The sun., 1918-12-07
INDICTS 2 ALLEGED
SPIES FOR TREASON
Grand Jury Accuses Hermann
Vessels and Albert p.
Fricke.
SAYS FOES USED CABLES
Reveals Methods of Germans
Sensational Disclosures
Forecast.
SAYS FOES USED CABLES

Passengers who sailed eastward on
the last voyage Of the Imperator OF
the Hamburg American Line in the
u~ntroubled early summer of 1914 may
remember the second officer who In
the softly h~esitating voice of one
whose command Of English is uncer-
tain gave them, II they asked. h
ships position or tpther information.
He was about 49, small of stature.
with his face bronzed by wind and
sea spray and with deep set blue eyes.
His name was Hermann Vessels.
The Imperator did not return to
New York. The second Officer did. A
United States Grand Jury INDICTED
him yesterday for reason. The in
dictment presented to Judge Julius
NJ. Mayer in the Federal District
Court gives In the form OF allegations
made by the Government the first
connected story Of the operations of
the German spy system in this
try after the United States became a
b~elligerent that the Department Of
Justice has permitted to become pub
lie.
Reveals Methods of system.
The indictment does not give many
Of the details of alleged acts of wes-
sells n his associates in collecting
and transmitting information OF value
to Germany or OF alleged plots to
dynamite shipplngS but 1t lays bare
the methods of the system.
For the first time the specific charge
is made hat the cables were used in
transmitting secret information to
Germany by way of neutral countries.
working through the agents OF a Ger
man toy concern.
The Grand Jury also indicted Albert
Paul Frlcke, a little, mild hammered
dealer in toys. He, too, Is charged
with treason. He II alleged to have
assisted Vessels by bringing him in
touch with Americans friendly to Ger
many. by acting as the medium
through which the German Tntelli-
gence Department transmitted funds
TO the spy, by harboring him and by
attempting TO put agents of the De-
partnent OF Justice on a false track
when they began to trail Vessels in
December. 1917. I'ricke Is a natural
'S'N A'iHNA 4 hlIl ItIt III IyUf.
Both Vessels and Fricke are in the
TOmbs prison. They were indicted
June 7 with Jeremiah a. O'Leary and
Others. charged with conspiracy to
commit espionage. IA crime which, like
treason. is punishable with death by
hanging. Vessels was indicted under
the name of Karl Rodiger. the name
on the Swiss passport with which he
entered this country November IL,
1916.
There were indications yesterday
that the new Indictments are merely
the preliminary 10 sensational dis
closures.
Planned to Bring In Explosives.
Tho Indictment against Vessels as
serts that Ec requested Of one William
Reising information as to ways and
means of using toy blocks, a com
modify largely dealt IN by FriCke's
company. for the purpose OF bringing
explosives and ingredients of eXplo-
sives into tho United States. Reising
was not arrested until last week. Be
fore the war he was superintendent
FOR the Hansa line of German steam
ships at its wharves in Brooklyn. He
is held in the Raymond street Jail as
a suspected dangerous enemy alien.
The charges made against the fig
ures in the O'Leary espionage case
are repeated in the new indictments
against Vessels and Fricke. chief Of
these figures OF course IL Jeremiah
A. OLeary. publisher OF Bull and Sim
Fein agitator, who Is in the prison
ward at Bellevue Hospital recovering
from pneumonia.
Among the espionage law defendants
are the Baroness Won kretschman,
alias Nine. Marie de Victorica, the fire.
quenter of fashionable hotels who is
alleged to have been the principal as
sistant of Vessels In actual espionage
work. She came here in January, 1917,
and is alleged to have gone through a
fake marriage in Hamburg with a
Chilean to acquire citizenship in that
country. She is In the Ellis Island
Hospital.