New-York tribune., 1918-06-10
Disloyalists Revive Chinese
"Tunnel Route" to 'Neu-
tral' Territory
Traitors Have Colony
Americans Evading Patriotic
Duty Secure Aid Through
German Influence
tspec,ai Dispatch to The Tribune,

tSpec,nl Dispatch to The Tribume)
Ell PASO, Tex, June 9.-Nea.ral
Mexico is harboring hundreds of dis
loyal Americans, and aid and comfort
are being given them by German resi-
dents of Mexico and by American hat
inc Mexicans. In Mexico City the
slacker and pacitist colony is being aug
mented daily by arrival from the
American side of men who have exiled
themselves in order to keep from CIV
;re aid or service to the United States
in the war.
Letters from Mexico City and Amerl-
cans and friendly Mexicans coming from
the capital say German influence. is be-
ING felt there in official and business
circles. and that funds are being given
freely for support of Americans who
show disposition to become traitors,
onenlv or secretly. to their country.
American army intelligence officers
are known to be watching the border
clsseiv for fugitives who have fed
from the United States Many are
headed for the border, according to in
formation received by the army intelll-
cence officials, but have not yet been
able to cross to Mexico, intelligence
officials say. 1t was reported here to-
dav that they are being aided by pro-
Germans. who are keeping them ad
yised concerning the search for them
and who will assist in getting them
into Mexico secretly.
Welcome Is Planned
The old Chinese system of "under-
H. hyvA ~ 10r
5cans seeking exile in Mexico. Men
and and women trained in smuggling
Chinese into the United States in
peace times are being employed by
German agents to assist pro-Germans
to escape from American arrest: Secret
nlaces in isolated portions of the bor-
der are used and ,anumerabie DIS,
cuises and subterfuges are used And
the broad extent of the border, Its desc
late stretches and many wild, almost IN.
accessible spots would make such es-
cane possible. despite all effort to pre-
vent il.
chihuahua City, 240 miles south OF
Ell Paso. has become way station and
TEMPORARY haven for American slack
ers and Germans who fee from the
American side. More than 400 Ger
mans are in chihuahua City now
who were rot there when. war
was declared on Germany, and they
are carrying on an intensive campaign
of American hatred among Mexlcans.
Reports from Chihuahua City to-day
tell of the arrival of more than hun
dred Germans there during the week
from the American side and from in
terror Mexican towns where friendship
for the Allies is strong.
Deserters Return Home
Deserving American soldiers who have
come hack to stand punishment rather
,han remain exiles tell of colonies OF
American slackers at several points In
Western Chihuahua. one colony being
said to contain more than eighty draft
cyaders. These are out of the zone of
German influence, it appears, and the
soldiers say the exiles are on the verge
Of starvation and would gladly return
to the American side but for the 1ear
OF punishment.
Reports that Charles Francis Phillips,
a pacifst deserter from the army, is at
Mazatlan cannot be confirmed by the
Intelligence Bureau.
Many Americans are in exile on the
west coast and German influence is
strong at Mazatlan, but 1T is not pc
lieved the American colony of exlies
there is large or likely to become trou-
blesome
Civilian residents on the porder are
concerned over reports of German &C
tivity in Mexico and of the possib!llty
of aerial invasion from the Mexican
side, but Americans who have been
through Northern Mexico say the Ger
mans are confining their efforts to at
tempt to Great trouble between Mexico
and the United States and to preventing
Mexico from showing a friendly atti-
tude toward the Allied cause: There
are not enough Germans in Mexico, it
is said, to do harm by force, but Ger
man money and German threats are
doing a great deal Of harm to the
United States by arraying Mexicans
against Americans.