The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-08
Had Boosted in Letter That
He Had Planted Bombs on
Transatlantic Ships
POLICE BELIEVE
WAS CONSPIRACY
Considerable Doubt Cast on
Exact Manner in Which He
Met His Death Many lden-
tify Him as Muenter


New York, July 7y--Frark Holt,
or Erich Muenter, to give him the
nnme that rtghtfuliy belonged 10
him. killed himself In the very
hcur that the police were bewianing
10 accumulate evidence that he
was mot merely nm overworked
college teacher with mfnd unbaI-
anccd by fanaticism for the Ger
nsan cause. but was enc of the
mast dangerous crfminals of the
awe. and very probably nm agent
Of . far-renchinw conspiracy.
The singular corelessness of II jail
keeper at Mineoia which made IL per-
fectiy simple for Holt 10 open an un.
barred cell door and an unlocked cor
rider door, climb the natural ladder
furnished by the steel grill work OF the
cell block. or jail cage. to the roof of
the cage and cast himself head forward
to the cement floor. fourteen feet be-
low. had fnterposed what may prove TO
be an insurmounfahle obstacle TO an
absolute revealment OF Hollis doings
and connections, and the identity OF
the piotters with whom IT Is now be-
iieved he must have worked. So much
has been disclosed within the past
twsnty-four hours of the cunning
sehemtne. the elaborate preparations
for violence and the destructive plans
Of the extraordinary person who called
himself Holt that the authorities need
cd a living man 10 question
satGhs Have Cens~~.ed.
The dend body In the m0rgue at
Hemrefead. l.. T.. might have been Tel
% the police now feel. to confess the
full measufs OF his plans and plots;
whether or NOT he planted explosives
tr ~ osn 1S.Aw Snfv - *t,
American line. or the steamship Sax
onta, of the Cunard line. as he boosted
he had done in a letter TO his wife.
whether or not men more dangerous
thar himself used him IS their tool;
| Mlasther or mot II WAS his intention Ia
hiaw up public buildings In this and
other large cities destroy great pew
der mills, such as the duPopt works
or even TO aSsassinafe the President
Of the United States. and other public
men who had net shown tas he regard
ed IT. sympathy for the German cause.
All these puzzles might have been
solved by Holt himself had not the Jail
warden fallen to sleep, or had not sorae
other mysterious circumstances, which
cannot even be guessed at allowed him
to and the one way of escape from
inauisitors and punishment
very brief review Of the goings
the name Frank Holt To impose upon
the girl he married in Dallas. Texas
her respectable family and their many
prominent friends. but who was -pGsi
| fe4sssFvF isfsn ffffSd foday AS Professor
Erich Muenter. once teacher Of Ger.
man In Harvard, and a refugee from
Justice since 1906 when his wife.
Leona. died from poison. and he was
Indicted for murder, is sufficient. in
the minds of Police Commissioner
Woods detectives. TO prove that he
could hardly have worked single hand
ed. to show that he must have had
accomplices. 10 Indicate the existence
Of far-seaehing and frighsfui plot
81 murder and dynamiting The at +,
tempt on the night OF July 2 10 blow
mp a part of the capitol at wash
lnEfon: his nearly successful EFFORT to
kill J. p. Morgan at Esst Island on the
morning OF July 8: his success Thy his
own statement. whether that lis credi
BILE or nct) in secrctfng explosives on
an ocean liner about TO start for Liver.
pool. his facility in getting wherever
he pleased, until last Saturday morn
Ing. without detection and his ability
to move large parcels of dynamite and
bombmaking materials from place to
place, all seem to show, SO the police
say, that Holt was not operating all
alone. but that he had the active and
passive help of others.
In the effort TO prove that this is
true, and to lay hands on Hollis fell
iow-conspirators. the full power OF
the United States secret service has
been brought into action, and the
police departments of New York city
INA 81 Washington are hard at work.
Body at Family's Order.
The body OF Holt. or Muenter. lay
tonight in the undertaking establish
ment of G. 3. Cornell. at Hampstead,
Awaiting the instructions Of Hollis
family IN Dallas How that body
came there. with the head marked BY
one wound. at least such as ia not
ordinarily produced by d fab, makes a
story 81 peculiar interest. The lateness
of the hour when Holt came Ia his
death on Tuesday night. the confu-
MON 81 the moment. and the rigid
eecrecy maintained BY the persons II
whose care Holt had found II '. a ~ :,
.kxI end his life, Iest sYa:,y rsatfssrs
vague on hnreveaied on Tuesday MINI N Z
Today these matters were thoro4Irhlv
Gone into. and the ensuing mass ~
eontradictions and sinRuiarifles
ae<fned TO amaze most persons con-
oSrnAd In the Investigation except the
authorities Of Nassau County directly
reaponsibIe.
IL was about 1o:45 r. NJ. on Tues
Qay Htght when the reporters waiting
II Nash Hotel, In MineoIa. for what
ever news the night might chance to
| produces. received confidential warn
fnk that Holt had killed himself They
Rnshed 10 tho Jail 4 few hundred
fEnnttunexi ON Second PAxe,