Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-12-27

''Aeii >aAShoioi SoNSA AAAASAAe SAAAS-NA-
have made another good capture in
the person of Johannes Henrykus van
koolbergen, whose revelations were
published in the Providence Journal
recently telling Of plots with the Ger
man consul at San Francisco of blow
ing up Of bridges and tunnels on the
Canadian Pacific Railway Western
lines and, who it is believed, was work.
ing in connection with the same sys-
tenn as the Hamburg-American line
officials who have been arrested.
Lieutenant Tweedale of the Cana
dian intelligence department and his
associates have at least temporarily
put an end to this alleged criminal
and spy by having him convicted of
forgery and sentenced to two years in
Lethbridge. Alberta jail In combating
the schemes of van Koolbergen, the
intelligence department found itself
opposed to man who had been edu-
Gated in the best equipped school of
espionage in the world and associates
with men who stopped at nothing to
accomplish their ends. His knowledge
of explosives and their manufacture
was enormous. and his exploits in va
rious countries had taught him means
of evading the law and getting around
people" which made him difficult
man with whom to cope. For this rea-
! son the success of the Canadian Off
Gals is all the more creditable. That
van Koolbergen has a long criminal
record is known. The German has al
ready served a sentence of three years
vol Il ri n cy
Jew after having beaten him into a
state of insensibility. When arrested
van koolbergen employed as his coun-
sci van Gigh, who is recognized as the
greatest criminal lawyer in Holland,
and his case was taken through seven
courts, the convictions being upheld in
each court. The Jew was lured to the
office of van koolbergen while having
in his possession valuable documents
and large amount of money 1t was
here that the murderouS attack TOOK
place as a result of which van kooi-
bergen was sentenced. AS a CONNER
cial traveller he picked up money al
various places in the Western Cana
dian provinces. and subsequently, as
an agent of the Dominion Tobacco Co.
took his residence in Calgary. He en-
gagged in real estate operations in the
Alberta city on the side, and was fol
a time employed by the Williams Sew
ing Machine Co.
"Aii the Comforts Of Home"
With the collapse o: the boom at Cal
gary. score for Van koolherEen's pecu
liar intellect Lecame restricted and h
decided to go south, where lToSrerlt
was following in the wake OF The expo
sitions at San Francisco and San pege
He chose the latter fer his operations
and there he established the BataNi
Hotel. With a reckless DISREGARD 10
other peoples money. .he equipped IN
hotel. which he had named in honor o
his expedition to the Java colony. Wit
. every luxury "Al the comforts o
, home" was his motto. and money 1owe
into the tils of merchants and into tn
pockets Of van Koolbergen.
For three months the hotel was in op
Grafton and was largely patronized The
, there were rumors OF war ana new Held
to conquer for van koolbersen. A mont
| before the war broke out ne lett "a
. D;eeo without bothering to furnish hi
: company with a detailed auditors state
. ment and with plenty of sold in nj
: pockets!
: Arriving at San Francisco he change
the prefix wan" to ''von ana became
German. And then commenced the onel
. atoms related in his affidavit. In hi
, statement however. he omitted all mer
ton of a visit to kamloops at the tim
it was thought that an alien detentio
: carp might be established there. a
t San Francisco, incidentally, he becam
intimate with Baron George Wilhelm Vo
Brincken, an attache at the Gerha
consulate, and was an honored guest
the latter's wedding. In order to D
quite fashionable he took the name {
Count du Monceau, and with his VII
made a name for himself in Golden Cat
society. 1t is believed that while In Ca
ifornia he secured possession of some In
| portant documents and learned som
state secrets.
A Dual Spy
few DAYS ago he braggingly told
his previous exploits in Canada IN cor
: nection with the plot to blow up the ca
: madam Pacific Railway and of his work
= among the Germans in the South ana nj
.invaluahle efforts on behalf of Cana
4 da, in frustrating the plots of his asst
S ciates in the South. In his dual capa'
n ity of SPY both in Canada and Unite
0 States he had secured valuable informa
! ton regarding the system of espionag
along the coast.
1 He smoke Familiarity of natural explt
s sives: of combinations of sugar and otne
r innocent substances which could be cas-
n ~ carried. and just as easily dispose
r NJ. of LIQUID chemicals. and OF fatal SUI
: stances which had been shipped to Wac
: ,yos+ok as presents to Russian officers
One device he was particularly er
K +busias tic about could be carried IN IN
false bottom Of thernos bottle an
unostentatiously emptied out in tn
hold If a vessel or elsewhere while
workman was eating his lunch. VINE
certain portions Of the bottled sur
stance had evaporated, fire would oe
, cur, perhaps 80 hours after the iohe
! sboreman emptied his bottle.
There was no means of proving tn
, origin Of the blaze.
q Van Koolbergen offered TO sell NJ
know,edge to Canadian newspapers BIT
was told, if he would write then
= his series of articles would be rea
:, with interest although possibly nc
, printed. Before he could return, he wa