South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-09-24

Newspapers Print Dispatches
Which Are Said to Be Great
Iy Exaggerated-Nation is
Unduly Alarmed.
BY HERBERT TEMPLE.

allows the English to know little or
what is really going on, the air is
filed with scores Of wild rumors, Tor
which there is no ground. Women
and children throughout the country
are being needlessly frightened Dy
brainless scare-mongers.
A typical var scare, the alleged
| presence Of a huge secret German
army in England, is contained In the
following anonymous letter puDhsned
today in a London newspaper:
after reading the many letters In
your columns on this subject, and
even with the probability of raising
/ laugh at my own expense among many
Of nly incredulous and easy going
countrymen, should the whole or any
portion of this letter appear in your
columns, / can no longer refrain from
laying before you certain information
| that has come to my knowledge, and
which bears upon the question.
Loathed German Customs.
Some years ago became acquaint-
| ed with a German, One day, In course
/ of conversation. he told me he never
| intended to go back to Germany, that
| he loathed the name and everything
connected with the country; its tyran-
/ meal and brutal systems, the under
hand way in which he knew she was
| dealing with France and England,
both of which countries 1t was her
aim and ambition to crush at favor
able moments.
For these reasons, principally the
first, he intended to become an Amer
lean citizen. In America ne WouIo De
a free man.
81 had lost sight of him for four or
! five years when again 1 met him
about the beginning Of last month.
| We lunched together. over a cigar
and coffee, he suddenly said: France
is in for trouble shortly, your country
also. in the not distant future. Ger
many is about to realize her dream OF
! crushing France, after which 1t is to
81 laughed and told him that she
| might have chance or crushing
France, which l doubted, but that
she had not a ghost of a chance
against our navy, therefore coulo
never bring an army to these shores
HE replied very seriously, and as
well as 1 can remember to this effect:
Don't be too sure OF that nave
a brother in Germany, holding a hlgh
military post. 1t is from him I got
nv information; he has been boaStlng
a lot Of late of what Is going TO be
/ done. I am telling you this, knowing
| that Il may be to his disadvantage,
| but there IS no love lost between us,
| neither have 1 any cause to be CRATE
full to Germany. I have many Eng
lish friends l like England and Eng
! ishmen. Bur your people do rrltate
me sometimes; they are so incredu-
lous and so very self-conhdent, but
thew make up for these in their
dealing. If IL were not for their IN
credulity, 1 would go myself to your
foreign office and tell them all know,
but / should only be laughed at ana
promptly shown the door. L am,
therefore, telling you in order that
you may go, and coming from an
| Englishman IL should have some
weight. 1 hope it will and that your
ministers will profit by 1t. They can
have no idea of the tremendous
preparations being made, nor OF the
millions of men being got ready
English Confident.
ct told him 1 could not take him
seriously, that if 1 went to the foreign
office with such a story they would
not believe IL; that they had warn
ings of this sort of thing so often
that thev attached no Importance to
them. All Englishmen felt very con-
fdent that Germany had more TO lose
in q war than England had, and also
that the kaiser could never land an
army here.
'This remark brought this startling
reply:
"Oh. what a lot of innocents!
Why. there is already here in London
| an army of at least 100000 trained
soldiers and at least 10000 in other
parts OF England with arms and am
munitions hidden away in convenient
places. All are picked men, sworn to
obev a ~iven signal That signal
would be given when transports bear
ing German soldiers were anywhere
| near our shores, so that being at
tackled back and front and taken I'M
awares they had every nope OF sue
cess. That the men comprising this
| army were employed in banks,
brokers offices, foreign and English
hotels. restaurants. bakers and bar
bers, and servants in private tamines.
etc: that there was large NUMBER or
| spies some in high places, OF both
| sexes, some acting as tutors ana gov
ernesses, and who were constantly
running backwards and Forwards
carving valuable information, docu-
mems and plans: also many carrier
I pigeons and wireless telegraphy were
being used: that this had been going
on for 10 years by naturalized and
unnaturaliZed Germans; that most OF
those who had become naturallzed
| had done so to make their Iash
easier; that the kaiserS visits were
simply to gain knowledge and TO allay
| susnicion that he had taken a resi-
dence here in order that he might De
| in touch with the heads OF the con-
spiracy living here, many of whom
moved in the best society, and would,
therefore, be above ssupicion; that II
was a big problem we had In 1ront
Of US, but that we should solve II
If the warning were taken In time.
II listened patiently until he had
finished. and then again told him that
il would be useless TO try to get such
a story believed; that / should only
be classed as another alarmist with
/ German invasion on the brain.
Warns Friend.
HE finished up with the warning
that IL what he told me ever came 10
pass TO get rid OF all Germans or TO
get them under con -rol somehow
| without loss OF time; 20 search sys-
tematically such quarters as Soho, the
East End, y. W, and S. F., OF London
and to do the same in the provinces;
not TO be satisfied with SUPERFICIAL
/ search, but TO sound walls and bur
row underneath floors, and plenty OF
! Rr~R~ae- Uxsx~~. -