Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-04-20
HOLD BOMB SQUAD
AND SEIZE PLANT
Federal Secret Service Men
Get at Bottom of Steamer
misunderstanding Rev.
Citations Are Made.

New York. April 14.-Detectives who
yesterday arrested four Germans
charged with placing bombs on ships
carrying war munitions to the entente
allies, today sought evidence involving
"a we'll known German" who is alleged
to have supplied a So 900 fund to
finance he fire bomb conspiracy. They
sought also the arrest of the chemist
who did the chemical work in the man
ufacture of the bombs. The name OF
neither of these men has yet been re
vealed by the police.
-Four employees of the Hamburg
American line and North German
Lloyd steamship companies here are
under arrest charged with attempted
arson, either in making bombs or ak
ing part in the conspiracy.
Four Under Arrest.
The men under arrest are:
Ernst Becker, 50, born in Germany,
electrician on the steamer, Kaiser
Friedrich Der Crosse, said by the
police to have confessed to manu-
featuring hundreds of bomb cases.
Capt. Charles Won Kleist, CT years
old, born in Germany, superintendent of
the New Jersey Agricultural and
Chemical company, of Hoboken, N. j.,
who has confessed, it is asserted that
IRE bombs" were loaded in his COM
pany's place of business.
Gait. Otto Wolpert, AZ, s~uperinten-
dent of the Atlas line piers of the Ham
burg-American line, WHO is accused Of
having received the completed bombs.
Capt. Enno Bode, 10 years Did, SUI
perintendent of the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
line piers in Hoboken, N. j., who the
police say. has admitted acting as the
| agent of Cant - ~ Dar1n,, fD,-,,
er military attache of the German en-
bassy, in visits to the plant of the
New Jersey Agricultural and Chemical
plant, and assisting in the distribution
of the bombs.
Won Kleist, who claims to be a
brotherinlaw of General Briezen, of the
German army, who was killed in bat
tie in December, 1914, was the first to
be placed under arrest. He was said
TO have been instrumental in bringing
to police headquarters the men &C
cused as coinspirators with him.
I'VE have invaded the haunts of the
men who are responsible for the fires
n explosions on steamships, sugar
carrying ships both at piers and at
sea- declared Captain .Tunney, of tho
bomb. squad, in telling of the seizure
at the chemical plant Of 200 bombs of
the type said to ave been used in the
attempted destruction of vessels. The
go SSSo tS ~ 'oNlt vi Sl = d.
ton which has been conducted By fed
eral and city authorities since last
June when the French government
complained to the state department at
Washington that unexploded bomb
had peer found in sugar bags aboard
the steamship, Kirkwald, according to
the police, admitted that it was one OF
those made by him.
Backed BY Rich Mar.
Becker, the police say, has confessed
that his bomb factory was located on
the steamship Kaiser Friedrich Der
Groose. The containers made by him.
he is reported to have asserted, were
delivered to Won kleist at the chemical
plant n to be distributed to men>who
placed them aboard ships. 1t is be-
lieved the bombs also We're shipped to
various parts Of the Unied States fire.
quently in suit cases as ordinary bag
age
Captain Tunney declared funds for
the manufacture of the bombs Were
supplied by a wealthy man whose iden-
tity he refused to %divulge. He said he
was told details of the plot last Octo-
Der by Lieut.. Robert Fay, already I'M
der indictment in connection with al
legged plots against steamships. The
failure of MANY of the bombs to eX-
plode greatly cnagrined the persons re-
sponsible for their manufacture ane
distribution, Tunney and Fay told him
This resulted in dissension which aided
the police in obtaining information, he
asserted.
The bombs were composed Of two
shells, the outer of aluminium and IT,
inner Of zinc. The inner shell wa
filled with a strong acid. the police say
which after 70 hours hours, would ca
its way through the zinc and ignite TIA
powder or other explosive in he outer
shell. The resulting explosion, accord.
ing to fire department experts, woulc
have been of tremendous force, and 1
two or more occurred simultaneously il
a vital part Of the ship they would hav,
blown out the side plates and caused
the vessel to sink at sea.
Since January, 1915, fires and ex
plosions nave occurred On more thar
q score Of ships at this port under sus
picious circumstances. Many Of then
Were attributed TO spontaneous com
bustion. The only explanation givel
by the police for the failure Of the ex
plosives to cause greater destruction
was Wat the chemicals used in loadini
the bombs were OF an inferior quality.
Because of the nature of the case
against them, the specific charg
against the four men under arrest
attempted arson.