New-York tribune., 1918-06-26
Police Jail Olive Griffin for
"Aiding Enemy" by Means
of Fortune Telling Booth
9 Others Dealt With
Three Enemy Aliens Punished
for Failure to Register; Otto
Geiger Escapes Twice

Federal authorities yesterday dealt
with ten enemy aliens accused of vio-
lating the espionage, draft or registra-
ton laws. Six were placed under ar
rest st various times during the day,
three were sentenced to Jail terms and
one was held for further examination.
The six taken into custody described
themselves as Mrs. Olive Griffin, forty
eight, of $40 Palisades Avenue, Grant
wood, n. j.; Albert Katz, of 13O Patter-
son Street, New Brunswick, N. j.; Paul
Hazel, fireman, of 2424 jerome Ave-
Somerset Street, Brooklyn; Louis
Ratenofky. of 221 East Twelfth Street,
and Carl Geiger, thirty. Of q Prospect
Avenue, Glendale. l.. l.
Mrs. Griffin is charged with viola
ton of the espionage act. She was ar
49th Infantry, Camp Merritt, who
charged her with carrying on fake
fortune telling parlor, where her
favorite revelations" for the soldiers
were that they should not 60 to France
rs they would surely be killed. She
also told them that America would not
be on the victorious side when the war
was over. The woman was locked up in
the county Jail at Hackensack, N. j.
Geiger, who is charged with being
an enemy alien, proved a troublesome
person to arrest, the police having him
in their hands no less than three times
before finally succeeding in turning
him over to the Federal officers. The
first two times he managed to escape,
the second time, it was said. by jump
ing from a second story window.
According to the police, Geiger had a
code book in his possession when
searched.
The charges against Katz, Hazel,
Lasco and Ratenofky were not made
public by the authorities. The four men
were all held, charged with violating
Federal laws.
Otto Friecke, a civil engineer, of 1856
Claremont Avenue, was held in $4,000
bail yesterday by United States Com
missioner Hitchcock when he was ar
raigned on a charge of making false
statements in his questionnaire.
The complaint charged that he
claimed his wife, Elfrieda Friecke, a
school teacher, was dependent on him,
saying that he gave her $720 year. He
also said that his mother and sister
were dependent on him and that he
could not secure supporting atfidavits
from them because they were in Ger
many.
In the QUESTIONABLE he stated that
he was born in Germany. had been
graduated from, the University of
Karlsruhe and had served as lieu
tenant in the German navy.
Assistant United States Attorney Az
man, who has charge of the case, re-
fused to give the address Of the man s
wife, who brought the matter to the
attention of the authorities.
. The three violators of Federal laws
who received Jail sentences were Otto
Enke. Karl Frederick Wilhelm Schmidt
and Hans Winter. Enke, who controls
the Novelty Weaving Company, at SO
Bayard Street, Brooklyn. was sent to
Raymond Street Jail, Brooklyn, for
ninety days for his failure to register
as an enemy alien.
I Schmidt was given sixty days SEM
tence in the Essex County Jail He is
an enemy alien and was found work
ing in the barred zone at Rosebank,
Staten Island. Winter, also an enemy
alien. was likewise sent to the Essex
County Jail for sixty days for his fail
ure to notify the Federal authorities
that he had changed his address. The
naval Intelligence service is also in
vestigating a report that Winter re-
Gently insulted Red Cross workers.