New Britain herald., 1917-06-04
TRIO ARRESTED AS SPIES OF GERMANY Federal Authorities Expect to
 Identify Men "Higher Up' GAVE MILITARY INFORMATION. Channel Through Which Berlin Was { Informed of Movements of Amer S ican Dcstroyers May Be Uncovered
 Held on Technical Charge.
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GAVE MILITARY INFORMATION

s ican Dcstroyers May Be Uncovered
 Held on Technical Charge.
 New York, June 4.-,With three men under arrest, who are alleged to be only minor figures in conspiracy to transmit information of military value from the United States to Germany through neutral mail channels, the federal authorities and detectives to- day indicated further arrests, which, they said, might result in disclosures of German spy system. Apparently the ofllcers hoped they could uncover an explanation of how Germany knew in advance of the approach of the American destroyers to the British coast 50 that an Irish port could be mined. Statements of where and when the three defendants were arr rested, and their identity, were with held pending their arraignment today before . United States commissioner.
 The charge against them, at pres ent," Asst. U. s. District Attorney Knox said, sis that of competing with the government by carrying mail in opposition to the government Mir. Knox added that the charge might be changed to treason.
 Two of the men are said to be American-bor and the third nat uralixed citizen of sweden. Exam nation of quantity of mail .eized by federal agents indicated the trans mission of information on steamships to Mexico and thence probably by wireless to Germany.
 Cable Censorship Insufacient.
 MT. Knox was asked if the discov- cries which had been made showed that censoring the cables was insuM- cient to keep information from being transmitted quickly to Germany.
 Tt certainly shows" he said. ''that censoring cables is not enough.
 Mir. Knox said that the mail for Ger many which had been captured was of considerable variety, and that part of 1t related to business matters. He refused to say whether it involved the shipment of munitions into Mexico. Whether the men under arrest knew the contents of the IettArz which they. were carrying and understood that they were serving German spies. could not be learned. In order to hold the prisoners without disclosing the whole case against them. they will be arraigned before Commissioners Hitchcock in the federal building to- day on the formal charge of conspir- ing to violate Section 185 of the fed eral statutes. This is as follows:
 Whoever shall carry any letter or packet containing letters on, board any vessels which carries mail other wise than in such mall, except as otfl- erwise provided by law, shall be fined not more than $50 or imprisoned for not more than one month, or both. "
 Though the specific act described in this section is lightly punished, the three men will be charged with con spiracy to violate the section, and the punishment for such conspiracy under Section 37 Is not more than two years imprisonment. or fine .of not more than $5,o00. or both.
 The police declined to tell where the men were arrested or how the plot was discovered. but MT. Knox and Commissioner Scull agreed that the case was one of great importance.
 Shortly after the war the United States government established cen sor on the powerful wireless stations in this country. When this country entered the war the use of all wire less was prohibited except under the immediate direction of the United States. Since then it has been re- peatedly rumored that information about American military movements and of ships, gathered by spies in t,is country, has been smuggled into Mex leo, or sent to German submarines. German controlled neutral ships or German raiders and relayed to Ger many.
 It was intimAted at police head quarters that the search for the pa irons of the German mail-smuggling service might uncover the spies in Thigh places
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