The Detroit times., 1915-07-30


neye In capital punishment. and as
a protest at the hour fixed for the
electrocution he left the prison en-
| closure and took walk over the
Ossining hills. AS he left for his
walk. at s a. m.-his face was drawn
and pale. His only Official act In
connection with the execution was
10 force a moving picture operator,
intent on taking pictures OF witness
as they entered the prison. TO move
away.
BERLIN, July 30.-The exact reg
istration OF the huge horde OF over
million prisoners OF war in Ger
many, so that rank service division
and place OF confinement Of each
man can be instantly determined,
has been perfected TO an astonish-
ing degree by Count Schwerin. a 60
year old captain Of cavalry. Today
the relatives of any French, Russian.
English. Canadian. Italian, Serbian.
Montenegrtn Belgian or japanese
prisoner In Germany can ascertain
within 20 hours where that soldier
is and what his condition is.
This is made possible through a
card catalogue that all but beggars
description. In its maintenance so
persons are engaged while its in
ventor, Count Schwerin, works IL
hours a day. overseeing things
Each day dozens and scores OF
lists OF names pour into Count
Schwerin's department OF the war
ministry in the Dorotheenstrasse,
here in Berlin. These lists give the
Unnecessary information for filing out
| the cards, so that each shall contain
the name and forname OF the pris'
oner. his service branch. regiment
and company. the place and date OF
lis capture. and the place where he
Is held. IL he is wounded, the ma
ture OF his wounds and the hospital
where he Is. are added.
Scores Of Young women fill out the
cards. which then go to sorters. I'M
der the inspection Of man who. in
peace times. Il head instructor in
one OF 9erlin's higher schools Be
fore the sorters stand wooden cases
built after the fashion OF type cases,
but deeper. II was the sight of COM
positors throwing in" type that led
Count Schwerin to adopt these
cases.
The first set OF sorters take the
cards just as they come. in alpha
betical confusion. from the writing
room. and divide them according TO
the initial letter from A 10 z. Other
sorters then take the AS and subdi-
vide them Observation-Disclosures IA.
Aaa. Alb, Aba. Abb, and so on.
Thousands of cards are sorted and
fled daily--for the list Of prisoners
never stops growing.
The names also are divided &C
cprding to nationality. and put
away in the cases that flank all four
walls OF three rooms There are be-
tSeesn IS. oQo. and 10000 Belgian
names. from 10000 to $4,000 English
names. and hundreds Of thousands
Of French and Russian. With but
one exception the Serbians, Montene-
grins and japanese who are prison
ers In Germany are civilians of mill
tsry age interned here.
Approximately 500 letters come to
Count Schwerin's "Kartothek" daily
REQUESTS for information about rel
atiyes or friends. 1t Is the boast
and pride OF this oficer that no re =
quest remains unanswered longer
than "a hours-4s al the very ous
side when the letter or inquiry Is
in difiicult Russian.
To facilitate relatives In getting
information about the foreign sol
diers, however. Count Scnwerin has
| forwarded the complete data about
prisoners, az fast as received az the
war ministry and cleo in the card
catalogue. TO the governments at
London. Paris and St Petersburg,
and 70 the Red Cross headquarters
at Geneva, Brussels. Copenhagen
and Berlin.
The execution OF Becker was the
Ice. act in the tragic drama which
began three years ago with the
killing OF Gambler Herman Rosen-
thai.
Shortly after midnight OF July
| 18th. Rosenthal was eating late
supper in the grill room OF the Ho-
tel Metropole in Forty-third-st., just
of Broadway A young man. whose
identity never was clearly estab-
lished. appeared at the door and
beckoned him. Rosenthal was
afraid his enemies would get him.
for he had connded as much 10 Dis
trict Attorney Whitman WHOM nc
made his af,davit, but he rose from
the table and went out 20 the door.
As he stepped from the door into
the street, his frame silhouetted
against the brilliantly lighted hotel
interior. four men standing on the
curb fred simultaneously and the
gambler dropped 10 the sidewalk.
His death was instantaneous.
The slayers ran across the street.
jumped into a long grey car, the
engine OF which was running, and
were whirled away while tho crowd
was gasping Everything was con.
fusion. but a citizen glimpsed the