The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-11-05
Lithuanian Carpenter Ar
rested as He Tried to
Board L. S. Transport
POLICE SEEKING
HIS ACCOMPLICES
Prisoner, Subject to Death Penalty, May
Save Himself by Informing Experts
Found Steel Cylinder Was Ingenious
Internal Machine.

Internal Machine.
NEW YORK, Nov. IA carefully |
laid plan to blow up a United States
transport was frustrated by the ar
rest late Saturday afternoon Of man
carrying a powerful bomb on board
q ship which is to be turned over to
the navy for the transport Of troops
this week.
The prisoner j, Matthews vailekounos,
a Lithuanian, who was employed as a
carpenter in shipyard in this port,
where number of German ships taken
over by the government, are being re-
paired. As a native Russian lie had
a pass to 90 to and from work.
The federal officials refused to give
out the name of the shipyard or the
name of the ship, except to say that she
was one of the largest of the German
liners seized here. The repair work on
this ship had been completed and She
WILL in few days. be taken over by
the navy for the transport Of Ameri-
can soldiers to France.
This carpenter duties were in the
shipyard proper and he had no business
on the ship. About 4 clock Saturday
afternoon he was stopped as he was
walking ont on the pier and asked
where he was going. He replied that
he had business on the ship. He was
told in accordance with recent orders
by United States Marshal Powers, that
he must be searched
/ This discounted the man. and he said
confusedlv that he had suddenly
changed his mind about going on the
ship. The naval officers became sus-
picious and informed him that he was
to be searched anyhow. He protested
volublv, saving he would quit his Job
and never come back if they wouldn I
search him.
BY this time he had sailor on
either side of him, while others made
the search, In the left hand outside
pocket of his Overcoat was found a
steel cylinder, slightly more than a foot
long and three and one third inches IN
diameter. When this was found. Mar
shall Powers was sent for.
The Marshal ordered the cylinder tax
en- TO the Brooklyn navy ward for cx-
animation, and took Naiiickounos to the
office of United States DiStrict-Attor
ncy France.
Experts 1t the navy ward found the
steel cylinder was most Ingenious
and powerful bomb. What was more
interesting was the manner in which il
was made and the materials EMPLOYED
part Of the timing mechanism was
OF platinum and the Internal machine
had an electrical decorating apparatus
that was not made outside of ma
chime shop, the most expensive ma
terlals available. One end Of the evil
indcr was closed with sealing wax. The
interior was filled with steel filings.
guncotton, chloratc and suIphatc of
potash. There was tlBc lock arrange.
mcnt for setting il off by electricity
| and It was IN this arrangement that the
| platinum was used. The upper end was
| closed with charcoal. The navy ward
| officials did not say lust how much
| damage the explosion OF the machine
/ would have DONE but they did say that
| the combination in it formed a most
/ powerful charge
II In the meanwhile the prisoner was
II being questioned at the office of IN,
II nlted states district attorney Bou
II in Llthuania, he said he had come I,
II this country III 1918. The records O
II the shipyard showed that he had becl
working there for three months, the an
II thoritics not having hesitated to civ
u hlm the necessary pass. He had don
= considerable work for the repair OF tn
i informed ships without having workc
i on board.
|: Mr.. France pressed the carpenter t
!: tell where the bomb came from. At frs