The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-10
August j. Johns ViOlatOr of
Barred Zone Regulations.
He Has Been Working in Gen.
eral Office Building.
WAS WARNED TO REGISTER
Secret Service Man Working
for Railroad Reported Him.
Government Officials Start
Statewide Cleanup.

The first move to round up all alien
enemies who are keeping under cover
and are violating the barred zone re-
strictions in Topeka was taken today
when Assistant United States Marshal
c. c. Jackson arrested August J. Johns
of 11O7 Buchanan street as a persis
tent violator
Johns is a college man, neat in ap-
pearance and well educated. He has
been employed in the ticket auditors
office of the Santa Fe general offices
here. and it was his work that brought
him within the barred zone around the
state house grounds that got him into
trouble.
Johns is one of the few alien enc
mics in Topeka who failed to report to
the United States marshaPs office for
a permit to go into the barred zone,
and federal officers say that his fail
ure to report and his apparent effort
to keep the authorities from knowing
his status is considered sufficient evil
dence to make him a suspicious char
acter. Following his arrest the United
States marshaFs office notified United
States District Attorney Fred Robert
son and the attorney general OF the
United States, and it is said an effort
will be made to have Johns interned
for the duration of the war.
secret service on JIle JOD.
An unusual feature connected with
the arrest, and one that shows the
efficient and thorough methods the
authorities are using to round up all
suspicious characters, was brought
out when it was stated that a secret
service man, who is working in the
general offices of the Santa Fe re-
ported Johns to the marshars Of
flee. This secret service man is a
regular employe of the railroad, but
even the roads officials do pot-know
I he, is also in the service of the gov
ernment. 1t is said that a number
of secret service men also are work
ing in other Topeka plants and bust
ness houses and that they have sew
eral other suspicious characters under
their eyes.
Johns is a native of Germany and,
according to his statement this morn
ing, came to the United States about
20 years ago. After attending ST
Joseph's college at Teupolis Ohio, he
says he came to Topeka and has been
here practically ever since. He took
out his first naturalization papers.
but when he applied for his second,
Judge Dana refused them to him be-
cause he had made a trip back to
Germany during the time he was re-
quired to be continuously a resident of
the United States. He says he made
this trip back to Germany to get his
sister who is now married and living
near Wakarusa.
Warned to Register.
Johns said he did not register at the
United States marshaPs office because
he thought he was entitled to his sec
ond papers. which would make this
unnecessary He admitted, however
that he consulted Z. d. McKeever and
that Mckeever advised him he had
better register to be on the safe side
Also. it is asserted that the secret ser
vice man who is working for .he Santa
Fe advised him to get busy and regis
ter more than a week ago, but Johns
could not remember any one having
told Linn to do this but said that some
of his fellow workers might have
done so.
Johns appears to be in his early
th1rt1eS. He has a wife and a Is
months old baby and is expecting an
other visit from the stork within a
snort time. Altho he is apparently
we'll educated and intelligent he couId
give no definite reason why he had
not reported to the authorities. mere
ly statin>; that he thought he was en-
dtled to his second papers ana that
they would exempt him.
Arrest All VioIators.
Assistant Marshal Jackson saws that
an effort will be made by the authori
ties to intern every alien enemy in the
state who fails to report and persists
in traverslDg barred zones Zones
have been established in Toneka
Wichita, Kansas City, Kan, Leaven-
worth. Atchison and every town in the
state Where there is a mill or an i'm
portant INDUSTRY Jackson has lust
returned from trip to Wichita and
Hutchlnson where he issued permits
to about ninety alien enemies whose
work took them into barred zones.