Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-13
MOT VERY CLEVER,
/, THOSE ENGLISH" "SAYS
ss MAN TAKEN AS SPY
They Find Evidence of Guilt on
Kaufman, of Philadelphia,
:. = and Elsewhere, but He
< =; ~ Fools EN-
LAUGHS AT HIS CAPToRs
Adventuresone Spirit Gaily Re-
=. counts Experiences With Scotland
az fard Sleuths 49,

~ when the English police caught him he
was carrying enough evidence to convict
him Of being a. German spy and to send
him to the death OF spy-but he Just
: laughs and says, They're not very
\ clever those English"
When Scotland Yard detectives took
him out to see London, hoping he would
drink too much and in a maudlln mo-
ment incrlminate himself. he grinned and
said. '.what kind Of soldiers are these
, YOU have here. where every man Jack
of them has to have a girl hangin' on
. his arm when he walks up the street,"
They cornered him in his stateroom-
! six inspectors, this time-and they made
heap of German letters and papers
they found there, that they swore would
I, break down his denials, but he waited
. until they had swallowed all the cap
tain's brandy. Then he whisked the tell
g tale papers out through portfolio.
=. Five. times they grilled him at Avon
~ mouth. Then they took him the 80 miles
= down to London and put him through an
ambuscade OF insidious questions. They
couldn't get proof enough to hold nim
. so tfey-sent him back to his vessel and
! stood guard there, but he went ashore
whenever he wanted to by slipping hand
q over hand down a hawser at the stern.
TO SET foot on English soil; but he smiles
still and says: After all, there are many
English ports. They'll have to look sharp
II they want to keep me out of all of
- them"
INsULTED WHEN CALLED SPY.
= But William H. Kaufman was not a
German spy.
81 You insult me when you say 1 am. he
! told Woods, the Avonmouth inspector
81 No, he's not q German spy. He's an
: American citizen and Philadelphian, who
Z hangs his coat and hat at 80 South Sd
! street In the intervals between the Incl
4 dents of his real life; whose home in that
4 real life is Barcelona, or Liverpool. or
Hong Kong, or Melbourne, or any other
& port on the seven seas. He is the man
NJ of whom Kipling writes, whose cradle
4 song is the whine of the biting wind
n through the topsail rigging.
n When the English had him in the tight
\, est corner he couldn't resist the tempta-
Y ton to keep some of the most suspicious
Evidence "You mustn't let the excite
nnent run tffin," he says OF it.
Back to Philadelphia Kaufman has
come-long enough to look up his cronies
and to write letter to the police who
caught him and then let their quarry
slip away. Then he will be off again
and seek more adventure, running the
gauntlet of fortune, happy If chance
throws him between the teeth Of dam
ger
Kaufman sailed from Marcus Hook on
the oil tanker Westwago on the last day
of August, this year. The tanker lodged
torpedoboats and reached Avonmouth, on
the east coast of England, September H.
No sooner had the ship dropped anchor
In the harbor than Kaufman was seized
on suspicion, Word had gone out that
German spy was in Avonmouth4
FILLS CAPToRs WITH BRANDY.
Daily for Ave days police officers ques-
toned and cross-eXamined Kaufman.
One night they confronted him in his
- cabin and searched 1T, finding innumer-
able newspaper clippings and letters
which proved his pro-German sympathies,
and which they declared would incrimi-
nate him as a German secret agent. But
the captain of the ship gave the officers
brandy and the ships doctor gave them
cigars and by l o'clock, says Kaufman,
they were so intoxicated that no one saw
him when he tore the papers into bits
and tossed them into the water.
Next day they were obliged to con-
gratulate him upon his shrewdness.
But" says Kaufman, they stopped
there instead of looking for other papers.
And had a camera in that room.
IF they find camera on you, you're as
good as convicted. Me. with my camera
and German accent and a German
look!
They were shooting spies every day in
London, then" he adds casually.
After nine days of surveillance and fu-
tile efforts to draw out admissions-they
we're absolutely convinced that he was
spy and that they could break down
his guard-there was no course left but
TO let him sail with the Westwego back
10 Philadelphia. The tanker lifted anchor
on September 20 and arrived at Marcus
Hook one week ago today. "a
A few days more or Philadelphia. then
William H. Kaufman. adventurer, will
sail to find new escapades.