Scranton Wochenblatt. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1865-1918, 1917-12-06
Rat|lOm'S Violation
ofAmeriCan Policies

ournal, voluntarily has confess
ed that he was guilty of the
anne crime for which the alleg-
d German conspirators are be-
ng sent to jail-of having con-
pired against a nation toward
which we were neutral and with
which we were on friendly
erms. Read the following from
he Fourth Estate of Oct. 27:
How "just a plain every
day garden variety of Amer
lean newspaper reporters was
able to outwit the best brains
of the entire foreign service
of the German Empire" in
obtaining facts concerning
German plotting in the Unit
ed States before this nations
entry into the war was told
by John R. Rathom, editor
of the Providence Or. - Jour
nal, to the members of the
Philadelphia Association of
Credit Men on October %.
Some of the instances of
the secret service work done
by members of the Provid-
ence Journal staff, as related
by Mr.. Rathom, follow:
"At the beginning of the
war we were fortunate in
having in the Providence
Journal two sets Of wireless
apparatus. From the day that
war was declared in Europe
we had ten men, working in
relays of twos, who took and
copied every wireless message
that went to Germany from
the Sayville and Tuckerton
wireless stations. We got
more material than can ever
be used.
"The Germans used three
codes, all of which were very
difficult. One of them we
have never been able to de-
cipher. The other two we
worked out after an effort of
several months. After we had
been collecting these mes
sages for a few months we
presented what we had to
President Wilson and gave
him certain facts about the
wireless situation.
"In a number of the mes
sages we caught there was
reference to the death of
Little Emily. Each time she
died she was buried in a diff
ferent place and different re-
latives attended the funeral.
l told the President that l
doubted if Little Emily could
die eight times in two weeks,
and he said he did, too.
"Then we began a search
and made careful investiga-
tions from the Atlantic to
the Pacific. But it was es-
sential to get on the inside.
We were fortunate in having
a representative in the Ger
man Embassy in Washington.
He was one of our reporters.
He had been there seventeen
months.
"Then DR.. Albert came
over with a $40,000,000 slush
fund. He was going to bring
this country to the side of
Germany. When he arrived
in New York he discovered
that Count Won Bernstorff
was in the Adirondacks. He
at once wrote the Count a
letter. Our man in the en-
bassy opened it.
"When Bernstorff return
ed to the embassy on the fol-
lowing Tuesday he opened
the letter which had been
opened by our embassy man
the Sunday before and sealed
up again. He never knew
what had happened until he
sailed for Halifax.
"In July, 1915, one of our
men brought in a copy of a
conversation sent by Ambas-
sador Dumba to Count Bern
storff saying that Mr.. Bryan
had told him that the Pres
ident didn't mean what he
was saying and to go ahead.
Mr.. Bryan has never denied
this"
sailed the Providence Jour
nal"
Observe that none of the big
lew York daily papers save one
as been able to afford the lu-
ury of an exclusive wireless
ervice.
That no small country news