The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-18

Prisoner, Whose Parents Were Rumani-
ans, Insists lie Was Working for the
French-case Has Many Elements of
Mystery, Says Official.
NEW YORK, Feb. Is.-Agents at
tachcd to tbc army intelligence service
went 20 q tenement house in East l2sth
street Saturday afternoon, where they
found a completely equipped laboratory
specially adapted 20 the testing of high
explosives The man in charge of the
laboratory is Jacob : Pepper, who says
be- is an American of Rumauian parent
age, and who makes the claim that he
is am cxpcrimeuter employed by the
French government Pepper is locked
mp ut police headquarters and will be
arranged before United States Commits
siouer Hitchcock today
Pepper. when questioned by Assist
ant United States District Attorney
Laurence II. Amman, said he was born
i'm New York 81 years ago, and when
be- was Is months old his parents took
him 60 Rumania, where he remained
Ill he was ] years of age, when all came
back to New York He went through
the public school, aud, when he was
20 wears old. for a second time returned
20 Rumauia. He admitted, It was said.
that he had been educated IN Vienna
aud Berlin. first attending the lniyer-
aty of Vienna and aftorward taking
"a postgraduate course In the Cniver-
sitv of Berlin,
Pepper admitted that Iva December,
1914, ne had visited England and
France, remaining i'm those countries
about six weeks. after which he re
turned 90 New York In answer TO
questions concerning the laboratory,
which he admits owning, Pepper said
he was engaged in experimental work
for the French government. He said
that there is un German blood in his
veins and that ap has no sympathy for
Germany i'm this war.
His only ehisnation of why he went
10 England aYT-rrrr~-~a~swv~ssazssrx
months OF the war was that he went
ou "privatc business, He said that
for several weeks last year be- was en-.
pluycd b. the state to build q caisson
-at Seneca Fails.
The laboratory Zee Ea-t l2sth street
was described "a complete i'm detail nee
ossarv for the testing of high uxplo.
siyrs. There wgs also found a dcto
mating fuse aud n book having TO dc
with tine manufacture of shrapnc
shells
"Tbi, ease.' said % federal onicia
last night, lis very interesting ON,
and has many ol the elements of a mys
terry, The man, however, is not vet
charged with any crime under the cspi
ouage act, but simply with having higl
explosive i'm his possession, which is
under the lgw passed by congress last
October, misdomganor The invcsti
CATION is still under way.
br l1ae Stfaus. a German subject
and tar head of q chemical company
who was arrested last Wednesday by
agents of tho secret service, is still de
tanned at the integnment prison on Eli
Island. His ease is still the suhiec
of investigation. 1t was said at tn,
federal building that DIR. Straus in ad
ditiou 10 his other activities is the hca,
of % company which publishes n well
known Jewish weekly
lH'ut Soldering, chief steward of TIA
ilolland-Amaric9u liner Nicuw Amstei
dam, who was arrested last week fo
lowing the discovery of certain paper
in his possession, was arraigncd i
Newark for a hearing. At the requc,
of United States District Attorne
Charles +. Lynch, the hearing WI
postponed until next Saturday.
Ernest Won Carlhauseu, 81 years OIL
who is said to be lieutenant in II
German navy, was arrested in Roche
ter, y. s.. by agents Of the Unite
states secret service and Of the nav
intelligence bureau, who went
Rochester Friday night. The prison
was turned over to the United Stat