The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-09-21
THE MOST STARTLING EXPOSE OF
GERMAN PLOTTING YET PUBLISHED
my SECRET MIS- SION TO BRAZIL"
low Managed Gun Running Exploits Germany Under
Eyes of Brazilian Governm ent Observation-Disclosures
Of New Republic" Fifty Miles From Nowhere


: berg, who engaged in many politicf>e
]. machinations. tells a story of thrill
Ing interest Confessions that are the
sensation of Europe.
(By the Countess Won Schaumberg)
After my successful trip from Aus
( tralia. where secured the entire
gold output for our fatherland. it
was proposed to me that / return to
the headquarters of the Secret Ser
vice and receive another important
4 commission to another land. OF
course. had not the slightest idea as
to where the Foreign Office was about
to send me.
On reaching the Secret Service
Bureau OF the Foreign OfficeI was
directed to the office of Won Holstein.
6 My first intimation that it was intend
ed to send me to Brazil came to me
from Baron Won Holstein. who was in
charge of the sub-bureau that looked
cater Latin American affairs The
first question he asked me on entering
his office was: Can you speak Por-
tuguese. Countess?"
81 "a good instructor and four weeks.
and then, yes" answered. The
Baron laughed approvingly. and
within half an hour was provided
with a thorough instructor attached
Ito the Secret Service Department.
BY asking a question here and
there I learned that Portuguese is
A also the language spoken in Brazil;
and then I was able to make a good
guess at the reason of Won Holstein's
question.
FROM early morning till late at
night I was hard at work learning to
a speak Portuguese. Later they added
ganother Instructor to my staff. whose
task was to teach me Portuguese and
Brazilian manners and customs. This
last instructor was supplied to me
: from the bureau OF Steinhauer. the
man who was known throughout our
fatherland as the master international
SPY. having seen. service I'M every land.
Aftef mary rsFfings with my two
Instructors 4 reported once more to
won Holstein, who turned me over to
Herr Dernburg for further instruc-
tons, and a very long lecture on the
commercial possibilities Of Brazil fol-
lowed Herr Dernburg is a thorough
expert on these questions. was SUR
-prised to learn how much this man
knew about this country. The gist
OF what no said was that the Germans
had done more than any other ra5e
d 70 oeFeiOp the aiInOsL uniiulIeu re-
sources of Brazil and that 1 would
ind some towns and settlements SO
entirely German that in the schools
German is taught in the place of the
national language.
\ Herr Dernburg was very clear about
German influence in Brazil, but not
very precise as to the exact reason of
my hasty mission to that distant
country and why should be sent so
far TO see it.
After having attended three lee
lures by Herr Dernburg I was again
TUNED over to Steinhauer, who made
things clear to me, and being very
grufr, he made these plain in very
few words. But when he began to
speak about the new President of
Brazil he became fluent and express
ed himself in no polite terms. He
said that the new president was in the
pay OF the English and that he was
violently against everything German.
He was very antagonistic against our
people In Brazil and looked on the
growth Of German influence with dis
trust and envy. He regarded our
power in Brazil as menacing and was
working day and night to expel all
Germans from his country. Prompted
ND doubt by the English, the new
president OF Brazil was actually In
terfering with the import of weapons
DO the German colony in the south,
whiah had just been begun on sys-
tenatic scale; and he also forbade
the teaching of German instead of
Portuguese In the schools of the state.
There were more than 900, 900 Ger
man Reservists in southern Brazil, q
great majority of these men were as
sisted by the government to settle in
that locality. There was no doubt re-
garding their loyalty to the father
land whenever their country de-
manded their services. But the ser
ious matter was the importation of
Weapons. Several of our patriotic
German engineers and engineering
firIns from America had secured
franchises to build railroads In this
section. and by these means, IN the
process OF importing rails and other
building materials they had planned
to.smuggle guns and munitions for
he colony At first everything went
as desired, said Steinhauer. but sud-
denly the new president cancelled the
franchises that his predecessor had
given ito the German companies and
handed these over to British COM
Germ We had arranged for depots
and other secret places to store these
munitions In all the southern states
of Brazil 1t had been planned to
store rifles and machine guns, with
their ammunftfon.tE shficient to arm
all the Germans Of Brazil against any
possible eventuaiity. Steinhauer was
intensely nervous about the situation.
He feared that as soon as the new
British company took over the prop
erty that formerly belonged to the
German companies they would learn
what Germany had so far accom-
plished In the way of arming the Ger
mans in southern Brazil. He was
certain that sooner or later this
would come about. In that case he
wished to see these German colonies
well armed SO THAT they could defy
thes mall mob that the Brazilian au-
thorities might send against them
for the purpose of disbanding them.
So he urged that 1 should make haste
and start operations at once without
losing one moment.
again returned to Won Holsteins
Office for final arrangements. 1t was
decided that I should travel as the
wife Of q capitalist. On reaching Rio
de Jansiro we would hold confer
ence with the German consul there. It