The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-12-24

Among the clever means used by the
Germans in Pensacola and other Amer
lean cities to gain useful information
was the organization OF spiritualistic
cicles in which Won Petrich's control
an Indian, asked pertinent questions
regarding operations essential to the
war at the same time answering quer-
les OF his patrons. In this way infor-
nation was gained about Pensacola
and other cities to an extent which
cannot be determined.
Many Women Wrote Him.
Another clever means used by Won
Petrlch to gather information was the
organization Of correspondence cir
cles, in which he received letters from
many important cities in the United
States and from as rar as Japan. In
these letters from his correspondents,
most of whom were women, he receiv-
ed a vast amount Of information re-
garding the number Of men drafted for
the army, the camp where they were
to be sent, and the date Of their de-
parture. BY writing these women, he
learned later the time Of departure for
these various units overseas, the port
from which they would sail and other
similar Information, which would have
been Of enormous vaiue to an enemy
government.
The tale OF Won Petrich's activities
in most cities in the eastern half of
the United States reads like the fiction
stories Of German spies seen in the
movies. Although ne maintained to
the end that he was not German
spy, and the government was unable
to establish any direct connection be-
tween Won Petrich ana an enemy gov
ernment, but little doubt remains in
the minds Of the government opera
lives that there was such connection,
Interest in the German-Irish plan OF
severing England's ,coionial possessions
is shown in Won Petrich's activities, for
in 1915 he wrote a preface to the book
THE King, The Kaiser and Irish Free
DOM" published by James K MCGUIRE.
Comparison of Won Petrich's statement
that he was a loya1 American citizen
and would fight for this country, with
the preface to this German propaganda
book which follows, shows his insin-
cerity, according to official:
on Petrich.s Preface.
1.-The King, the Kaiser and Irish
Freedom by James Mcclure is book
worth while. 1t touches the heart OF
every German-American and Irish
American to point OF tears. 1t opens
citizen to the realization that it is
America, not Germany, that suffers un-
der the heavy strain of Englands
blockade. 1t points out the unrelia-
bility of the news coming from and
dated London and the lies that are
conveyed to our shores by the Eng
lish press. We sympatnize with Poor
Belgium whose flasny stories Of in
vasion, starvation and atrocities, con-
cocted by England, have touched our
hearts. But we do nothing to relieve |
the increasing suffering of our own |
people by demanding that this coun- |
try. our great America and its citi-
zens, remain neutral No, we indulge |
in the shipping of ammunitions and |
war machinery to aid England and her
allies in the worlds greatest slaugh-
ter OF people from whom we have
all our inventions. ideas,
science, music, literature, surgery,
teaching and last but not least, the
patriots that fought and died for our
America We aid in the
of a people whose fore
'athers made America what it is. 'glor-
Ious' I AM ASHAMED TO BE AN
CITIZE.. UNDER THE
PRESENT CONDITION. We have sold