Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-11
CAMP DIX BOYS
HAVE CLOSE CALL
Ground Glass Found in Chocolate
Candy That Was Being Sold
There.

Camp Dix, Wrightstown, n. j., Feb.
lI.-Swift and thorough investigation of
the plot TO kill Camp Dix soldiers by
placing ground glass IN chocolate candy
sold in rcgimental canteens here has been
demanded by officers of the division,
who believe that circumstances viii make
II easy for Secret Service men, now in
charge of the case to locate the plotters.
The case is now III the hands of Washing
ton authorities, il was announced at
division headquarters today, military
authorities having no juridsction beyond
the camp.
Division medical officers are watching
carefully the regimcntal and base hospital
records, but rs yet no eases have developed
that could be traced to the dOctored
sweets. Organization commanders have
been instructed To notify their men i'm
mediatelv 10 report any illness following
eating of candy or other food purchased
in camp exchanges or in nearby towns.
Officers are hopeful that the candy con-
tanning ground glass was a new shipment
and that little or none had been purchased
by the men before the plot was discovered.
Additional information announced this
afternoon shows that the special brand in
which the ground glass was discovered
was manufactured by chocolate company
of Boston All goods of this concern
found in rcgimcntal exchanges were
confiscatcd Yesterday on orders % Major
General Scott when the plotwaS discover
ed through the inquistlvcncSs of n New
Jersey artIllcrvInan, who notice the CLINT
OF glass particles in n bar of chocolate
he purchased at the 30Sth Field Artillery
exchange He reported the discovery
60 superior officers, and chemical analysis
showed the presence OF ground glass in
much Of the brand on sale in the exchange
RIsKEp KILLING CIVILIANS.
'Thc plottcrs either knew the candy
was designated for shipment to army
camps or they took long chance and
rlskcd killing civilians, said prominent
officer Yesterday. The ''doctorcd con
fcctIons. 1t IS announced, reached the
camp with regular shipments. There
was chance, II was admitted. of sub
>tItution between the factory and the
camp. hut officers predicted il would be
possible for Secret Service men To follow
the shipment back through every move
nent and through every stage Of manu-
facturc Just how much OF this has been
done already the division office here is not
IN position 10 say.
For thousands Of visitors who bravcd
the bad roads and muddywalking to reach
camp today. the candy plot furnished a
subject for almost continuous discussion
Some, not knowing Of the confscation
order. tried 10 purchase blocks of the
glass filled chocolate bars for souvenirs
Nisttors WIRE unanimous in demanding
the swlfteSt death penalty for the plottcrs
when identified
Camp life has been quickened in every
hhrr hy General Scott'S order announc-
ing the lifting of the measles quarantine
fnmorroW. Since January II the men
have been living in the secluSion Of their
own barracks. except as they met fellow
soldiers of other companies on the parade
grounds Their military work has suffer
ed the least and their morale has been
strengthened. officers declare, bv the
test Of tedious circumstances under which
they have been training. The work of
preparing thousands of nOn-commissioned
officers and selected privates TO act rs
instructors for the new draft will be
speedcd up, now that the ban is of and
general assemblies are again permitted.
While the general quarantine is abol-
Ished the regular quarantine prescribed
under ordinary conditions viii still affect
those individual companies and batteries
where measles or any other contagious
disease develops. Soldiers in such com
panies will be isolated in their barracks
for the prescribed period
The Army \ NJ c. 4. and X. Of G.
and other agencies, in celebration of the
lifting OF the quarantine, are preparing
bIg programs for the coming week South
Jersey soldiers will stage their own Gree
dom jubilee thic evening ia Hut
No ), when Trenton boys Of + Company
3llth Infantry. Will present clever
program, including Il play Taking adj
vantage OF the quarantine. secretaries
have conducted their spring house clean
ing, and the interior of every hut has been
scrubbed and painted. One OF the mid
week attractions will be the jazz band
rom Rutgers College. which will present
novel program Thursday evening.
Merchants are fiockng back to Wrights-
town. which Tor a month has been like a
deserted village in comparison with its
early boom days. Shops are being
frightened and new stocks of supplies
laid IN IN anticipation of q rush OF business
when their soldier customers come back
todov