The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-10-06
DASTARDLY WORK OF GERMAN SPIES
DISCLOSED BY SEIZED DOCUMENTS
That Emissaries of the Kaiser Struck Many Foul Blows
Proved by Papers Made Public by the
Government.
Ex-aERHAN AMBASSADOR IS DEEPLY INVOLVED IN PLOT

frequented during two years of singu-
iarly quiet and Unbusinesslfke 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
eminent
One morning in April 1915 govern
ment secret service men visited this
same Wall street office while Won IgeI
was preparing a mass of papers which
he had taken from the safe for traps
fer to the German embassy in Wash
ingtOn.
Find Lists of Spies.
When the papers were xamined by
the department. of justice the reason for
Won 1geIs determined fight became ap-
parent Here. in the form of letters
kilograms. notatfons. 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
eminent. through its representatives in
a 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.
Great Britain.
Fomenting III feeling against the
United States in Mexico
Subornation Of American writer's and
lecturers.
Financing of propaganda
Maintenance of spy system under
the gutse of commercial Investiga-
ton bureau.
Substituting of bureau for the pur-
pose of stirring up labor troubles in
munition plants.
The bomb industry and other related
activities.
KaAn;1 No. pa1an Cer,,,e.e. p,-o-,,
Perhaps the most illuminating single
document in the collection is a letter of
July 20. 1915. reproduced as it ap-
peared upon the stationery of the Blu
reau of Investigation" This innocent.
pretending agency was at the outset
the secret service of the Hamburg
American Steamship company. Under
Paul Koenig. its manager, it became an
adjunct 20 the German diplomatic secret
service. xxx is the secret designa-
ton 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) 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-
lions. through Check No. 146 on the
Riggs National bank, Washin gton.
dated July 16, payable To-
signed --, amount $3.50. 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 ct the passenger Of
fee of the - line" and made a state
ment which is thus embodied in the
xxx report.
My name is --. I have an Office
at the - building. but do not care
to state my local address. I intend to
cause serious damage to vessels of the
allies leaving ports of the United States
by placing bombs. which I am making
myself, on board. These bombs re-
semb1e ordinary Jumps of coal. and 1
am planning to have them concealed in
the coal to be laden 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
Structjons.
The document is Iettered at the foot,
80. R. to 1000" indicating that the Sc
cret agent known as 20. r." had trans
mitted it to Won Papen.
Check is Traced.
Now for the proof. direct and unes-
capable. Check 146 on the Riggs Nation
al bank has been traced and added to
the secret service collection. It is pay
able to Koenig and signed by Won Papen.
Therefore Won Papen stands convicted,
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 il December,
1915:
THE German government has, nat
urally, never knowingly accepted the sup
port of any person, group of persons, So
ciety 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, OF by
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. American citizen and pro
prietor of the Hour Glass, at 300 Cor
36S) Fifth avenue. recommending reIa-
tive of his who. according to his de-
scription, must be an interesting and
somewhat formidable figure Mr.. Vests
description, somewhat curtaiIed follows:
He is a grandson of the late ODER
hofprediger Strauss of Berlin, brother
of the present AIilitar 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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