Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-12

mere arc no spies In Canada--at least
y" say tho officials. The people do not
"s'ce with them, however. and are
persistent In their demands that i'm
''co!h'e drastic measures be taken to
protect Canada from any more out
RACES such as the burning OF Parlia-
mcnt House
The officials Sun hold that this mys-
ferrous ire was due TO accidental
causes, but tho people arc not TO be
convinced The accidental causes. they
point out. could hardly have been re-
sponsiblc also for the attack on Vic
toria bridge across the ST Lawrence
The destruction or the Cane Spencer
OH "cpot ana fos station, and the three
couallT mysterious hres in munition
iactories-all OF which occurred in
rapid succession.
Then. too. tho circum instances in con-
nection with the fire In the Ottawa
capitol were most peculiar. The con-
haSraion !s supposed To have started
among the newspapers Ia the reading
room. and yat both the fire chief and
Sonar Law claim to have heard FIVE or
SIX explosions OF SOUND so cXtraor-
binary that they we're sure they must
have been caused by bombs or shells
The fact that there had been n small
fire in the same reading room tho day
before, caused BY few cigar ashes
oarelessly licked among the ncwspa-
rers. Is brushed aside by the people as
u:imnortant
Public Mind Made Up
BY this time some one has come
forward with a story about n suspi-
cious-looking foreigner who was seen
nervously pacing up and down the cor
ridor outside the reading room i'm
mediately preceding the fire. And the
boilers, which might have been re-
sponsiole for the hvc explosions. were
found intact anon the ruins After
~, ,t,ir
an! there is no changing IL The fire
was the work of the nervous young
NAV IN the corridor-,hc work OF a
spy.
Since then. while the authorities
keep insisting that there al. no spies
"a statement which Is borne out by
the fact that they have caught none
they ar. allowing themselves to be
persuaded INTO taking certain precau-
tons. The guard has been strength
enei on the Wcland Canal. and prep
arations have been perfected for rush
ing 5000" men and large quantities
81 ammunition 10 the boundary within
twenty -four hours II necessary. BE-
sides which, tho international bridges
are now also heavily guarded. Evi-
IDENTIFY the wild rImors circulated about
German invasion Of Canada have as
Sumed new Significance since tho
recent outbreak Of fires.
These rumors, coming from various
parts Of tho United states and even
England. all seem TO coincide. /;
seems that tho Germans. AT war with
England. arc ANXIOUS for tho Canadians
10 remain in their own country, and
hence arc thinking up ways to keep
them there. They have figured out, so
tho rumors have It, that if Canada
hears that she is to 10 invaded. she
viii keep more troops Al home. Thus
the government is .nrorned that "a
La tryn N l,cp n hi
Belgian refugees and Scandnavians.
arc in reality German army officers
who are drilling companies Of their
own Countrymcn for a future attack
on Canada.
Suspects Plots Over Border.
Furthermore, many movements OF
The same sort arc reported to he on
foot in the United States. II has been
brought to tho attention OF the Cana
dian authorities TINT out OF tho cnor-
nous number OF rifles manufactured
for the allies in the United States not
one has been shipped out OF tho coun-
try since November. The question is,
| what has become OF them? There is
only one answer, of course. The un-
suspecting Americans have sold them
TO Germans with fictitious names who
arc storing them up in secret hiding
places for raid on Canada.
These stories, scoffed at by tho au-
,horities, hut firmly believed by the
F! Canadian people. are also creating a
| certain amount Of nervousness in tho
| United States. AZ neutral country.
! we would be held responsible for any
| military aggression instigatcd on our
| borders and perpetrated from Ameri-
| can soil. The Department Of Justice.
through it's numerous secret service
| agents. Is making every effort TO see
| that such thing does not happen
Foreigners about whom there is tho
| slightest suspicion are under close sur
| VIGILANCE all over the country, and in
| such cases tho departments methods
! are swift and direct. IT does not wait
! 10 collect a complete chain OF evidence
| 1f n man suddenly cvinccs an interest
| In railroad routes to Canada and Is
seen carrying a suit case into his house
! after every respectable citizen is sup
| posed to he in he'd. he is arrested and
| his belongings searched. It may turn
| out that the suit case contained only
| eggs and butter or suit from tho
| tailor's. But by past experience the
| department knows that ii is Just as
= apt TO hold several pounds of dynamite