The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-05-14
Thief OR SPY
STOLE PLANS
Somebody Took the Plans Of the New
Battle Ship Pennsylvania and
Secret Service Men
Are Busy.
JAPs NOT CONNECTED
It is Not Thought That They Had
Anything to do With the Theft
Which ID
Which Is Quite

UNITED Press Leased Wire Servicel
WASHINGTON, May 14-Despite
the best efforts OF q force Of picked
secret service operatives not a single
trace has been found today of the
thief who stole the plans of the new
battleship Pennsylvania from the
navy department. The government.
officials are far more troubled than
they care to admit over this fact.
Because Of the nature of the thefts 1t
Is feared that they are the work Of
an insider. The result is an uncom-
Portable feeling OF suspicion among
the persons within the department
who might have access to the plans.
Secretary of the Navy Daniels has
ordered that the thief Is to be located
without fail. No trouble nor expense
1 is to be spared. The fact that this
innermost secrets of the navy may
be at the mercy Of traitor has wor.
ried the officials as they have not
been In many years Detectives are
at work inside and outside of the
great building and there was wide-
spread belief today that the thief or
thieves must eventually be eiscov vered.
Offlcials of the department insisted
i today that the suggestion that there
was any direct connection between
the thefts and the Japanese situation
!. growing out of the California anti
( alien land owning legislation, was
unjust. They pointed to the. fact that
the initial theft took place on March
A, the night that the present admhnfs-
! tration took over the government, as
disproving this theory. At that tims
they say there was not the slightest
thought of trouble with Japan and no
Z special reason why Japanese agents
, should want plans of an American
battleship.
The theory most popular with the
: detectives who are working on the
case Is that the plans were stolen by
some one who believed he might be
able to sell them later. Reasoning
along these lines, the operatives who
] are working to solve the mystery
: claim that the thief probably still has
u pldUS duu tnSy Will ot obio w ~
: cover them. They are watching GER
J tain persons in this and other cities
i who have a reputation for traficking
b In military and naval plans and there
}. is possibility that this espionage will
s bring results.
Despite the fact that the navy de-
partment claims that the plans stolen
would be of no benefit to anyone, per.
] sons familiar with the case say that
d this is an exaggeration. They point
a to the fact that it is admitted the elec.
d trio wiring was indicated and say that
q this probably means that the secret
IS of the fire control system Is In the
possession of whoever has the plans
Extraordinary precautions have
been taken by the officials not alone
] of the navy, but OF the army, since
r. the discovery was made that there are
& thieves In the big building. Only per
le sons who belong there are permitted
h into the various Offices and there ha!
If been instituted an elaborate system
Is of checking whereby every persor
y handling plans Of any kind, or mater
e. ial documents, has to account for then
on a permanent record.
n The very fact that the plans stolel