The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1917-07-06
Three ARRESTED /
IN HUNT FOR SPIES
U. S. Agents Seize Three Sailors
and Unstamped Mail for
Germany.
SUSPECTS IN THREE CITIES
Letter Reveals Action Of Spies Hover
ing About Transport Fieet-Knew
Number of Guns and Sol
diers on Board.

New York, July 6-Seizure by the
government of documents which will
lead, it is said, to the identity of hith-
erto unsuspected men in this city,
Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago as
German spies was disclosed by the
arrest Of three sailors from the Dan
ish steamship United States.
A large quantity Of irregular" mail
unstamped, it Is alleged, also came
into the possession Of department Of
justice operatives.
Banks Mail Called o. X.
There were several sacks Of mail
consigned to the Transatlantic Trust
company of 81 William street. This
was the institution in which Franz
Rintelen, recently convicted German
spy, kept his funds. The company in
1915 advertised to send money to Aus
tr1a-Hungary by q German submarine.
Nothing unlawful was found In the
trust cOmpany's mail, it Is said
Practically all Of the Danish steam
er's irregular mail, according to the
three arrested sailors, was sent from
Germany, Austria and Hungary, to
Switzerland, and thence was forward
ed to Denmark, finally being slowed
away in the hold Of the United States
The sailors told, it is said, Of large
quantities of contraband mail regular
ly sent between the United States and
Germany, through Switzerland, and by
way Of Danish, Sweden and Norwe-
gian ports.
Spies Outwit U. S. Censors-
Washington, July 6.-That Ameri-
can cables and wireless systems can
be used by clever organization OF
spies, that methods pursued by the
government to block transmission of
military information have failed and
that the entire system must be
changed are convictions of American
naval officers in charge Of cable and
wireless censorships, who have re-
ported their conclusions to Secretary
Of the Navy Daniels.
Agents of every secret bureau of the
government are working together in
the hope of bringing in the biggest
roundup of spies that the country has
ever seen.
Had Inside Information.
Information reached Washington
that German community in Brooklyn,
N. Y, Was in possession of detailed
information concerning the American
troop ships. A letter demonstrating
this has been received by prominent
American citizen residing in Washing
ton. The letter follows:
"This morning Mr.. B, q prom1-
nent insurance man, came into Doctor
ks Office and asked him concern
ing his son ION board one of the trans
ports). Doctor X told him he
knew nothing except the meager in
formation In a letter he had received
from his son.
"Then Mr.. B told DR.. X that
he {B.) knew when the boat sailed
and what was on board and that one
of BIS agents Qnsurance) had WIS.,
tied a house in Brooklyn where some
Germans lived and there was told
that the ship would sail such and such
a time; that there were SO many sol
Gers aboard, and that there were
several hundred pieces of artillery on
the ship"
German Risk Agents Active?
Another element that is engaging
attention of the authorities In the es-
pionage hunt is the German marine
insurance companies in this country.
When the steamship Manchuria, which
was leading the American troop trans
ports out of New York bay, collided
with a barge, agents of German COM
panies boarded the craft to conduct an
examination. This inspection gave
them an opportunity to discover the
other transports and to approximate
the number of men aboard.