Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-12
Writer Signing Name Of
t'Pearce" Sends Notice to
New Orleans Newspaper.
WIRELESS WARNING SENT
TO VESSELS HE MENTIONS
British Steamers Howth Head and
Baron Napier Designated in
Letter as Doomed.

eral officials early today had heard
nothing from the British steamships
Howth Head and Baron Napier, which
cleared here July s and sailed from
Port Eads the following day, and which
are supposed to have bombs aboard.
The Baron Napier was believed to be
well off the Florida coast, bound direct
for Avonmouth. England, with a cargo
consisting of 967 mules. The Howth
Head cleared for Dublin and Belfast
with general cargo and was to put
in at Norfolk for bunker coal The
latter vessel is not equipped with wire
less. and the only hope of reaching her
picked up by some coastwise steamer,
supposed danger.
The first intimation that the two
steamers were supposed to have bombs
aboard was contained in a letter re-
ceived late yesterday by local news
paper. The letter was written by a
person who called himself "Pearce."
The writer said he had come, to New
Orleans with the intention Of prevent
ing, as far as possible. the shipment Of
mules and war munitions to the allies,
and declared that neither of the ves-
sells probably would be heard from
dynamite to wreck the city.
Suspect Is Rearrested,
Hans Halle. arrested here December
%, having in his possession at the time
a bomb containing forty pounds Of
dynamite, which he confessed to the
police he had prepared with the in
tention Of consigning it to French line
CT rnchi OF 1~lr
late last night and will be held as a
dangerous and suspicious character un-
til the Baron Napier and the Howth
Head have been heard from, the police
said.
Halle, at the time of his previous ar
rest. was held by the state authorities,
who endeavored to try him on a charge
of having had in his possession an ex-
cessive quantity of high explosives. At
torneys for the state finally dropped
no state law had been violated. Imme-
diately after his release federal au-
thorities rearrested him on a Charge Of
having consipred to ship explosives on
an interstate carrier without properly
marking the package containing the
shipment. When the case recently
went to trial in federal court he was
acquitted.
Statement Made by "Pearce."
"Pearce" declared in his letter that
he was a co-worker with Erich Muen-
ter, who recently shot and wounded
j. Pierpont Morgan and who later
killed himself. He asserted that 1t
was Muenter who warned the passen-
gers on the Lusitania not to make the
voyage. Muenter, the letter said. per-
sonaiiy appealed to Charles Frohman
to cancel his passage.
Muenter's object in going to Glen
Cove, where Mr.. Morgan was shot, was
to do harm to Sir Cecil Spring-R Rice,
States, the writer said. Sir Cecil was
not injured, but ''Pearce" declared that
eventually he would finish the work
planned by Muenter, and that he would
dor
All efforts of the police to locate
Pearce were unsuccessful up to an
early hour today.
Awaiting Responses to Warning.
Navy Department officials today
awaited responses from the British
steamships Howth Head and Baron
Napier, laden with mules for the Brit
ish army and now off the south At
lantic coast, to a warning wirelessed to
them to watch out for bombs in their
holds. Both vessels sailed from New
Orleans July 9. the Howth Head for
Dublin and Belfast, via Norfolk, and
the Baron Napier direct for Avon
mouth.
The warning was flashed out broad
cast over the sea from the Arlington
wireless station last night following
the receipt by Secretary Daniels of a
telegram from a New Orleans news
paper stating that a letter to that
paper from a person who signed him.
self as "Pearce" indicated that explo-
siyes had been placed aboard the two
vessels The latter warned persons
who had friends or relatives aboard
the Howth Head or Baron Napier to
watch for reports from those vessels.
The Howth Head ought to reach Nor
folk by tomorrow at the latest, when
she likely will make response. 1t was
believed here that response may be
caught today by some of the south
Atlantic coast wireless stations.