The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-12-18
Detectives Following Trail
of PIotters Seeking to
Destroy Ships
A SCHEME TO RUIN
THE WELLMAN CANAL
Koenig Was Formerly Head Of the
Secret Service of the Hamburg Amer
lean Line-Bank Clerk Alleged to
Have Furnished Secret Information.


lean Line-Bank Clerk Alleged to
Have Furnished Secret Information.
NEW York, Dec. 1G. - Detectives
following the trail of plotters seeking
to destroy ships bearing ammunition
to the allies today arrested Frederick
Sehleindt, a clerk in the National CITY
bank, whom they charged with larceny
of documents, cablegrams and mes
sages, which, it is alleged, he turned
over to representatives, of the German
governments.
These documents, detectives say, gave
information as to which ships bore am
muniti0n across the seas. Schleindt Is
also alleged to have given information
as TO which firms were manufacturing
war supplies In this country and also as
to the amount of money placed in GER
tain banks to the credit of the allies.
SChleindt, detectives say, confessed to
| having obtained such information un-
/ der the direction Of Paul Koenig, head
/ of the bureau of investigation of the
/ Hamburg-A line. who was ar
rested yesterday on the charge of plot
/ ting to DESTROY the Welland canal, con-
Meeting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
Schleindt saws he was a German re-
/ seryist. For his work Schleindt told
the police he has been receiving about
SO week.
| Paul Koenig. formerly head Of the
secret service of the Hamburg Ameri-
can line, and Richard Lyendecker We're
arrested last night by agents Of the de-
partment of Justice charged with con-
blow fa-tAe Wei
land canal.
Koenig was arrested at 45 Broad
wav in the offices of the Hamburg
| American line. Before the war he was
in charge Of the steamship company s
bureau of investigation, but since
then, it is charged, he has been the
head of the German secret service IN
the United States.
| Lvendecker was taken into custody
at his Office at 645 Fifth avenue,
where he has been selling antiques.
: The agents of the department of ius-
tice declare they found in his Office
maps and drawings Of the Welland
canal Both men are said TO have ad-
mitted that they had been along the
S canal on the American side, but as
? certed that they did not cross into Can
: ada.
: The specific charge preferred against
/ Koenig and Lyendecker is violation of
section 13 Of the United States penal
. code which prohibits the planning
e within the boundary lines Of the United
: States of a military expedition against
foreign power
Lyendec ker claims to be an Ameri-
can citizen and has admitted, 1t Is
said, that he has been employed by
Koenig Koenig took out his first cit
} izenship papers in this country 10
years ago, but never applied for his
second.
The actual plan to blow up the canal
: was mapped out in Buffalo, according
to the complaint which was made by
Capt Offley, in charge of the govern
ment Investigation The complaint al
,r leges that Koenig and Lyendec ker LETT
% New York on September n, last, fol
Ie Buffalo over the Lehigh Valley rail
.e road. Later, they went to niagara
le Falls The complaint specifically
a charges that it was ''the purpose and
N intent of said defendants to destroy
r mutilate and damage the Welland cana
by force Of arms.
n Schleiudt was held in $4,000 bail fo
4 examination en- Monday when arralgne'
4 today in connection with the disappear
1t ace from the National City bank of pa
# 1pers and documents, which police san
of were valued at 100000.
r Paul Koenig and Richard Leyendeek
as er were held in $4,000 bail each whe1
arraigned today before the Unite
Il states commissioner on charges of con
=, spring to destroy the Welland cana