The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-06-13
DISPENSERS OF
FAKE WARNEWS
CAUGHT IN NET
Twelve Rounded Up BY Sec
ret Service
WORK OF ENEMY ALIENS
Washington Authorities Determined
to End Widespread Propaganda
Throughout the Country.

| WdSn'hglOH, June lo.-lne GONern-
ment has started roundup of the
| persons who for several weeks past
| in fact, almost from the day that
| President Wilson signed the declara-
| tion of war against GermaDy-have
been circulating rumors through the
| country that the Navy had met with
a great disaster, and that the Navy
| Department was keeping the facts
from the people Already about doz-
en- men suspected of knowing about
| the origin of these rumors have been
located by Federal agnts and a de-
mand made upon them to give the
Government all the information they
| possess.
Rumors that American warship had
been in battle with the German fleet
ana mat several of the American YES
sells had been lost with their crews,
that a mutiny had taken place on
board battleship of the Atlantic
Fleet, while that ship was on the way
to a French port, and that the super
dreadnought Pennsylvania, flagship
of the fleet. had been destroyed, have
been circulated in New York, Balti-
more, Boston and other cities. Still
another rumor which gained wide cir
culation in New York few weeks
ago was that the superdreadnought
Arkansas had been mysteriously
blown up and the navy hospitals were
full of wounded marines and blue
Jackets.
One of the men who is now being
investigated by the Secret Service
wrote letter in which he stated that
he had information that there had
been mutiny on board one of the
Atlantic feet battleships, and that in
quelling it many bluejackets were
wounded and several killed. The
Government was able to locate the
man who wrote the letter, and he was
taken before the proper authorities
yesterday Whether or not he dis
closed the source of his rumor the
Government agents declined to say
last night.
Another scheme followed by the
enemy aliens, believed to be respon-
sible for this propaganda, the purpose
of which is to stir up discomfort in the
naval service. and to cause the people
generally to distrust the Government,
is to tell these stories to boys in
their teens, especially school boys and
newsboys, who carry the news to all
parts of the city or town in which it
is desired to have the report circulat-
ed
For weeks these reports have been
coming to the attention of the Federal
authorities, and in each instance the
report has heen promptly branded as
false by Secretary Daniels, but even
his vigorous denials failed to stop the
rumor-mongers, and the result was
the issuance last Saturday of the Of
fetal statement in which Secretary
Daniels said that the country is be-
ing poisoned by rumors of battle and
disaster that are absolutely without
the slightest foundation in truth and
that reports from officers in command
of naval stations, inquiries from news
papers and individuals, letters and
kilograms from all parts of the coun-
try had led him ito the conclusion
that there is an organized conspiracy
on foot to alarm and distress the
people of the United States"
among the most persistent of
these false reports" continued Secre-
tary Daniels. lis one that declares
that p naval engagement has taken
place between the German fleet and
the combined fleets of England and
tn United States, and that in this
battle sixty English and American
ships were sunk or disabled, two of
the number being the Pennsylvania
and the Texas. In elaboration of this
falsehood are the added rumors' that
the hospitals at the various Atlantic
Coast naval yards are filed with
crippled sailors and marines, and that
the various hospitals of New York
are equally crowded with wounded
men.
That these rumors are part of the
German propaganda work now being
carried on in this country by spies
and other enemy aliens is the con-
ar