Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1917-12-28
THE BARONESS SON
is VERY GERMAN
Bedford ShOpe Visits His Mother in
Jail at Chattanooga.
PERMITTED 10 CONFER
Carefully Guarded BY Attorney From
Approach By ANY body Lieut.
Spa!ding Confined 10 Camp
Pending an Inqeiry. '-

Bedford Shope. whose step-father is
a German officer of high rank on the
western battle front. arrived in
Chattanooga from New York and hur-
ried TO the side of his mother. Baron
ess Iona zollner. in the county jail
The boy came at the summons of
wire sent several days ago by the
baroness. He announced his arrival
by telephone, asking permission TO see
his mother. On coming to the Jail he
was escorted to the hospital cell in
which the baroness has been confined
since her arrest The meeting drew
emotional sobs and cries from the
mother and son, and they held each
other in a tight embrace for many
! minutes. Attorney Carl Abernathy
was in the baroness cell when the boy
was admitted, consulting his client.
Young Shope speaks with a strong
foreign accent, and carries himself
like a military trained school boy.
He is said TO be l6 years of age, but
looks much cider.
= The youth was allowed TO remain
with his mother several hours. Mr..
Abernathy requested of Sheriff Bush
at late hour to allow the boy to re-
main in the cell with his mother over
night. This request was refused, and
guarded by the attorney. Bedford
was taken to one of the hotels A sec
ond request was made OF Jailer Bal
lews before they left the Jail. The
mother, it seems, asked the boy to
come to her cell at in the morning.
Mr.. Ballews told the attorney, who
transmitted the message to see Jailer
Whitcomb, who comes on duty about
that hour
Efforts of reporters to interview
Baroness Zollner have been unavailing
for the last several days. Although
others are admitted ao the baroness
cell when Attorney Abernathy is in
the building. a reporter is generally
told that Mr.. Abernathy is upstairs,
and much caution taken as TO allow
ing Mr.. Alternately to know that
newspaper man is near the cell or de-
sires TO see the prisoner when the at
torney is in the presence of Baroness
Zollner.
The German boy from New York
was permitted to confer with his
mother as long as he desired and with
no person within sight or earshot, ex-
cept the woman's lawyer, to note any
message that might be delivered or
any coaching of the boy as to what
he should say in the event he is ques-
toned by federal authorities.
Lieut.. j. M Spalding is under arrest
at Oglethorpe, being confined to the
limits of the Sixth Infantry camp.
Pending the assembling OF board of
inquiry, or completion of investiga-
tion by federal secret service officials.
it is understood the officer will per-
form his usual duties but will not be
permitted to leave the camp. Federal
officers were OF the opinion that they
would want him as a witness at the
baroness hearing.
Lieut. Spalding is said to be facing
an inquiry based upon an alleged vio-
lation of the sixty-first article OF war,
which deals with personal conduct Of
officers. The circumstances OF his ar
rest in Baroness Zollner's room. hid
den under the bed and only partially
clad, as charged by the police, will
probably be investigated even though
it be determined that he is innocent
of intrigue with an alien enemy
Chattanooga Times.