New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-05
"Freie Zeitung"
In Newark Raided;
Five Under Arrest
Owners, Editors and Adver-
Using Manager Charged
With Aiding Enemy

NEWARK, n. j., Oct. 4.-Federal Of
fcers this afternoon rsided the Offices
here of the New Jersey "Freie Zei'
tuDg," one of the most prominent Ger
man papers in the East Five men
were arrested and every piece OF
written matter in the Office was seized.
Publication was not suspended because
OF the raid.
The "Preie Zeitung" is one Of the
papers cited to appear in Washing
ton tomorrow and show cause why u
should not be barred from tho mails.
Early this afternoon the Federal au-
thorities received word from Washing
ton to raid the newspaper plant inn
mediately and place under arrest all
responsible for it's publication.
The five men taken into custody are
Benedict Prieth and Edwin Prieth,
owners of the paper: Frederick j.
Hartmann, advertising managerj Will
lam Won Katzler, editor in chief, and
Henry Waechter, city editor. An auto
mobile mail truck was used to cart the
paper seized in the Offices, editorial
and composing rooms to the Federal
Building.
Charged with Aiding the Enemy
The five men were erraigned before
United States Commissioner Kessler
on the complaint Of Charles Ente-
mann, chief postal inspector for this
district. and we're held in $4,000 bail
each. They were charged with having
violated Section 3 Of the espionage act
Of June is. 1917.
The complaint against them alleges
that they wilfully and unlawfully con-
spired 10 commit offences against the
United States by making and convey
ing false reports with intent to inter.
fere with the operation or success OF
the military and naval operations OF
the United States, and to promote the
success Of its enemies. -,
They are further charged with hav-
ing caused, and attempting to cause
in differentiation, disloyslty and mutlny
in the military and naval forces'of the
United States. The complaint names
as specific overt acts committed by the
defendants that the said defendants
caused a newspaper, called the New
Jersey Freie Zeitung,' 20 be published
and distributed at Newark. n. j., con-
tanning articles Of false, misleading
and seditious nature"
The governments complaint quotes
extensively from editorials printed on
August. 8, IL, 10 and 81, and on Sep
tember |. 2, 8, 4, and Is Of this
year. 80,
When the Federal officers entered the
building Bennett Prieth and ms brotn-
or. Edwin, were revising brlef Tnlch
they had prepared in defence OF the
governments order which thev were 10
answer tomorrow. Twelve Secret Sst"
vice men made the raid. Postmastef
John F. Snnott and United states DIS
trict Attorney Charles F. Lynch. ae-
compsnied them as far as the entrance
to the building, and then waited out,
side, while they made their arrests ana
seized such evidence as they saw mt.
Immediately upon their release on
bail the five men returned to their OF
fees and set to work preparing mater'-
al for an issue of the paper Tomorrow
morning. District Attorney Lynch s4' i
that with the arrest of the men he had
gone as far as he was empowered ana
that he could not prevent their ISSUING
a paper. Benedict Prieth's promised
that the mornings issue woi!d set
forth In full the attitude and position
of the publishers. ;
The New Jersey "Freie-Zeitung" IL
one of the oldest German-languago
newspapers In New Jersey. IL was
founded in 1868 by the father oil the
two brothers arrested to-day.
Raided in Civil War
While waiting srraignment benedict
Prieth called attention to the fact tina,
his paper has been published every day
since It's founding, with the exception
of three days in 1868, when & was
raided and his father mobbed BY Cit.
Gems angered by an editorial he had
written and printed, defending the gov
ernment's draft.
Both BENEDICT Prieth and his BROTH
err have been prominent In Newark ar
fairs for years Three months ago the
former resigned as treasurer Of ire
Republican State Committee, ositlon
he had occupied for more than zen
years.
On August 6, in its English language
column, the "Freie-Zeitung" said:
"A little impetus might be given 20
our war enthusiasm If we knew what
we are fighting for. Our small but
extremely powerful English-Amerlcan
clique tells us we are at war in order
TO make democracy safe for the world.
That may all be true, but the vast
majority OF Americans cannot see IL
in that light. The world will Dc abb
solutely safe for democracy II the
three greatest highwaymen history has
ever Known mely, England, France
and Russia-will give up their thiev-
ing designs"
Paid Respects to United states Troops
On August IL, in the same column,
the "Freie- Zeitung" said:
"Mr. Floyd Gibbons. The New York
Tribune's correspondent with the Amer
lean contingent in France, tells US that
on the march the American soldiers
sang Hang the Damned Old Kaiser to
a Sour Apple Tree 1t Is bad start
for men who are supposed TO be fight
ino for 'freedom iugtice and humanity