Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-03
SLB()THS
lPTURE 300
HERMAN SPIES
1unted Teuton Espion-
age System Is Broken
by Uncle Sam
EQ, 600 ENEMIES ARE
xNTERNED IN AMERICA
BY WILLIAM ATHERToN DU PUY
WASHINGTON. Sept. g..

M ten In America Is broken" A. Bruce Bie-
y Ieskt chief Of the special agents of the De-
pertn1ent Of Justice, today told me. AT
4 present the Government is arresting on an
average OF six men day who are sus-
pocted Of activities In the interest of the
81 the enemy These are added to 300
4 others Of their kind already taken into
custody. Those already under arrest are
the leaders OF the German activity in this
+ country. Individuals who have II in their
4 heart to do harm are still at large. They
4 are. however. without leadership and a
herman is al ineffective sort of creature
when left to work without direction. He
must have his regular and formal instruc-
tons or he loses heart. What Is left of
.he German machine II without this drec-
tion and is thing little to be feared
There is a summing up OF the German
spy situation by the man who has had
most to do with its control. The special
Agents Of the Department of Justice" Is the
governmental agency which handles VIOLA
tions Of neutrality. 1t is the real secret
service Of the Government The so-called
Secret Service Bureau of the Treasury De-
partment is not the spy-chasing agency of
Uncle Sam The miscellaneous secret serv-
Ice is performed by the special agents. the
biggest detective bureau of the Government
and working under the Attorney General.
10000 GERMANS INTERNED
Besides the 400 spies that have been ar
rested since the war broke out, there are
some 10000 other Germans interned in the
United States. About 1900 of these are
German seamen who formed the crews of
the Prince Eitel Friedrich and the Crown
Prince Wilhelm, the two German naval ves-
sells that had taken refuge in American
waters. In addition to these. there are the
crews OF those German freight and passen.
ger ships that were in American waters
when the war broke out-probably some
5000 men,
These alien enemies are now snugly
tucked away at four internment camps
Hot Springs, n. c., and at Forts Ogle-
thorpe. Mcpherson and Douglas
OF those taken as spies many have been
paroled The United States has sought the
easiest way out of a delicate situation. II
has nabbed many suspects but has allowed
these to give bond against improper actions.
Some have agreed to live in communities
far from any military centers, and some
have been paroled
Bielaski, in Washington. sits at the CEN
ter of the web which covers the nation.
Al other important cities such as New
York. Chicago and New Orleans. there are
lesser web centers, each having a group Of
operatives which revolves about It. Then
there are the free lances of the service,
those who can he shuttled to whatever
point that requires the attention of espe-
cially skilled men.
Bielaski is the silent man with every
mesh of the web in his sensitive fingers
He gives the impression of a government
grind" enmeshed In red tape. Newspaper
men come to interview him, get nothing
and return no more. They wonder at the
nan and his work. but fail to secure
fgcts.
when the Attorney General asks Belaski
for information he finds the chief has the
whole story at his fingertps. His memory
Of detail is prodigious. He receives every
" Of 10
throughout the United Statel
Bielaski entered the Department of JUS |
tice twelve years ago as a laborer, and for |
Z compensation OF $3.50 a year. Soon he |
was a clerk of special agents, then an |
examiner. a special examiner. an assistant |
10 the Attorney General. acting chief and |
chief of special agents This latter post he |
has held since 1912.
Since before the beginning of the war |
has demonstrated his genius for |
and has built an espionage |
system almost overnight Although the |
system has been effective. its triumphs have |
been accomplished with the minimum of in |
Reference with the regular order Of affairs. |
STOPS PASSPORT FRAUDS
During the period of neutrality scores OF |
unpleasant situations arose because of the |
nsistence of Germany upon abusing the |
hospitality of the United States. Almost |
he frst of these resulted from a plan laid |
ache to the German embassy. for securing |
,alse passports for the use of German re- |
,ervists First through Lieutenant Hans |
son wedell and then through one Ruroede |
he former operated an ONCE in New York |
which sought to get hold of vagabonds
lround the wharfs and cheap boarding |
,ouses and to induce these men to apply |
o Washington for passports, which he pur. |
.hased and used in returning reservsts to |
Europe.
The plan had not been working long
when a special agent from the New York |
nice was on the trail. He succeeded in |
himself the proper sort of |
nan to secure fraudulent passports and |
vas soon deep In the confidence of the Ger |
mans. They even showed him how they |
transferred the imprint of the seal of the |
United States from the photograph of the |
applicant TO that of the man they wanted |
a send home It was done by wetting and |
the new print, laying 1t on a silk |
Is sndkerchief placing the picture bearing |
hs seal on top of 1t, pressing down and |
racing the letters with a paper knife. |
7uroede was sent to prison; Won wedell |
led, but was intercepted by the British and |
imprisoned, and the whole scheme was |
broken up. Won Papen was recalled at the |
'euuest of the State Department because of |
Improper activities Of which this was but |
Dna-
The watchfulness of the special agents |
vas evidenced by the fact that they knew |
no exact hour when. on April 10, 1915, |
Wolf Won Igel had taken seventy pounds |
u secret papers out OF various hiding |
>1aces and assembled them for transfer to |
Won Igel operated from an |
3EIlce at 60 Wall street. Though he was |
IN employe OF the German embassy, there |
MN q question as to whether his papers |
F<re immune from seizure. as they would |
- In the embassy. So he was making |
|oady to transfer them to unquestioned |
Iacsty.
us SEIZE IMPORTANT PAPERS
Hut at just the right moment the special |
ReontB raided his Offices. He fought like a |
11ud. but he was overcome. He says
|Aat his papers were exempt from the right |
II uotSure. The German Ambassador backed |
~ claim. The special agents admitted that |
3 they were Of icial papers of the embassy
|1ex should be returned. They took them
n Washington where. at the State De.
taxtn,ent. they met the German Ambas-
n<ce. Through the long hours of night
|11 off,cial dug through these papers
~ placed him In a most embarrassing
|o0fl{on- II he claimed them as State
IoC9fs he admitted an official part In their
1@tIotions. II he failed to claim them he |
~ this discriminating evidence In the |
/G Of the American authorities. He |
~ that the latter course was the less |
@lomina Virtually ali the papers were |
~ special ag>ntH Those papers |