The Washington herald., 1916-04-13
FOUR GERMANS
| HELD IN PLOT
| AGAINST SHIPS
Prisoners Confess to Con-
spiracy to Wreck Vessels
Bound to Allied Ports
CAUSED MANY BLAZES
One Man Held Cousin of Late
Prince Bismarck-Von
Papen Mentioned.
BLOCKADE RUNNING is Barred
Lubricating Oil Sent to Berlin Through
Neutral Countries. Hidden in Ship
ments of Fertilizer.
CAUSED MANY BLAZES
BLOCKADE RUNNING is Barred
tpy Iptematon,l New. ssrics.l }


New York, April 12.-FoUr arrests were
made tonight by the local police in con-
nection with the mysterious fires on ships
destined for ports OF the allies.
One of the men arrested is Charles Won
Kleist, aged 81. retired German naval
captain, living at Hoboken. He is a
brother-in-law of GEN. Won Kleisen, who
was killed four weeks ago at the front.
He IS cousin OF the late Prince Bis
marck.
Another prisoner is Capt Otto VOL
pert, A, superintendent of the Atlas
Steamship Company's pier. He lives
in Bloomfield. N. J.
4 third prisoner is Capt. Emo Bode
49. superintendent of the Amer
lean Line docks in Hoboken. He lives in
Glen Ridge, N. Y.
The fourth is Ernest Becker, 90, an
electrician, on the interned German liner
Friedrich Der Crosse. lying at Hoboken.
Attempted Arson Charged.
The men are charged with attempted
arson. The affidavit flied against
them charges them with acting in
concert with each other and others
not arrested. in manufacturing fire
bombs and placing them in sugar
bags on board the steamship Kirkos-
wald. of the Fabre Line. now the
French Line, on or about May 2. 1914
The arrests are regarded by the po-
.lice~ and kSxaxad States Secret Service
men as the most important since the
investigation of German propaganda
methods was started. The arrests
were followed almost Immediately by
full confessions of two prisoners,
shown as the tool of the men higher
up. The name of Franz Won Papen,
the former German military attache
to the United States, is brought into
the case through a short statement
made by Capt wolpert
The confessions indicated that plans
to blow up the allies ships and been
put into operation in other ports than
New York. Every suspicious fire on
ships bound for allied ports is now
regarded as having been instigated by
men who worked in connection with
those involved in the confessions Just
obtained.
blockade Running Disclosed.
The investigation made by the police
also disclosed that agents of the Ger.
mans have been running the blockade
for more than a year. 1t disclosed that
large shipments of lubricating oil had
made their way to Berlin through neu.
trail ports in Denmark and Holland. The
oil was buried in shipments of fertilizer
sent from a plant known as the New DER
sey Agriculture Chemical Company at
Hoboken. This place was also the fac
tory for the bombs that have caused the
fires on ships in New York Harbor. Beck.
er has admitted that he made the outer
shells on board the steamship Frederick
Der Crosse.
On June s last, the Kirkoswald arrived
in Marseilles, France. Suspicious fires
had been discovered in the hold of the
ship. A mysterious looking bomb was
found. This was shipped to the State De.
partment in Washington and in turn
forwarded to the New York police.
1t was cylindrical in shape, about sis
inches long and made almost entirely OF
lead.