Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-09-27
Letters Of Wolf Won Igel Name
Justice Cohalan of New York
as Advising Air Raids on Eng.
land-Editor of Gaelic. Ameri.
can Agent for German Fund
Sent Irish Redistribution of
Fatherland's Name Linked
with Bombs.

It Is based on papers found
in the office Of Vol Won. Izel, and shows
a T%eutonic propaganda at its best (or
worst). The papers name Daniel F. CO.
halan, a justice Of the supreme court of
New York as as suggesting air raids on
England. mentions George Sylvester vi
reck, editor of the Fatherland) NOW vi
reck's Weekly and outlines a startling
chain Of official evidence against persons
prominent in the United States as being
moving factors n a great plot intended to
help the cause Of Germany at the ex-
pense of the United States generally.
OF TIMELY IMPORTANCE.
The seized documents now assume
peculiar Importance. in that they prove
undeniably the intimate relations be-
tween the accredited Representatives of
the Kaiser In the United States and
plotters against the laws and the security
OF this country. whose enterprise did not
fall short of projected wholesale destruc-
ton Of life and property.
Such of these documents as were es-
sential to legal proceedings brought
against the Germans have been published.
Others are here made public for the first
time. They form a curious. If disjointed,
chapter in the diplomatic history Of the
war.
HOW Won IGEL FIGURED.
In the fall of 1914. when the German
plots against Canada were fomenting in
this country. there was established, on
Wall Street, an 'advertising'' office pre-
sided over by a big. ST : man of Teutonic
aspect named Wolf W. Igel. There were
two peculiar features about this office. One
was that 1t was frequented during two
years of singularly quiet and unbusiness-
like existence chiefly by Germans who
had nothing whatsoever to do with ad-
vertising. The other was a large safe,
bearing the insignia of the German i'm
perial government. To this office there
came one morning in April, 1916, while
Won 1gel was preparing a mass Of papers
which he had taken from the safe for
transfer to the German embassy in Wash
ington, four United States secret service
agents from the department Of Justice. who
made their way past the guardians al
ways on duty, put Won Igel under arrest
and undertook to seize the papers. The
German was large, powerful, and brave
With the aid Of one associate he stub.
bornly fought the officers. striving t.
rescue the papers,. to close the safe. tc
get to the telephone. and communicate
with his superiors. Reviewers were draw
by the secret service men. They produced
no effect upon the intrepid Won Igel.
This is German territory" he shouted
"Shoot me and you will bring on war"
HOW PAPERS WERE SEIZED.
There was M shooting. But after
p~rotracted struggle the defenders wer,
overpowered and the papers seized. TIL
German embassy at once entered its pro
test. These were official papers. The.
were sacrosanct. The diplomatic prero
gative of a friendly nation had bee
overridden and the person of it's repre-
sentative insulted. To this the state de
! partment replied that the invade
premises at 60 Wall street were describe
3 in the contract as a private bushes
> office. and that Won Igel had not bee
formally accredited as a German repre-
: sentative. When the papers were exam
! ined by the department of justice the rea
s son for Won Igel's determined fight bt
;. came apparent. Here, in the form {
v letters. kilograms. rotations, checks. r.
= ceipts, ledgers. cashbooks, cipher code
s lists of spies, and other memoranda an
U records. were found indications-in son
instances of the vaguest nature. in othel
of the most damning conclusiveness-th,
$ the German imperial government. throue
its representatives In a then friend
nation. was concerned with
o Violation of the laws of the Unite
States.
Destruction of lives n property
merchant vessels on the high seas.
Irish revolutionary plots against Gre
Britain.
l. Fomenting ill-feeling against the Unit
States in Mexico.
q S%ubornation Of American writer's al
to lecturers.
~ Financing Of DrOpa
% Maintenance Of a spy system under t
10 guise Of a commercial investigation b
IN reau.
,u Subsidizing of a bureau for the purpo
~ of stirring up labor troubles in muniti
is plants.
The bomb industry and other relat
Oh activities.
a. JUDGE COHALAN AS ADVISER.
ur Among the Won Igel documents
lrt cluded in the disclosures made by t
committee on public information W
the following:
ry No. 335-16.
an Very secret.
nd New York. April II, 1916
Judge Cohalan requests the ira,
ed mission of the following remarks:
Ter THE revolution in Ireland can OF
o. be successful IL supported from G,
'or many, otherwise England will be a
'u. to suppress it.. even though 1t be Of
after hard struggle. Therefore help
en- necessary. This should consist, r
'ht marily of aerial attacks in England q
W a diversion Of the fleet simultaneou
l.. with Irish revolution. Then, IL D
sible a landing of troops. arms
ammunition in Ireland. and posi-
some officers from Zeppelins. 7
at- would enable the Irish ports to
closed against England and the est
ate ishment of stations for submarines
md the Irish coast and the cutting
Mt of the supply of food for England. >
services OF the revolution may the
fore decide the war;"
Ter. He asks that a telegram to this
feet be sent to Berlin.
51s2 sls7 o2so
- To His Excellency,
sh- COUNT Won BERNSTORFI
On- a