Mexico Missouri message., 1917-10-04

larry quiet and unbusinesslike exist
ence chiefly by Germans who had moth
Ing whatsoever to do with advertising
The other was a large safe. bearing the
insignia of the German imperial gov
ernment
One morning in April, 1915 govern
ment secret service men visited this
same Wall street office while Won Igel
was preparing mass of papers which
he had taken from the safe for traus-
fer to the German embassy in Wash
ington.
Find Lists of Spies.
When the papers were examined by
the department of Justice the reason for
Won Igels determined fight became ap-
parent. Here. in the form of letters.
kilograms, notations. checks. receipts.
ledgers, cashbooks, cipher codes, lists
of spies and other memoranda and rec
ords were found indications-in some
instances of the vaguest nature in
others OF the most damning conclusive
ness-that the German imperial gov
ernment through its representatives in
then friendly nation. was concerned
with:
|. Violation of the laws Of the United
States.
Destruction OF lives and property in
merchant vessels on the high seas.
Irish revolutionary plots against
Great Britain.
United States in Mexico.
Subornation of American writers and
lecturers.
Financing of propaganda.
Maintenance OF a spy system under
the guise OF a commercial inVestiga-
tion bureau.
Subsidizing OF q bureau for the pur-
pose of stirring up labor troubles in
munition plants
The bomb industry and other related
activities.
Koenig-von Papen Commerce Bureau.
Perhaps the most illuminating single
document in the collection is a letter of
July 20, 1915, reproduced as 1t ap-
peared upon the stationery OF the "Bu-
reau OF Investigation" This innocent.
pretending agency was at the outset
the secret service of the Hamburg
American Steamship company. Under
Paul Koenis, its manager, 1t became an
adjunct to the German diplomatic secret
service. xxx" is the secret designa-
tion OF Koenig, who is now under in
dictments on criminal charges in con-
nection with this diplomatic" work.
and is informed at Fort oglethorpe.
The person represented by the figure
1000" Is Captain Won Papen, former
military attache OF the German en-
bassy and the practical executive of its
underground system. The document de-
scribes the subterfuges OF xxx" (Koe-
nig) so that he might not be identified
by the mysterious - when they met.
xxx" states that money was to be
drawn for the payment of $3.50 to the
unnamed person, under peculiar precau-
tions, through Check No. 146 on the
Riggs National bank, Washington.
dated July 16. payable to----
signed -, amount $780, No rea-
son was given as to why the payment
was made" says the report
Bombs in Coal.
Several days after the payment, the
recipient called at the passenger Of
flee of the - line" and made a state
ment which is thus embodied in the
Xxx report.
my name is -. 1 have an office
at the -- building. but do not care
to state my local address. intend to
cause serious damage to vessels of the
allies leaving ports OF the United States
by placing bombs. which am making
myself. on board. These bombs re-
semble ordinary Jumps of coal, and
am planning to have them concealed in
the coal to be laden on steamers of
the allies"
Finally xxx states that "the caller"
brought with him a sample bomb.
such as has been described to you by
the subscriber" and asks for the in
structions.
The document is lsttered at the foot
20. r. to 7OOo," indicating that the Sc
cret agent known as 20. r." had trans
mitted 1t to Won Papen.
Check Is Traced.
Now for the proof, direct and unes-
capable Check I46 on the Riggs Nation
al bank has been traced and added to
the secret service collection. 1t is pay
able to Koenig and signed by Won Papen.
Therefore Won Papen stands convicted
on the evidence of a report claimed as
| an official document by the Germans, OF
paying money to a plotter designing to
blow up merchant ships sailing from the
port of New York. The person who made
| this report is known to department of
justice officials.
Compare these documents with the fol-
lowing authorized statement from Ber-
lin, transmitted by wireless for publica-
ton in the New York Times ia December
| 1915:
"The German government has nat
urally, never knowingly accepted the sup
port OF any person, group of persons, So
ciety or organization seeking to pro-
mote the cause of Germany in the United
States by illegal acts, by counsel or vi
| olence, by contravention OF law, or by
any means whatever that could offend
the American people In the pride of their
own authority"
Destruction was not by any means
the sole interest of Koenig's energetic
bureau. 1t concerned Itself also with
spy enterprises To Koenig wrote Otto
West, an American citizen and pro-
prietor of the Hour Glass, at 3O3 (or
363 Fifth avenue, recommending a rela-
tive OF his who, according to his de-
scription, must be an interesting and
somewhat formidable figure. Mr.. Vests
description, somewhat curtailed, follows
''le is a grandson of the late Ober-
hofprediger Strauss OF Berlin, brother
Of the present Militar Oberpfarrer Strauss
OF Potsdam, nephew of the late Admiral
Won Schleinitz,, the late General Won Man
tey, etc This gentleman changed his name
some twenty odd years ago to an Amer
lean name, and none of his associates sus-
poets his German birth or antecedents.
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