Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-10-28
Capt. Robert Fay, Arrested at
New York, Confesses His Mis-
sion Was to Blow Up or De-
lay Allies Munition Ships.
MADE CLOCK WORKED BOMBS
In United States since April
under Agreement with Ger
man Secret Service-Captains
Boy.Ed and Won Papen Re.
fused to Acknowledge Him.

New York, Oct. 25.-Details Of a plot
20 hamper the shipment of munitions or
war to the allies b. placing clock-worked
bombs on the rudders or propeilers OF
ships, SO timed that the ships would be
disabled on their way across the Atlantic,
were disclosed to-day in the confession
of one Of five men charged in COM
plant fled with a United States com
missioner with conspiracy to violate
federal statute.
Following upon the confession of Robert
Fay, a lieutenant of the Sixteenth SaXony
Infantry, who admitted that he came to
this country last April through an agree
ment with the German secret service TO
blow UP or delay steamers laden with war
supplios for the allies, William j. FLYNN
chief of the secret service, tonight filed
before United States Commissioner
Houghton complaint in which not only
Fay, but four other men are charged
with promoting the conspiracy. The hear
ing on the federal charge was set for
November A.
Fay confessed that while on the bat
tlefield he talked with his superior Off
GERS about a device to blow up SHIPS,
that later his idea of coming to Amer
lea and carrying his scheme through
was we'll received by the German secret
service. that he came sufficiently sup
piled with money to act on his own re-
sponsibility, and that he talked with
Captain Won Papen. military attache
and Captain *. Boy-Ed. naval attache
of the German embassy, about the plan.
but they refused to have anything to do
with It.
FAY WON DECORATION.
The confession by Fay, who said he
had been decorated with the iron cross
for fighting in the Champagne district in
France. covers his arrival in the Uni
ted States on April % last, his making
If clock-worked bombs since then and
his activities in experimenting with ex-
plosives along the Hudson river. Guam
titles Of acid in the room occupied by
Fay and Walter l.. Scholz in Wee
hawken. n. J.. and boxes each contain
ing 30 pounds of chlorate of potash.
used in making so-cal'ed sugar bombs,
In boat-house on the Hudson, had been
found after the arrest of these men
on Sunday. Scholz. a brother-in-law Of
way, Is n mechanic.
TWO NEW ARRESTS.
Two other men were arrested to-day
md another, making the fifth was named
in the complaint, blu. he had not been ap-
pretended,
The new arrests were:
Paul Daeche, Jersey city, n j., who
said he was graduate of Cologne Unver-
eitv and came to the United States in
1912
=
ager of a clock company charged in the
complaint with having aided In procuring
explosive materials used by Fay. and
committed to the Tombs for examination
on November 4.
Max Breitung, about whose identity no
details were disclosed also was named
In the complaint as one of the cons pira
tors, 1t was stated that Breitung had not
been aprrehended.
Other information. which he said 1t
would he against public policy to reveal
mt this time, Chief Flynn declared would
be disclosed later. In his complaint To
Commissioner lToughton Chief Flynn
stated that Paul Siebs, formerly of the
German army. had become n governmen:
witness, 1t was set forth that Sieby had
received money from Fay and Breit,ing
Tor chorate OF potash-on August Is s1ls
from BreitunG and later 500 from Fay.
VIOLATE L. S. CRIMINAL CODE.
The men are charged with conspiring
to violate a section OF the United States
criminal code, which says:
"Whoever upon the high seas or in
any other waters within the admiralty
nnC maritime jurisdiction of the United
l,-
maliciously attacks or sets upon an,
vessels belonging to another with an in.
tent unlawfully to plumber the same OF
to despoil any owner thereof Of any
moneys. goods or merchandise laden or
board thereof shall be fined etc.
Schoiz late Tonight gave out n state
mort explaining his actions since com
ing to this country, and his relation.
with Fay. 10 Fay he gave all the credit
for the idea Of the exploding devices t,
bc attached to ships, INIT said that onl,
IN empty minc was ever actually used
Seholz said he came here four year
ago from Cologne. where he studied ar
ohitecture and civil englneerng II wa
while working on n farm at Waterford
\, j., last April that he received, N
sald, a request from Fay to come t,
this city.
STATEMENT BY ACCOMPLISH.
"Fav vented me to work for him an
said he would give me s25 a week,
Scho!z said In the statement. Fay toll
me OF his secret to make mines. w
made tests Of explosives and experiment
with the exploding devices, We never al
tachod "A loaded mine to any ship. W
did attach an empty mine to an Englls
vessel that was loading at this port
took us ten minutes to do 1t. All tn
explosives we had would not explode
their present condition, The three bag
of y, n. r. (Trinitrate toluoD had to h
melted and dried and further prepare
before It would go off.
ALL FAY'S IDEA
1T was all Fays idea. He was above
to come by the German government,
believe he got $1,000 from that govern
ment. It cost between sea and so to max
one Of these mines. We worked thre
months to perfect the exploding mechar
ism. We were almost ready when caugh
We used the garage to do our mechanics
work. Then we went to the boat hous