The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-09-26
ABUSE OF CONFIDENCE.
DEADLY BOMBS AND DJSEaSr
GERMS SMUGGLED INTO ROU.
MANIA.
While Under Protection of American
Government They Were secrcte., IN
Legation in Bucharest When Ron.
mania Entered War Against Ger.
many.

ploited' the protection of the United
States by secreting in the Germ.,
legation at Bucharest. after the Amer.
lean government had taken charge of
Germany's affairs at the Roumanian
capital, quantities Of powerful cxplo-
sives for bomb plots and deadly mi
crobes. with instructions for their use
IN destroying horses and cattle, was
revealed today by Secretary Lansing.
1t was another of Mr.. Lansing's Sc
ries OF disclosures of German in
trigue. made public without comment
IN the same manner as the Won Lux
burg kilograms which have brought
Argentina on the verge of war with
Germany, the Won Eckhardt letter
from Mexico City and the Won Bern
storff telegram asking the German
foreign office for authorization to
spend $4,000 to influence congress.
The latest story is told in a report
to the state department from Will
liam Whiting Andrews. secretary of
the legation at Bucharest, and a let
ter from Foreign Minister Barumbaru
Of Roumania.
Parcels and boxes taken into the
German consulate at Bucharest with
display OF great precaution aroused
the suspicious of the Roumanian gov
ernment. On August q, 1915, the
evening prior to the date of Rou-
mania's declaration Of war, some of
the cases were taken to the German
legation, located in a different building
from the consulate. Convinced that
the boxes were not taken away from
the legation by the German diplomat
ic mission on its departure from
bucharest, the Roumanian authorities
later ordered the police to find and
examine their contents. The police
communicated with American Min
lister Vopicka, then in charge of Ger
man interests, who reluctantly assign
ed Secretary Andrews to observe the
search. The boxes were found buried
in the garden of the German legation.
Mr.. Andrews report says:
Upon my return from the examina-
ton which resulted in the discovery
Of the explosives and the box of mi
crobes. both of which the legation SER
wants admitted having placed in the
garden. the former confidential agent
OF the German minister. DR.. Bern
hardt, who had been left with the le-
cation at tho German minister's re-
quest to assist in the care of German
interests. admitted lis knowledge of
the explosives placed in the garden: ::
sold me that more were in the garden
than had been found; that still
larger quantity had been buried i'm the
house OF the legation. and that stll
worse things than this box of microbes
were contained in the legation, and
insinuatcd that they would have been
found even in the cabinets of dossicrs
which had sealed.
| DR.. Bernhardt also stated that all
these objects had been brought 70
the German legation after our lega-
ton had accepted the protection of
German interests, which agreed with
the statement Of the servants. A sim
iiar confession was made to the min
lister by this man.
THE protection of the United State.
was IN this manner shamefully abus.
cd and exploited. In this instance, at
least the German government can no.
nave recourse to its usual system OF
denial"
Flrty-one boxes were taken from
the ground in the garden. Fifty OF
them contained each a cartridge fill
cd with trinitrotoluene saturated with
observation-disclosures, among the most
powerful explosives known. one-fifth
or each one being sufficient to tear
up railroad track. In the other bo>
were bottles of liquid found to be
civilizations Of the microbes of anthrax
and glanders. 1t bore seal showing
1t came from the German consulate
at kronstadt, Hungary, and inside was
round typewriter note in German
saying:
lnclosed four phials for horses and
rour for cattle. To be employed as
formerly arranged. Each phial is
suinclent for 200 head. TO be intro
duced, If possible. directly into the
animals throats; if not. in their fod-
der. Please make a little report on
the success obtained there; in case
OF good results the presence of Mr..