New Britain herald., 1915-02-02
BRIDGE ON CANADIAN LINE DYNAMITED BY GERMAN
Suspect Is Captured on United States Soil :; Says That War Caused His Action---Ex-
 citement Intense Across Border

2 VduCSUOTO, MG., CD. 1--lAH dC- tempt to destroy the railroad bridge spanning the St. Croix river, which forhs the International boundary line between eastern Maine and New Brunswick was made early today. One or the three spans of the structure was blown up by dynamite.
 The bridge is the connecting link betWeen the Maine Central and the Canadian Pacific tracks, the Canadian Pacific having the traffic rights over the former road from Mattawamkeag to the boundary This is the through route from upper and western Canada to the Maritime provinces, directly connecting Montreal with the ports of 1 St. John and Halifax.
 The attack on the b1idge caused great excitement on the New Bruns- wick side where rumors of German plot spread rapidly and resulted in an binnediate investigation by the pro- vinehal auth critics. I. German Arrested. Inquiry was also begun on this side and this led to the arrest at a local hotel of a man who gave his name as ! Werner Van Horne. According to the police, the prisoner claimed to be an } officer in the service of Germany, but refused to divulge his rank. The po- lice assert that he admitted that he exploded the dynamite under section l of the bridge and that a dynamite cap and plan of the bridge were found ] in his pockets.
 4sWerner Van Horne, according to the police, described himself as thir- ty-seven years of age. He is five feet eleven inches in height and weighs about 200 pounds. He is smooth shaven The arrest was made by Deputy Sher- iffgGeorge w. Ross who has accom- panied by a Maine Central railroad detective and two Canadian officers from McAdam Junction, New Bruns- wick. He was removed to the United States immigration rooms where he was closely guarded. Deputy Sher- ~- ifff~ Ross notified the United States marshal and the United States district attorney at Portland, asking for in- structions.
 Werner Van Horne COnfesses.
 When taken into custody at his room in the hotel, Werner Van Horne made no resistance, but is alleged to have told the officers the circumstance es of the dynamiting. He did not ap- pear to be able to speak very gooo English. There were no papers found to identify him. In a coat pocket be carried a German flag Asked why he had dynamited the bridge, the prisoner, the police say, made .triv simple explanation that his country was at war with Great Britain and Canada was a part of the enemys country. He said, according to the officers that he came from New York having left that city on Friday night and arrived here Saturday. Immedl- ately after discharging the explosive, he returned to the hotel. As evidence of his experience, he displayed a frost bitten thumb. His clothing had been ehcrusted with ice and was soaked through.
 sw~ St. John Important Point. < Tn the winter season St. John, N. B., is the principal eastern port of Canada and thence has come from Montreal and further west great quan- s titles of provisions and other mu- anitionsE of war for shipment to Eng land and France. The shipments htve passed over the bridge which it . was sought to destroy. It is a part Of the most direct route from the west as, cutting across the state of Maine, it is several hundred miles shorter than the northern route z operated by the Canadian govern Y nent, which follows the St. Lawrence river to Little Metis, Que, and then tErns south to Moncton, St. John and Halifax. The loss of the bridge would delay but not interrupt the transpor- oP ir1r +o
 Arrest Causes Interest.
 The arrest of Werner Van Horne aroused special interest because of the fact that he was taken into custody on American territory and was made a prisoner of the state of Maine. To avoid possible complications the local ~ authorities made no further move gs pending advice from the federal gov % ernment. The Canadian authorities Indicated that they would inmedi- y ately make representations at Wash i1igton with a view to eXtradition, on the ground that the dynaniting had teen done on the Canadian side of the v border
 On the other hand it was said that Horne would be defended against eX-
 tradition, passing his claim for the protection of the United States on his HSSoTL1On that ne IldU com nlttGd an act of war and that his offense was political.
 t Explosion 8 Failure
 sJ . .,
 Railroad officials, after making a
 careful examination of the bridge, de-
 clared that the explosion had been a
 failure as far as serious damage was concerned. The force of the eX- ploson was up through the bridge.
 Sleepers were blown out, the rails