Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-24
GOVERNMENT |NTERNs
OVER 5000 ENEMIES
Less Than 300 OF These Have Been
Arrested by Department
of Justice.
THOUSANDS OTHERS DETAINED
Three Distinct Glasses OF German
Subjects Held in Prison Camps.
Thirteen Hundred Prisoners OF
War.
Especial to The Timcs-Dispa,ch. ]

( WASIiINGTON, .:unc 23.-Since the
war began /, has become necessary :or
this 30 crnmcnt to intern somewhat
more than 1000 alien enemies and TO
p.ac" them in the custody - the Wa"
| Department for safe-h"cpng. and for
such us-iui occupation as international
Iiiaw and war-tim agreements author
ize.
An Impression has gone forth that
there ere many more than 1000 Ger
mans Of all classes held ~ the United
States II has been &c icraily supposed
for example. that the Department OF
Justice alone had caused tho arrest
and internment OF that .naLy or more
dangerous Aliens. but the Official records
OF tho War Department disclose the
fact this department has delivered to
the army less than 900 Germans and
Austriars. found upon Investigation to
be a menace TO the peace and welfare
of this government.
II must not ass med. however
that the Dcpartm mt Of Justice invcs-
tisstcd no more than 80 slien enemy
cases. AS matter OF fact. thousands
OF German subjects have been taken
into custody during the past year. thcil
activities carefully ines -igatcd and
all evidence regarding them passed
upon in Washington. Only p frac-
ton of those detained have been found
10 be dangerous Characters and there
fore subject to ntern-lcnt.
At the present time the governmcn;
is holding three distinct class OF Ger
man subjects in military barracks. They
arc prisoners Of war. alien enemies
aud undesirable aliens, commonly
known in official circles $ CONNER
c!al prisoners" Each of these Eroups
has a different status under the law
A status which is recognized in their
uphccp and in tho char c,cr OF work
cxactcd Of them
The FIRST class includes all prisoners
OF war. At the PRESET time there arc
1910 Of these at tho war prison bar
racks, Fort MCPHERSON. Ga This
number embraces all the prisoners
taken ~ the United States other than
those captured by tho army in France.
Those in France bcn. held by
Genera Frrshini:. Il Will be deter
mined later whether or not To shin
them 10 America or whether TO hold
them in the fold in order to have them
available in tho event OF an exchange
OF prisoners.
All tho prisoners OF war a, For, Nc
Pherson were captured by tho navy.
BY far the greater part of them wer.
taken from the commerce raiders prinz
Eitel Friedrich. the Kronprinz Wilhelm
and the .\ppam, all three Of which YES
sells were interncd by this govern
mcnt prior TO Americas entry into the
war They were first held at Nn-folE
later moved to Philadelphia, and whoa
turned over TO tho army they we're
moved TO the Georgia post. 4 few o.
them were taken from tho Sunboat
Cie!er and from the small cruisers
LoCksuh and Cormoran. Thirty-eiGh;
we're recently captured by the destroyer
flaming when U-boat IS was sunk
ABOUT 2.50O DETAINED BY
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
y total of approximately $500 Ger
mans we're detained and informed by
the Department of Labor when. at the
outbreak OF war. this government
seized the German commercial vessels
ted up in American ports. These
aliens arc not properly prisoners OF
war. inasmuch as they were not in
either the military or naval service OF
Germany. They are merely undestr-
able aliens. under the immigration
laws. but. matter OF national
safety. they have been sent TO intern
nicni amps and are guarded the same
as prisoners.
The Department of Labor modified
the commercial sailors at Hot Springs
y. g.. more than a year ago Recently
an order was issued directing their de-
livery TO the army on or before July
When this order is carried out the
commercial prisoners will be sen. to
Fort Mcpherson and held in barracks
Tow being built alongside those occu-
pied by the prisoners OF war.
ABOUT 100 LODGED IN
JAILS ALI. OVER COUNTRY
In the third class OF Germans in
termed are all the alien enemies ar
rested upon presidential warrants by
the Department of Justice. :, total OF
Si3 informed enemies OF this group are
held at Fort oglethorpe. Ca, and AL
are held in war prison barracks
at Fort Douglas, Ariz. In addition.
10 these 1854 alien enemies. it is
understood that the Department Of Jus
tice has perhaps 100 more lodged in
jails scattered about over the country
They Will be turned over to the War
Department Just as soon as they can
lie assembled at some convenient place.
Also il is stated that the Department
OF Labor has few groups of unde-
sirable aliens at Ellis Island and other
points awaiting the completion of the
new barracks al Fort Mcpherson. This
number Will not exceed 200.
PRISONERS OF WAR SUPPORTED
by OWN GOVERNMENTS
Under international agreements, all
prisoners OF war are subsistcd and
clothed at the expense Of their own
governments. Germany, through the
Swiss legation. provides for the Ger
mans in this country and the United