The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-01-10
12DANGER0US
SPIES AT LARGE
They Are Being ShadOwed by
Best Trained Government
Detectives.
TO run DOWN OTHERS
Assistant Attorney General
0'Brian Defends System
of Paroles.
TO run DOWN OTHERS
special Despdfch to THs Sus

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.---Twelve dAn.
gerous German enemy aliens. the last
Of the horde which sought by sabotage
and propaganda to wage war on United
States soil. are at large in the United
states. according to John Lord O'Brian,
Assistant Attoyney-Generai /, charge Of
Department OF Justice prosecutions and
Investigations of spies and ploiters
The twelve men are being sha allowed
5y the best trained detectives in the
employ OF the Government. The plo.ters
are permitted to entertain & false sense
OF security 20 that the Government
through knowledge of their motives may
locate other plo.ters within a short
time some Of them will be interned.
Mr.. O'Brian to-day discussed the p!ana
ny which the Government is combating
spies IN this country. \ number OF
spies have been arrested not only b.
IN" Department OF Justice, but by orders
from the Intelligence departments OF the
army and navy. The Department OF
Justice has prosecuted some of the sp.os
ma has tnterned ali except those who
are being shadOwed.
To date no prosecutions have re-
suited In death penalties. But Mr..
oBrian made il clear that he has 10
knowledge OF acton taken by the War
Department or the Navy Department
in cases over which they assumed jurls-
dIctlon. Definite figures on the num-
Der or prosecutions of spies by his dc
partment are being complied and win
be given soon To- IN, pub'h'
Mr. OBrian's statement was coupled
with digest issued by his department,
relative to expressions which indicated
growing fear by the public that the
! Department Of Justice was not coping
with the spy menace and that II was too
!cnient in the parole OF aliens.
The statement says that the Attorney
General has shown rigorous severity In
dealing with persons actually found "a
be DANGEROUS to the welfare OF the coun-
! try" The atemen: continues: "Of the
many hundreds Of men who have been
seized and rtcrned for tho duration OF
the war only six. negligible fraction
OF per cent. of the total. have been
| permanently paro!ed Temporary pa
roles have been granted In only ter
| cases.
Utmost confidence Is placed In the
! action OF the Government, agents IN
reaching decisions by which subjects OF
| Germany held for few days under sls.
| picion are released on parole after Civ.
| ing bonds. Many of the hundreds de
ta!ned after being found in barred zones
! have proved to be workmen who were
! guilty through ignorance rather than In.
tent. OF the number released on parole
| less than dozen have been the subjec,
/ OF subsequent complaint.
! Regulations TO govern the registration
| OF Germans were sent to-day to police
! officials In cities and postmasters ol
small towns to whom the active admin
! istration of the registration has been en-
I trusted. The rules differ from those al
ready made public only In the fact thai
, Federal Court districts, not county oI
local court districts, are TO be considered
units for gathering census returns from
non-urban sections In which postmaster.
| will take the registrations.