Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-12-23
HIGH GERMAN SPY
SUSPECT IS HELD
WITH TW0OTHERS
Paul Koenig, Alleged Head of
Secret Service System In
America, and Assist
ants Arrested.
FACING SERIOUS CHARGE
Government Declares They
Planned to Blow Up Welland
Canal and Stop Exports
to the Allies.
FACING SERIOUS CHARGE

New York. Dec. 20.-Charged with
Eonsplrlng in a military enterprise to
destroy the Welland canal, the Cana
dian waterway. which connects AXE
i-ile and lake Ontario, three men are
under arrest here today awaiting ar
taiSnment before a United State com
missioner, while a fourth mar is in the
custody of the government authori-
ueN. Those under arrest are:
faul hoenig, formerly head of the
bureau of Investigation of Hamburg
american line, h it is charged, has
been the head of h German secret
ser vice in the United States since the
beginning of the war.
Richard e. Lyendecker. a retailer of
art goods in this city, a naturalized
American alleged to have been en-
pioyed by Koenig.
Frederick Metzler, of Jersey City, re-
ported to have been a clerk in the Of
flces of the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. line
n secretary to Koenig.
The fourth ma held in custody is
George Fuchs, who was formerly in
koenis's employ, and who has given
the authorities valuable information.
so lar as is known he is not alleged to
be a party to any conspiracy.
The arrests We're made last night I'M
der the direction of agents OF the de-
partment of justice.
Quarrel Leads to Arrest.
The evidence which led to the arrest
of the three defendants was given by
George Fuchs, who, it is charged,
quarreled with Koenig over the pay
ment of SIS which he claims KoeniK
owed him.
The purpose of the alleged attempt
to block the canal was, it is charged.
to prevent the movement of supplies
down the great lakes and through the
Welland canal and ST. Lawrence river
to the entente allies.
The names of workers in San Fran
cisco, Chicago. Philadelphia, Detroit,
Boston and other cities are said to
have been discovered among docu-
ments seized by the authorities in a
raid upon the offices of Koenig and
Lyendecker.
The penalty for the CRIME charged in
this case is three years in prison or
5000 fine or both.
The specific charge preferred against
Koenig and Lydendecker is violation
of section 10 of the United States penal
code, which prohibits the planning
within the boundaries of the United
States of a military expedition against
a foreign w
The arrests were made by William
M. Offley, in charge Of the govern
ment's neutrality Investigation: Joseph
III. Baker, his assistant, and Capt
IliollldS lIH1leE, OIL Ile New QTk
bureau of explosives and ccmbustibles.
Bank Clerk Held.
Detectives, following The trait of
plotters seeking to destroy ships bear
ing ammunition to the allies, today ar
rested Frederick Schleindi, Il clerk in
the National City bank, whom they
charge with larceny OF documents, ca
Diagrams. and messages. which, it is
alleged, he turned over to representa-
fjN'tS of tho HE1rroo1y 1frn ~ MANI
These documents, the detectives
say. gave information as to which ships
bore ammunition across the seas.
Schleindl is also charged with having
given information to the German rep
resentatives as to what firms We're
country and also TIE amounts Of money
placed in certain banks to the credit
of the allies. Schleindl was taken to
police headquarters for further exam
nation.
Schleindl. detectives said. confessed
to having obtained information regard
ing shipments of munitions and other
matters, saying that he did this at
the direction of Paul Koenig. head of
the bureau Of investigation Of the
neutrality-suspicious. line, who was ar
rested yesterday on the charge OF plot
ting the destruction of the Welland ca
nal. Detectives said they found in
SchleindPs pocket a telegram referring
to a shipment of 10000 300 rifles to the
allies. The message was from the
Banque Beige Pour L'Entrangere to a
New York bank Schliendl told Of
meeting Koenig, who, he said. used an
alias, last May, according to detectives,
and of having kept in touch with the
German consul here since the opening
of the war. The prisoner, who said he
was a German reservist. declared that
when he met Koenig at an uptown no.
tel, arrangements were made for him
to obtain cablegrams and other docu-
ments at the National City bank. For
this work, Schleindl old the police, he
has been receiving about $25 a week.
Police claim today that they found
among Koenig's effects papers indicat-
ing that he had had relations with
Schleindl.
Koenig, under the name of Stemm-
Ter, it was charged, was responsible for
obtaining from Gustav Stahl the affi-
davi in which he declared he had seen
guns o. board the Lusitania the day
before she sailed on her last voyage.
Stahl was convicted on a charge of
perjury and sentenced to Is months
in the federal prison at Atlanta.
The actual plan to blow UP the ca
nal was mapped out in Buffalo, accord
ing to the complaint which was made
by Captain Offley, in charge of the
government investigation. The COM
plant alleges that Koenig and Lyen-
decker left New York on September ~
last for Buffalo over The Lehigh VAL
ley railroad. Later they went TO Nj
agara Falls. The complaint specific
ally charges that it was the purpose
and intention of said defendants to de-
stroy, mutilate and damage the Wei
a canal by force of arms"
The precise details of the alleged
plot Were withheld by federal authori-