The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-09-18

This evidence against the alleged
 spy was given to the police today by
 no other person than Manza mares
 roommate, Melton Le5arrga, also a.
 Spaniard, who instead of exonerating
 his friend-a task which brought Le-
 jarrga to police headquarters-only
 buried 1aim deeper in the .mire of sus-
 picion.&
 Manzamares for the first time since
 his arrest has displayed willingness ito talk and in a long letter to Captain, Cronan he admits that he was stufly-
 ing chemistry to learn "now to make
 gunpowder." He asserts he applied
 himself to this line of study because
 of the fact that at Pompton Lakes.
 where he worked for the DuPont
 Powder Co.,, he found the concern
 was making uncounted millions" Le1arrga told Cronan this morning
 that he and Manzamares arrived at
 Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, the day
 following the explosion at Black Tom
 Island which is only few miles dis
 tant. This statement of Lejarrea
 Hatly contradicts the assertion of the
 defendant. The latter stated he was not near the scene of the explosion
 until two months after it occurred
 After leaving Berlin, Germany, two
 years ago for Brazil, South America,
 Manzamares .met Laiarrga. Both
 were passengers on the steamer Es-
 peranta, plying between Cuba and
 New York city. They have lived to-
 gether ever since. Lajarrga is the
 man who disappeared when Manza-
 mares was arrested. This morning he
 visited Capt Cronan to try to exon
 crate his roommate. se ss
 In a letter protesting his innocence
 written to~~Cronan from the county
 Jail the prisoner protests his inno- cence, and mainta5ss tIst the metallic
 sodium in his possession was sent him by correspondent> school despite the denial by an agent or the school The prisoner admits that he was pro-German in his war views until of
 late when German "crueltiess chang ed his sympathies and he now posses ses an aversion for Germany" He states in his letter that if he has con- temp1ated or committed any wrong he will gladly ..pay with his life'' for the act
 With true Latin gallantry he ad- dresses his missive to Cronan with the words My Captain" and signs him. self, T am. my captain, your most devoted servant Manzamares asserts he has money in the bank and asks that an attorney be hired with the funds. = The most damaging evidence thus far found against Manzamrares is the two contradictions of his statements regarding Black Tom Island and the metallic sodium His friend Leiarr- ga now places him at the scene on the day after the explosion. The large can of metallic sodium found in his room,, he asserts, was sent him from Scranton, Pa, by the Chemical Supply Co.,, at the request of the Internation- al Correspondence school from which he was taking lessons in chemistry. Agent King of the school says it didn't ship this dangerous explosive to Manzamares. The latter says it | did and he was ignorant of the fact that it was an explosive until he read of it's dangerous. composition in the | newspapers. The police are inclined to believe the agent of the school. In time of war. they assert, this alleged practice of sending explosives should be stopped and if it is done i the federal authorities should step in and take a hand in the matter. That correspondence school should send highly dangerous explosive to | a student and fail to inform him of it's | character is secuted by the police. | Manzameres in his letter to Capt. Cro- nan sets forth his movements while | in this country. He says he came to the United States a year ago. .He lived in New York city for some time at the Mendez House, 10S and no West 64th street and resided at 24S or 1 34S 3rd avenue.
 He worked in a restaurant near the | Pennsylvania. station and was em- | ployed by a cafe owner known as .tDonahue.'' Later, he says, he worked in coal mines at "Mineville, N. Y.'' Then he went to Pompton Lakes to work in the DuPont Powder | Works, coneeiving there the idea of studying chemistry. He often went | to New York, he states, and stopped | at the Columbus hotel on the Bowery 1 and came here from Pompton Lakes ] four and one-half months ago.