The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-02-21
STORIES DO NOT AGREE
Weilers Account of His Experiences
Contradicts Schimmil's Report-Did
Not Jump From Boat - Hopes
America Will Win.

Neither Fred SchImmll nor J. are
deserters from the German navy. We
were never sworn to the flag and con-
sequently had right to quit the serv-
ice if we wanted to. Moreover, we
did not jump overheard off the coast
of Pensacola, Florida. No man with
any sense would do that If he did
he'd be snapped up by sharks before
he came to the surface much less
to land. We did leave the German
navy, but not that way
With these words Louis Weller de-
MED today certain reports relative to
the experiences Of himself and Fred
Schimmil, the alien enemy arrested on
Tuesday under a charge of "espionage
and now awaiting trial before the
federal board at Milwaukee. The
statements Of Weller give new angle
TO the case inasmuch as they contra
dict the stories of Schimmil and ac-
cordingly leave it to secret service Of
fcials and federal courts to decide
which Of them is telling the
truth, tha whole truth, and nothing
but the truth''.
Weller admits that he and his pal
were formerly in the German navy and
that they took French leave" of their
training ship at Pensacola, Florida, in
1911. He contends, however, that their
action was not desertion inasmuch as
they were "only shipb boys" or
"cadets" not yet "sworn to the
flag He admits too that if they
had been apprehended by German
naval officials they would have suffered
punishment, but not Imprisonment, the
German penalty for desertion in any
form and asserts that they received
letters from their captain urging them
to return to the service without fear of
arrest on charges of desertion.
eft was this way, said Weller in
commenting upon the action of him
self and Schimmil. ''We were on
shore leave at Pensacola, Florida, and
we were sick Of the life at sea.
So after little walk around town
we decided we wouldn t show up when
the ship sailed and we didn ~.
"For three days after that we lived
in the woods without anything to eat.
When we couldn t stand it any longer
vre found farmhouse where we got
something to drink and another where
they gave us something to eat and
something to wear besides our uni
forms. A little later we cot passage
across Perdita Bay to Alabama where
we worked on farms and in canning
factories for more than year. 1t
was while we were here that we got the
, letters from our captain We didn It
want to 90 back to the German navy
though because we liked the United
States and wanted to stay here.
After that he enlisted in the
American army and I finally drifted
into Konosha. He was discharged
from the army the other day because
he was an alien and naturally came
here to see me, his old pal He in
qpired for me at the post Office, was
arrested and is now in Jail under a
charge of espionage.
When asked about the code-messages
found in Sehimmil s suitcase, Weller
said that his pal was doing recruiting
work for the United States army and
that the letters were written in the
army code He declared that both he
and Schimmil were innocent of any
connivanee against the United States
and that both of them were pulling
for America and her allies to win
the war;.
Although Weller statements ap.
peared genuine he could suggest no
reason why Schimmil should have told
the stories that he did He insisted on
this point that the accused man had
been misquoted and refused to believe
that his friend had either admitted
himself deserter from the German
navy or declared that he had jumped
overheard in southern waters
Louis Weller is the man taken into
custody earlier in the year on sus-
picion Of disloyalty to the United
States government The fact that
Schimmil inquired for him first led Of
fcers to suspect him and make investi-
cations which resulted in Schimmil s
arrest and imprisonment at Milwaukee