The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-09-27
GERMAN PLOTS
AGAINST j. 5.
J. Barred BY RAID
Kaiser's Spy Net Covered the
Entire Country.
BERNSToRFF WAS THE CHIEF
Teutonle Secret Service, Under Com.
nerciaI Guise, Paid for Placing
Explosives on Ships-Gern1an
Money Paid for Revolt
in ireland.

many's espionage and desperate actiy-
, ity in America is possibly the most
startling made since the first declara-
based on official documents held by
the United States government which
have not hitherto been made available
to the press.
lBs the Committee on Public Infor-
mati0n.1
Washington, Sept. 24.-Within Il
few days German newspaper pub
lished in this country employed as the
headline to an article dealing with a
rumor of German-American disaifec-
ton in this country the derisive legend,
''Lieb' Washington, magst ruhig sein."
This is, of course, parody on the
refrain of die Wacht am Rhein," the
German national hymn:
"Lieb Yaterland, magst ruhig sein.'
Loved fatherland, be restful Tor
undisturbed."
In the parody it carries a sheer COM
prehensible only to one who under
stands the German mode of speech and
thought.
Type Of German Propaganda.
Of itself the instance is slight. But
1t typifies a certain important phase
of the German propaganda which
subtly but persistently seeks to pre-
sent Germany's course in America in
! the most favorable light, even to the
extent of defending the improper ac-
| tivities of the TeutOnic diplomatic rep
resentatives before their passports
were given them.
Because of this continuing propa-
, gsnda certain documents in the pos
session Of the department of justice
now assume peculiar Importance, in
that they prove undenlably the init
mate relations between the accredited
representatives of the kaiser in the
United States and plotters against the
/ laws and the security of this, country
whose enterprise did not fall short OF
projected wholesale destruction of life
and property.
Curious Chapter in History Of War.
Such of these documents as were
essential to legal proceedings brought
! against the Germans have been pub.
lished. Others are here made public
! for the first time. They form a curious,
: II dlsjointed, chapter in the diplomatic
| history of the war.
In the fall of 1914 when the Ger
man plots against Canada were foment-
/ ing in this country, there WAS CStab'
! lished at 60 Wall street an "advertis-
! ing" office presided over by a big
suave man of Teutonic aspect named
Wolf won Igel.
| There were two peculiar features
about this Office. One was that II was
frequented during two years Of singu-
larly quiet and unbusinesslike exist
ence chiefly by Germans who had
nothing whatsoever to do with adver'
Using. The other was n large safe,
bearing the insignia of the German i'm
perial government.
Won IgeI Defies v. S. Agents.
To this Office there came one morn.
/ ing in April, 1916, while Won Igel was
preparing q mass of papers which he
had taken from the safe for transfer
to the German embassy in Washington
four United States secret service
agents from the department of justice
who made their way past the guar
dams always on duty, put Won Igel
under arrest and undertook to seize
the papers.
The German was large, powerful
and brave. With the aid of one ass0
ciate he stubbornly fought the officers
striving TO rescue the papers, to close
the safe, to get to the telephone and
communicate with his superiors. Re
volvers were drawn by the secret ser
vice men. They produced no effect
upon the intrepid Won Igel.
"This is German territory he shout
ed. "ShOot me and you will bring on
war;" ..- . ..s-
There was no shooting. But after
a protracted struggle the defenders
were overpowered and the papers
seized. ....
Find Proof Plot Was Laid.
When the papers We're examined by
the department of justice the reason
for Won Igel's determined fight be
came apparent. Here In the form OF
letters. kilograms, notatlons, checks
receipts, ledgers, cashbooks, cipher
codes, lists of spies. and other memo
randa and records, were found indica
tions-in some instances of vaguest ma
ture, In others of the most damnine
onclusiyeness-that the German i'm
perial government, through its repre-
| sentatives in then friendly nation
was concerned with
Violation Of laws of the United
| States.
Destruction of lives and property In
merchant vessels on the high seas
Irish revolutionary plots against
| Great Britain.
Fomenting ill,feellng against the
United States In Mexico.