The Washington herald., 1918-01-02
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most DISASTROUS Zee TIT ever
swept over-this city. Save sseh ar
rested. charged witn inca d srism-
: A German plot to Destroy tsle city
10 suspected. Schmidt clfne1 to
be an employe Of the Dn1Etznent
OF Justice.
Norfolk 10 under nsrtiSsasy. The
IRE, which wiped out txx. hiocks in
the heart of the busineh dlstrict.
10 under control. One flstfaan was
killed by a falling we'll.
At o'clock the IRE Shfc1f had
been raging in the bgrin - section
all day, was gatten unesr eontrol;
More than s6,6oo.ooo dlfnsse had
been done.
Several blocks. ineiuAnE business
houses. hotels and srarsmeats werei
destroyed. Among th kpildings'
burned were the NontceiIo hotel,
the Tazwen apartraens and the
Dixon building.
Before the United st1tes enttred
the war colony OF tnerne3 Ger
man officers and saJoTs froga the
raiders Prinz Eitel and Rrenprinz
wilhelm was located a. torfolk.
and many Germans from aEasf parts
of the country were freeseps yisi-
tors to the city. Altar eight of
the interned Germans hAf broken
their parole and escs ped. tfe colony
was transferred to Lesgvs island,
and when the Unite tier
ed the war was rer feor-
gia-
Mecca Of PI stspa
Count Won BernstoffI, III German
Ambassador: Prince Hatxfsldt, en-
bassy counselor. and Capts. son Papen
and Boy-Ed, military And naval at
taches of the embassy, frequently
went to Norfolk to confer with the
German officers there. Both Won
Papen and Boy-Ed were given their
walking papers by the nnerlesn gov
ernfnent after it had been proved that
they were plotting against the United
States.
Before the escape OF those who
broke their parole, the Germans IN the
Norfolk internment colony were given
the free run of Norfolk, and many Of
them established intimate friendships
here among the pro-German elements
Of the city.
At dusk Chief OF Police Kiser and
Adjt. /. Walker Truxton. commander
OF the Norfolk Home Guard, acting
under orders from Mayor Wyndham
H. Mayo, closed all theaters, moving
picture parlors, billiard rooms and all
other places where crowds are accus-
toned to congregate. All persons not
holding special passes were ordered
from the streets at 3 o'clock.
Put In Norfolk Jail.
Both Schmidt and Lessg have been
turned over to the Federal authorities
and are in Jail here
The entire city is under the guard
Of 1900 sailors and marines from the
Norfolk Navy Yard.
Fifteen persons. suspected OF COM
plicity in a plot to destroy the city,
which has become one of the most i'm
portant seaports along the coast since
the war began. were being examined
tonight by agents Of the Department
OF Justice.
The federal authorities have estab-
lished special offices for the eXamina-
ton OF all persons who can throw any
light on the origin of the fire. Secret
service operatives, rushed here from
Washington and other quarters, fer
reting out all possible clues, and
rounding up all suspicious characters.
Campaign of Arson.
Fire Chief Mclaughlin expressed a
belief tonight that a gang of firebugs,
were at work throughout the day,
starting fresh fires whenever the
fire department appeared to be max
ing headway. He declared the gang
to be the best organized he had ever
run across in 25 years experience.
Schmidt was caught in the store
room OF the Ledger Dispatch. an aft
ernoon newspaper, and claimed to be
in the employ of the Department OF
Justice. When Ralph Daughton. an
attache of the Department of Justice.
was summoned, he said he had never
seen Schmidt before.
There Is general conviction that the
fires are the result of a widespread
German plot. Two distinct explosions
heralded the breaking out of flames in
the two buildings which were the first
to be ignited at an early hour. The
first explosion was at $40 o'clock, in
the store occupied by Madame SUIT
toms millinery establishment This
business was on the ground floor OF
building owned by the Dickson
estate. which covered three-fourth Of
an entire block, the rest Of the block
being occupied by the Monticello
Hotel. Norfolk's leading hostelry.