The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-08
The Power Behind Holt.

| While the civilized world waits for the dreaded
tidings of another horror the Secret Service
| force of the United States and detectives of many
cities, impelled by grave apprehensions resulting
from days developments, seeking to discover
| the malevolent influence that armed the hand OF
Frank Holt, college instructor, would-be assassin
bomb-setter, suicide, and, as now seems proven
wife murderer under the name of Muenter
1t is time for awakening of the laws
guardians to full realization of possibilities that
have not confronted this country since the civil
war. Holt may have been merely the fanatic he
appeared, or he may have been the craftiest of
criminals, seeking to conceal his real purposes and
their inspiration by feigned dementa, taking his
own life when, battered and goaded in attempts
to make him reveal his whole story, he realized
that death his only refuge In either case
there now seems little reason to doubt that he
was the accomplce tool of others possessed
of power and resources greater than his own. So
far as is known Holt was poor; yet he sup
piled with means to travel by rail and automobile
and obtain expensive firearms and large quantities
OF explosives the nature of some of them being
as yet undetermined by scientists. That Holt or
some associated with him was an expert of
the highest type in explosives is clearly proven
and incredible as must seem his boast that he
placed bomb steamer which would
explode and destroy her four days later yet the
success of his timed irfernal machine at the Cap
itol justihes fear for the safety of the Saxonia
In considering the probability that Holt had
accomplices, the question suggests itself whether
or not he knew the British Ambassador a
visitor at the Morgan home and if he did, it is
strain the imagination to accept the theory that
Hollis rush to Long Island Immediately after the
Capitol explosion did not wholly concern the Nor
Az l,,~
hurried from crime to another, two hundred
miles away in twelve hours and by a rare coinci-
dence he might have found there, unknown to
newspapers or high officials, so distinguished
parsonage as the Ambassador of a nation with
which Germany is at war. Considering all the
circumstances and keeping in mind the objects of
Hollis hatred, the assumption is far more reason
able that Holt advised of the Ambassadors
presence at the Morgan home which would logi-
cally explain his hurried journey thther The
return to Washington of Sir Cecil
Spring-Rice from his summer home might be
regarded adding strength to this theory. The
Secret Service men must naturally be concerning |
themselves with the possibility that Holt knew
the Ambassador at the Morgan home and
with the question as to how he obtained the in |
formation Hollis message to the superintendent |
Of police OF this city, Maj. Pullman telling him
that he would know ALL on Wednesday, has
been interpreted referring to the possible blow
ing up OF the Saxonia. And even if it did it in
iicacd plainly also that the writer had disclosures
% make that the explosion itself could not have
-cvealed Then, in desperation with his guilt en-
comprising him, the wretched prisoner took his
'wn life, and his whole story may never be known
But whether he fanatic rational, cum
ling criminal, there be little doubt that he
lad accomplces who may see to it that the das-
ardly work is taken up where Holt left it; and all
he resources OF the government should be called
lpon to discover them.