Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-11-29
.BLOCH's BROTHER 4 OEsERTER
German Tailor, Arrested At st. Albans
Half Brother Of Man AWAITING
Court Martial Hearing.

St. Adams, Nov. Eft now develops
that Siegmund Bloch. who was ar
rested at his tailoring shop on North
,, Main street last evening on the charge
of violating one of the war acts charg-
ing him with making threats against
the government, has half-brother,
Walter Bloch. at Fort Ethan Allen.
awaiting a hearing by court martial
for alleged desertion from the United
States army.
At the time of the Franklin county
war convention in this city a few weeks
ago Bloch attended and with him was
a young man. a stranger in this city.
| The two sat we'll toward the front of
| the city hall where one of the meetings
was held, and SO disturbed were two
well-known' SwantOn men by their ac-
tions when Major George Adam was
| speaking that note of complaint was
| sent to some of those in charge of the
convention arrangements.
! Next day man who had heard of the
occurrence visited Mr.. Blochs shop and
asked who Blochs companion of the
night before was After a little hest
tation Bloch pointing to young man
! who had been working in the shop for
a few days. said that he was the man
and that he was his brother. A few
days later Bloch stopped his visitor and
asked him why he had inquired so
particularly about the identity of his
\ brother and was told that it was be-
| cause of adverse comment on the ac-
| tiOns of the two at the war convention.
Bloch then said that he had remonstra-
| ted with his brother because he talked
in German and he said that although
he himself had not laughed at any
thing the speaker had said his brother
had shown his displeasure by facial
expressions. Major Adam had spoken
in strong condemnation of the German
government and the German conduct Of
! the war.
! Bloch then stated that soon after the
| convention men had visited his store
and questioned himself and his brother
| closely ana his brother had told them
he had been a sailor. After the men
| had gone Bloch asked his brother IL he
| had committed any crime and thus
ELECTED the information that he was a
| deserter from the United States army
He had not seen his brother for sew
eral years. he said. and had not known
what he was doing. His wife while or
a visit to New York had happened
across him and brought him home and
he was to stay here IL he could make
a living as assistant in his brothers
shop.
The half-brothei. said Bloch. had come
here under the Tame of Ellis; his real
name was Walter Bloch. After Bloch
| learned that his brother was n deserter
he took advice, he said, and it was de-
| cded that Walter should give himself
up to the military authorities, and this
he did the next morning. going to Fort
! Ethan Allen. Bloch says his brother
has not been tried yet. He says his
| do tpd no n
entered the great conflict and at first
he thought he would conduct a defense
on the ground that Walter. being al
enemy allen, could not be forced to sta!
in the army, his further contention being
that he would be forced to stay ever
if serving a sentence in a military prison
Later he decided to await the outcome
OF the trial There appears to be some
discrepancy regarding the time of the
desertion. 1t is said that at one time
Bloch said his brother deserted wher
the troops were on the Mexican border
but it is thought that that is not the
case but that he deserted while in the
Panama canal zone and made his wa!
to New York.
Bloch, the tailor, is native OF Ger
many. He has said that he was once
a soldier in the German imperial guar(
which IL composed of tall men, Blocf
Is six feet or over and is man Of large
frame. He also has said that he served
with the German expedltionary force II
China at the time of the Boxer trouble
He has claimed that he left German!
J becadsc his independence sometimes go
him into trouble with the authorities
Until mail service with Germany wa
interrupted 1t 10 reported that he hear
from home and received German papers
} He had not even taken out his frs
, naturalization papers. This he Is sal
to have explained to a secret servic
3 man by saying that he had started t
take them out, but had not completes
l it because he would have been oblige
: to close his shop for a day to 20 t
4 Burlington.
;. The man under arrest here had
brother In the German army invading
e Belgium. News came that the brothe
was wounded. decorated with the Iro
a Cross and promoted to commissions
;. officers rank. Bloch also had spoke
of a brother serving in the coast artil
3 lery at a southern seaport a couple Q
n years ago.
1t is understood that Bloch was sub
( scriber to the Second Liberty Loan.