Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-09-25

itous interest on the part of Germany 5
representatives in America, as was
startlngly proven in the plot to blow
up the Welland canal. Another lesser
but not unpromising enterprise against
Canada was foregOne by Won Igel be-
cause the volunteer plotter was too old
though he has the best of good will, +"
and also because of his know nconnec-
ton with the Gaelic-American and the
Indian revoluntionists.
Information carefully and extensively
set forth in the secret documents OF
the German oaicialdom was sometimes
wide of the facts. For example, a
lengthy memorandum of March l, 1916
transmitted by the secret agent Cap
tain Boehm. dealing with the Mexican
crisis. appears to have been largely the
work of some fervid and protective
imagination. The memorandum purports
to outline President Wilson's expected
message to congress 1t predicts that
| the president will attribute Mexico S
anti-American activities direct to Ger
man money and Indictment; that he will
call upon congress to support him in
| radical measures (the prophet even at
tempts to paraphrase the language to be
| employed in the MESSAGE; that con-
gress will indorse the presidents stand
| following which upward $50 German
spies and agents provocateurs were to
be arrested and the ambassadors Of the
central powers to receive their pass
ports
For all this, Captain Roehm's' autho-
ity is thus indicated over his own sig
nature:
1.-THE foregoing memorandum was just
given to me by an acquaintance return
ing from Washington. The acquaintance
is a skillful journalist who has good
connections cannot vouch for his re-
liability. but I know that ne hates the
present administration and fights IT.
His informant is a former secretary OIL
the American embassy at Rome, now
in Washington"
CAPTAIN Boeh himself was too loose
i of tongue for the good of his service
IL would appear from a report OF the
| German military information bureau
dated March 81, 1915.
captain Boehm decided to leave after
reports received here were submitted
70 him to the effect that members OF
the press were Informed as to his per-
sonality and the purpose OF his being
here. Too great confidence In the ST.
lence of his fellow men, especially the
members of the American Truth socie-
ty, was probably the cause OF his
becoming quickly known here
So the notorious American Truth So
ciety. which so strenuously denied Its
pro-German associations. figures as in
directly lined up with Germany's Sc
cret representatives. This society Is
still extant. and jeremiah A. O'Leary,
it's moving spirit, is now the editor or
Bull, recently shut out of the mails for
publishing seditious matter.
VIERBCK INVOLVED.
Many inventors, some of them obvi-
ously cranks, are represented either by
correspondence of notation as having
| plans involving the use of sundry de-
vices of destruction. One entry of the
sort merits special attention because of
the notoriety of the individual in
volved Here 1t is, translated from
the German record of correspondence:
June 10, 1915.-Sender, G. S. Viereck.
Contents, inquiry as to bombs; supply
offer. Told to send further details"
Possibly the further details"
| Possibly the further details are indi-
Gated in another entry of four months
| later
Sender. viereck Contents, offer of
picric acid"
Piric acid is a constituent of many
| high explosives. Mr.. Viereck is some
thing of high explosive himself. hav-
ing been editor of the virulently pro-
| German weekly Fatherland, of New
York. now changed in title (but not in
| purpose) to "Viereck's Weekly"
| Carefully preserved (for what pur-
pose one can only conjecture) are two
] letters written early In 1915 by T. j.
| Bowling, of 107 Franklin avenue. Hart
| ford, Conn, to Count Won Bernstorff,
the German ambassador, explaining
little plan of the writer's to get rooms
near various munitions factories and
| blow them up. Specifically, he ex-
i nraSgpd WILLINGNESS IN the SpO-
vile Manufacturing company and the
Chase Mills, of Waterville, Conn; the
| Remington Arms company and the I'm
| ion Metallic Cartridge company fac
tories in Bridgeport, Conn: and when
that was completed he thought that he
might go out to Port Huron. Mich,
and blow up the Grand Trunk tunnel
near that place. AS all these construc>
lions are still standing, it is obvious
that Mr.. Dowling's plans failed to
commend themselves to his distinguish
ed correspondent. His present where
abouts are not known.
| FAMILY PRIDE MOTIVE.
Other would-be destroyers of Ger
many's foes were less definite. Family
pride was the energizing motive of Mr..
IC. J. Waldron, Of Medusa, N. Y, who
wrote that, being a direct descendant
of Baron Won Waldron. he was deeply
Interested in the German cause, where
fore he proffered (April 10, 1876 a
shell of his own invention. 1t was not
accepted.
! A note of grim humor is supplied by
William j. Ruff, of Quincy, ILL.,, whose
letter of July 26, 1875, to Captain Won
Papen suggests new methods of blow
ing up trenches and planting mines for
ships. MY sole idea explains the in
genious Mr.. Ruff, ais to help and save
lives" 60 Nothing in the Won Igel
archives supplies evidence that Mr.
Rufus singular life-saving practices
were adopted.
Journalists. lecturers, and publishers
were literally employed by Won Igel
and his associates for the purpose of
German propa Uganda. Among those
thus tainted with the stigma of dis