New-York tribune., 1916-01-19
FIecSWindOWIeSS Room of
ReStaurant-SendS Note
from The Bronx.
GUARD KEEPS ESCAPE
SECRET FOR 40 HOURS
Held on English Forgery Charge,
lie Helped u. S. Track Ger
mans Valued Papers Gone.

Ignatius 7. T. Lincoln. held IN the
Raymond street Jail. in Brooklyn. for
eXtradition TO England on a charge Of
forgery, escaped from custody last Sat.
urday. The shell Of secrecy surround
ing the escape was broken yesterday
and the Federal officers plainly were in
= state Of CONSERVATION at the fact Lin
coin had got ont Of their hands.
Lincoln has asserted all along that
he was German spy and that the
forgery charge made against him by
England was simply a preteXt on the
part OF the British TO get him back to
England for the purpose o. executing
him.
A letter. postmarked at a station in
The Bronx and marked o:]O p. m, was
discovered last night by agents Of the
Department of Justice. who admitted
that it was IN LincOln's handwriting and
was signed by him. They would not
reveal the name Of the person TO whom
IL was addressed.
Since Lincoln entered Raymond
Street Jail. on August /. 1918. it was
learned Secret Service officials have
watched every one of the fifteen per-
sons VINO called on him during MS I'M
prisonmcut. They have also examined
mail addressed 20 these in the hope OF
finding evidence to connect Lincoln
with the bomb plots.
With the news yesterday OF his es-
cape a brand new mystery developed
a. TO Just what position Lincoln occu-
pies m international intrigue and in
German plots in the United States.
William VI. Oflcy superintendent Of
the Department Of Justice. left no
doubt yesterday that Lincoln's recapt-
ure would serve TAR more significant
ends tnan merely the desire Of England
o punish him for forgery.
II would give a right eye. almost, 70
get him again llr Of'ey declared.
The reason for this anxiety on the
part Of the United States 10 get him
back was that he has been aiding the
officers investigating the Germans mu-
milton plots here 20 translate great
amount Of material that has fallen into
their hands. There were letters written
n German. there were cryptic code
mes Sages. and there were many other
papers TO which Lincolu's knowledge Of
the German secret service in this coun-
try was kew.
l. vas indirectly due TO the liberty
given Lincoln by the Federal officers in
his work Of translating these papers
for them that hc was able 70 escape.
And since his escape il has been found
that number Of valuable papers have
disappeared.
Lincoln was taken Saturday to the
Office Of United States Marshal James
VI. Power IN Brooklyn by deputy,
Francis j. Johnson. He spent some
time there translating papers for Of
fey's men. and then Johnson staA- d
back with him 20 Raymond Street Jail.
II was the custom 20 grant many
courtcsies 20 Lincoln. For one thing,
he was not manacied. For another. he
was allowed by Johnson 10 step INTO a
restaurant N Fulton and Pierrepont
streets for luncheon.
I'VE went 10 the women'S side. be
cause the mems side was filled. John
son said. After We took q table Lin
coin asked leave 10 20 10 the lavatory.
,et him and stood guard outside the
door. waited twenty minutes and hc
did not come back. so | got anxious and
went Boo. lie was gone. There was no
sign OF him anywhere. J was there all
the time by the door. so he must have
got out window
For more than forty hours Johnson
kept the escape 30 himself. Al the kay
mond street jail there was no anxiety
caused by Lincoln's failure 70 come
back. as he was in custody Of the mar
shall ofice.
FINALLY Johnson. in a scene Of tears
and protcsta:ions Of faitnfulness. told
Marshal Power that the star prisoner
was gone.
A alarm was sen; out az once. and
Department of Justice men all over the
country were set IN pursuit. An M
vestigation OF Johnson's story was
made. II was found that the lavatory
from which he said Lincoln escaped
had no window and two barred sky
lights IN II were intact. so that the
prisoner must have come out by the
door by which ne entered.
The delay by Johnson in telling his
chief Of the escape gave Lincoln val
liable start Mr. Of'ey said yesterday,
however, that he believed the fugitive
was still in New York City or vicinity.
He said he did not believe the man was
on ship trying 20 get away, as there
would be 10 difficulty in picking him up
If he were