The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-05-18

a habeas corpus action was imme-
diately instituted in behalf of the
count and he was taken before Fed |
eral Judge Carpenter and released on
$4,000 bond. Hearing of arguments !
on the habeas corpus proceeding was
set for May 20.
Washington, May 13.-Attorney
General Gregory authorized the issu-
ance Of q presidential warrant for and
the internment of Count James
Minotto under the presidents procla-
nation relating to German alien enc
mics.
Action was taken by the attorney
general after long consideration of
the case which was referred to him
after the department of labor had re-
fused to order the deportation of the
count. In the meantime the count
has been at liberty on bail
Count MinOttO, a son-n-law of
Louis Swift. the Chicago packer. is "A
man Of such tangled nationalities that
he comes near to being u man with
out country. His father was an
Italian Of avOwed prO-German sym
pathies. and his mother was a noted
German actress. He was born in Ber-
lin and educated in the banking bust.
ness in Germany
When the war broke out he was
employed in a German bank in Lon
don. He came to the United States
and took out first naturalization pa
pers here. but never completed the
naturalization process. At first he
was openly pro- German but when
Italy entered the war, he offered tc
return to his fathers land as an Ital.
physical reasons. Later he offered
an ambulance service to the Italian
government. but this gift also was re-
fused. Then he sought a commission
in the United States but his German
| citizenship prevented. He offered hi,
service to the bureau naval intell
gence to become q United States Sc
cret agent but officials suspected him
of had faith and did not accept him
He was associated with society people
in England, the United States anC
| Argentina. He was visitor at the
German embassies in London anc
Washington, was q friend Of Count
charge at Buenos Aires, and also o.
M. CaillauX former French premier
recently arrested on a charge Of trea
son, and with Nine. Caillaux whe,
| they were in South America.
Secretary McAdoo was entertained
by Count Minotto when the secretary
visited Beunos Aires two years ago
The count at that time represented
New York bank in Argentina, bu
previously while acting as agent 10.
another New York bank had been re
called because it was feared his pro
German sympathies would commi
the bank to improper policies.
The bureau Of naval intelligence
whose request that Mnotto be deport
ed was refused by the department O
labor on the ground that Minotto hat
| neither broken any United States
law nor threatened to do so, cited a.
facts supporting its suspicion that
the count was a German agent, tina
he maintained a mysterious private
| office at his Long Island home. an(
employed private secretary although
his salary as representative of tn,
New York bank was comparativel
small MinOttOs friends explained
that his wife was wealthy, and tina
consequently he was not forced tt
live on his business income.
The department of labor referred
the case to the department of justice
declaring that If MinOttO was as dan
gerOus as the bureau Of naval intelli
gence maintained, he might be in
termed.