The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-19

agents for information REGARDING tn.
movements of certain Mexicans, like Gen
Huerta, suspected Of trying to violate
| the neutrality of the United States.
Congress. following the use of Treasury
Secret Service agents by Theodore Roose-
welt when he was President to spy upon
members Of Congress. placed an unfor-
tunate limitation upon the activities of
this tremendously important branch of
the government service. II required IL to
! limit It's work to the detection Of counter
feiters and guarding the President. I'm
der the latter authority they have seen
mt to extend their operations pretty wide
ly. Thus William Nye. a Secret Service
| agent at the White House. caused the
arrest In Washington of F. X Vein
| schenk. German propaganda who had
been trying to influence American pub
| lie opinion through a so-called informa-
] tion bureau. The Secret Service acted
primarily because weinschenk had writ
ten annoying letters to President Will
/ son.
1t Is safe to state that when CONGRESS
| meets the administration will take pains
| to explain the need Of a large force Of
| men to cope with the spy system main
| tanned by Germany In this country.
Whether Weinschenk took from his
own pocket every cent Of the 5000 q
week he spent in spreading pro-German
arguments throughout the country or
| whether he got aid from outside sources
is question which engrossed officials
yesterday.
watch weinschenk Closely.
While detectives dug into weinschenk's
| record the physicians at the Washington
| Asylum Hospital. where Weinschenk 10
confined, watched him closely to deter
mine his sanity. The Examinations will
continue for several days, when they
will pass on whether he should be sent
to the Government Hospital for the In
sane.
Weinschenk intends to put up a Wig
orous fight TO prove his sanity so he may
get back to his ONCE and continue send
ing broadcast his weekly pro-German
bulletins. under the name of the Inter
national Information Bureau.
Information reached the authorities
that Weinschenk Is wealthy. and that he
has obtained recently about 500 900 from
a brother with whom he was engaged In
colonization projects in the West The
brother Is said to live In Kansas and is
believed to have agreed with the ON
cials that proceedings should be under
taken to prove Weinschenk's sanity.
OF course the real reason for the ar
rest was the fact that he had written
letters to the President which presented
radical pro-German views and, while not
threatening, the Secret Service opera
lives decided to have Weinschenk inves-
tigated. The Washington officials took
him into custody at the request OF the
Secret Service.
Sent Many Letters to white House.
These letters have been arriving at the
White House at intervals during the
last two years. but they have been mors
frequent In the last few months. In view
Of the Holt case and the fact that wein-
schenk glorified Holt for shooting Mr..
Morgan, the officials desired to take no
chances. The most recent letters have
been arguments for an embargo on the
shipment from the United States of arms
and ammunition to the allies.
weinschenk told the officials that when
he was arrested he was about to issue
bulletin which would have startled
the entire world" He indicated that il
was a scheme for the establishment Of
peace.
Il am the only man n the world WHO
can end the war. and I am going to do
it." he is quoted az saying.
The only comment he made about his
arrest was:
The truth hurts. and they could not
stand it,