The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1918-01-15
ARREST OF SPORRMAN LEAD
TO DISCLOSURES OF
GREAT MOMENT
Love of Fair Sex Proved
Undoing
Military Authorities Demand
Death of Spy Who Donned the
Uniform of American Officer to
Further Treachery.

H. n. S. Staff Correspondent
BALTIMORE, Md, Jan. 15-Feder-
al authorities are bending every en-
ergy today to unravel the master
spy plot which it is alleged has been
uncovered by the arrest of Walter
Sporrman, at Norfolk, Va, yesterday.
Sporrman, who is a German officer.
was caught with a lighted match pre-
pairing to fire the magazine of the U.
3 government at Norfolk when ar
rested. He was dressed in a United
States captains uniform.
TWO arrests have been made here
and it is expected that Sporrman will
be brought here for a hearing. FEEDER
al authorities here are maintaining
the strictest silence and refuse any
information concerning Sporrman.
Mariue Asch, an enemy alien and
Frederick II. c. Sporrman, brother of
the master spy" are held here A
baltimore woman, of musical talent.
is also under surveillance and her ar
rest is imminent
A third arrest of an alien enemy
was made here when August Weger-
man was taken into custody. Weger-
man has been employed at a local ho-
tel Tor three weeks and his talk has
caused considerable comment. Whom
arrested he talked incoherently to
detectives and spoke about "going to
see the kaiser" and wanting to "see
! President Wilson" Officials here re-
fuse to state whether or not they sus-
pect Wegerman of having connections
with Sporrman
Rumors are rife here today and It
is reported that several other arrests
will be made which will uncover the
biggest German spy plot that this
country has even known.
Frederick Sporrman has been ar
raigned before United States Marshal
William Stock and according to re-
ports he has divulged to the authori-
ties information which will bring
most serious charges against his
brother and others.
When Asch was taken into custody
this morning he carried two small
paper boxes, both filled with papers
and clothing, which it is alleged were
the property of Walter Sporrman, who
is held as the alleged successor to
Captain Boy Ed as the chief of the
German agents in this country.
Asch pleaded innocent when ar
raigned before United States Marshal
Stockham today. He declared that
the two boxes of clothing and docu-
ments which he carried when arrested
were given to him by Sporrman the
| latter part of December. Asch said
that Sporrman had asked him to take
care of the two boxes and that he did
not even know their contents.
Police today made another search OF
the apartments occupied by Sporrman,
while in this city, and seized two large
boxes of papers. Many of these pa
pers are said to show clearly Sporr-
mans connections with Captain Boy
Ed and also former German Ambas-
sador Bernstorff Among papers
which the authorities here have in
their possession is a letter which re-
fers to a fund of $4,000 given to
SpOrrman by a German agent known
to be high in the imperial German
government
A distinct leading toward feminine
society and the gentler sex is believ-
ed here to have been the undoing OF
Walter Sporrman. He was known to
have had many women friends here
all of them of beauty.
WASHINGTON, Jan 15-A concert
ed demand that Walter Sporrman
German spy, friend of Count Won
Bernstorff and reputed paid agent OF
Captain Bod Ed, face a firing squad
came from army and navy circles to-
day.
Sporrman, officers who know all oil
the facts declare, was one of the chiet
Continued on page four)