The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-04
OTHERS HUNTED
AS PASSPORT
CONSPIRATORS
Report of Possible Thirty Ar
reSts-OfficialS Hint of
Only Twelve.
FEDERAL GRAND JURY
INQUIRY TOMORROW

Maurice Dciches. the New York lawyer
who was arrested late sunday night IN
Philadelphia for alleged connection with
T. plot to secure United States passports
for German rescryists wishing go return
., the Fatherlaud. Ms released ON a
sa5 600 bond yesterday morning and re-
urned TO this c,;y
He wasted no time IA declaring himself
Innocent " the charge of corspirng 70
,lefraud the Government and even went a
en- further by Announcing his intention
o aid the Federal authorities In their
attempt 10 get at the bottom OF the plot.
"Corncc.tug me with the matter ~
perfectIy astounding e. me-, Dec said, 81
know none ~ the men whose names nave
1eeu mentioned IN the newspaper &C
counts OF the alleged conspira 'y, except
one, and | have merely a casual d'uuAnt-
ance with him Just who Could have
brought my name into ~" thing is I'M
possible fOr mo to conceive aud iur'n'i-
more [ can imagine mo- reason why any
one should want 10 implicat" me.
While Mr.. bciches, who hnS been con-
nccted with several important bankruptcy
proceedings and who has frequently acted
as referee Tor the Supreme Court In con-
splCuous divorce cases was making TINS
denial OF any connection with the plot TO
send home German rsscrvists with Amer
can passports, even a more sweeping de-
NAL was being issued by carl Rurocdc
who t. locked M In thu Tombs.
l. was Ruru-dc VINO was charged WI
having secured passports for the four
Gcrrunns who were arrested saturday
afternoon aboard the steamer Bcrgcns-
ford
Meantime 10 became known mat t~"
Government officials b,hrv" tn' case
against Dtiches and Rurucie is sufficiently
.oruplete To- be- presented by the United
states Attorney to the Federal Grand
Jury. which Will b" ,mpanrlled tomorrow
The bureau of investigation for the De-
partment OF Justice. by which the con-
splracy was unearthed did not cease It's
activities after the arrests on SATURDAY,
hut was busly engaged yesterday search
ing for other persons believed TO be con-
rected with The plot. Word came from
Philadelphia that the conspirators in this
city had agents AZ work there. These
men. il is expected. will he rounded up
during the next few days
The Federal investigators however.
have been able to get no clue as TO the
wherca bouts OF Hans Adam Won Wed"'I
who. IL is said IN the United States At
'orneys office was one OF the most active
men in the clique. Won Wedell described
himself rs an attorney. The Federal
authorities lost trace Of him three weeks
ago II is believed that in some way he
got out OF the country and is probably
now In Europe
Harold Content. the Assistant United
States Attorney who is prosecuting 'hr
case, said last night that he was es-
peclaily anxious 10 get hold OF Won Wcdcll
Mr.. Content does not hesitate 10 say
that he thinks there are men higher Ip'
in the conspiracy, men who are well known
in the community, but so far he has been
wholly unable to obtain any evidence IN.
dicatng their Identity.
I'VE may feel assured at least" said he
last night that the framework OF t1a
plot has been torn down In the arrests
already made and that there viii b no
rore German citizens leaving lh.s c"u"-
try under the guisC OF American citizen
ship"
While Mr.. Content was minimizing tho
probable extent OF the conspiracy TO OBJ
tain fraudulent passports, however, It
was learned from other sources that I'm
all likelihood great many Germans
managed to get out OF the country by
this device and that the plot had reached
such proportions that agents had been
at work all over the country buying up
citizenship papers.
curious incident connected with the
arrests on SATURDAY was the discovery
later that Ruroede had expected to get
the Iron Cross for his part In the game
Whether others had been active in the
plans had the same expectations is no,
known, bat there Is a hint that such was
the case.
1t was reported yesterday that as many
as thirty additional arrests may be cN-
nected within a few days. The Distric'
Attorneys office, however, would mention
no such figure as this, rather giving the
Impression that IL any more arrests were
made they would not number more than
half a dozen. There is apparently strong
desire on the part OF this office 10 make
as little as possible Of the whole trans
action for fear of bellIgcrout nations. OBJ
tanning the idea that fraudulent passports
nave been secured ny tho wholesale. vii
stragihtway adoN policy of such str'r
scrutiny OF all American travellers tina
great inconvenience will be caused
with yesterdays developments in th'
investigation OF the plot 1t became know
that for some weeks men have been cir
culatlng among the Bowery lodging houses
and in the Mills hotels trying to find mer
willing 10 sell their citizenship papers
Mr. Content says that the price generally
offered for such papers was 1926, hut h,
thinks that in some cases perhaps as muct
as $35 was given.