Coast Artillery corps, and that he was
an Austrian spy sent to the United
States to obtain the secret of manufac.
turing the powerful explosive used by
the United States government. Miss
Dyer claimed she met Peter on an
ocean liner, enroute from Europe last
September and latre, during a visit of
Peter to her Kentucky home, and be-
come engaged to him. The gfrT turn
e dover a number of letters from
Peter, in which he told of his plans.
Peters real name, she said, was Count
Windisch-Graetz, whose home is at
Prague, Bohemia.
Merely a sweetheart's Yarn.
Fort Totten, N. Y, Aug. THE COM
nandant at Fort .Totten, said today,
that he had received no information
either from the war department or
from Captain Watson regarding
George Peter Of the 1876 Coast Artil-
lery.
Peter has been stationed here year
and half. He is said to be one apf
the best soldiers at Fort Totten. Be.
fore coming here he served three
years in the cavalry, the greater part
OF the time in the Philippines. The
commandment said he believed some
mistake had been made.
Posed at Captain.
Corporal Lanr said Peter was an
Austrian, man of education and re-
finement, and received remittances
regularly from that country. Corporal
Lair said that some time he posed as
an American army officer, had his
mail addressed at Captain Peter, and
he was reprimanded by the command.
er for assuming to hold commission
in the U. s. army. Corporal Lahr said
that the man whom Miss Dyer ac-
cusses might not be the soldier he
knew.
Affidavit Sent to Washington.
indianapolis, Ind, Aug. 7-Captain
James D. Watson, the local recruiting
officer, forwarded to the war depart
ment at Washington today tn AFFIDAVIT
made by Miss Clara A. Dyer, accusing
Private George Peter Of the 135th
coast artillery Of being an Austrian
spy.
The only new feature in connection
with the case was the statement made
by Corporal William H. 1.ahr, Of the
army recruiting station here, who
says he served with one George Peter |
In troop M of the Sixth u. s. cavalry
IN the Philippines and Montana.
Corporal Lahr said Peter was an !
Austrian. 4