The Washington times., 1915-05-09
BERNSTORFF GETS.
THREAT IN NOTES
Latest Letter States Embassy
viii Be Blown Up Tonight.
Crank Blamed.

The recipient of an anonymous letter
threatenins the destruction Of the Ger
man embassy at 1:32 o'clock tonight,
Count Won Bernstorff. the German am
bassador. smilinsly asserted today that
he expected to be asleep at the hour
named.
The Times today received in the mail
q typewritten note predicting the de-
ttruction Of the embassy by a bomb to-
night Inquiry at the embassy deVel-
oped that Ambassador Bernstorm re-
ceived a substantial duplicate OF the
anonymous communication, but he ana
the embassy attaches declined to take
the threat seriously.
Yes. there's such letter around
here somewhere" said the ambassador.
1T came in this morning: All can say
IL I'll be in bed and asleep at l:@ or
lisa O'clock. whatever the hour named
may be-
A secretary produced the letter. type
written on the same sort of stationery
as that of The i mes communication.
Both letters were written on letter
size paper. with a watermark lndicat-
ing that the paper Is the kind used In
certain Government departments. This
watermark represented the American
eagle and shield Of the United states,
but no Significance Is attached to this
prevails that the communication is the
single handed work Of crank who has
come into possession of this particular
make OF paper.
When the letter was received at the
embassy 1t was brought to the atten-
tiop Of Ambassador Won Bernstorff, al
though an attache explains that It Is by
no means the first anonymous ertstle
received there. The ambassador casual
ly glanced at the letter. smiled. and
or destruction.
Time Set For :32 A. NJ.
The letter received at the embassy is
addressed in the second person to the
ambassador. VIZ:
You will be blown up tonight at i;sl
1t is signed AN American" in type
writing.
In the letter. similarly signed. sent to
The Times the you" is changed to
read "a German embassy" and the
threatened method of undoing the en-
bassy building.
Count Won Bernstortf. who returned
today from New York. was informed by
The Tines representative that the mat
ter had been mentioned purely as a
matter Of speculation and gossip. The
ambassador lightly answered: :.
Ibid you get one, too. We'll, l snail
= not be up at that hour"
That the letter was the work of an
irresponsible was the general impress
sion at the embassy, and not one OF
the attaches wore a worried look
Gets Police Protection.
Full police protection Is being af-
forded the German embassy, as well as
every other embassy and legation In
the city, said Major Raymond w. Pull
man. superintendent of police, today.
The German embassy has made nc
appeal for extra guards from the Po-
lice Department. 1t Is Understood
however that several plainclothes men
are in the vicinity of the German en-
bassy this afternoon.
A number of telephone calls were re-
oeiyed at police headquarters yester.
day. asking how many. II any, threat
Snine letters had been received. SO far
mono have come direct to the police
and 1t is the opinion of some Of the
officers that an inquirer might have
tried to start something" with no 10
tention Of carrying 1t out.
I'VE are giving 10 every embassy and
legation in the city just such protection
as we would expect the police of foreign
cities to afford this country's represen-
tatives." said Major Pullman. This
protection covers every foreign ma
toms office in Washington and extends
over twenty-four hours a day. At all
times we are as vigilant as possible.
and we are taking no unnecessary risks.
Further than that I cannot be quoted