The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-02-25
Fourteen Spanish l. w. w. Ar
rested BY Secret Service i'm
New York Sunday.
WERE GOING TO BOSTON
And the Police Believe Plot Had
Been Put Under Way to AS
sassinate the President There
Today.

New York, Feb. 24.-Fourteen
members of the Spanish branch OF
the l. w. w. were arrested by secret
service men and members of the po-
ice bomb squad in two raids here
late Sunday. While they are charg-
ed formally with having seditious
literature in their possession. gov
ernment agents claimed to have evil
dence they were Matching a terrorist
plot
Frank Francisco and Edward 7.
Dowd of the secret service. as we'll
as New York detectives who assisted
them in the raids, declared they had
obtained evidence which would be
used in an attempt TO prove the pris-
oners had planned to assassinate
President Wilson in Boston, but this
assertion was discredited by Capt.
who directed the raids.
Admit Anarchist Charge.
According to police the two Phila-
delphia men who readily admitted
they were anarchists stopped here on
their way to Boston and intended to
go to that city tonight
The grave nature OF the alleged
plot and the immience of the attempt
to carry it into execution, ii was de-
clared. made it essential the men be
imprisoned at once
After being questioned at police
headquarters. where their finger
prints were taken, the prisoners
were locked up without bail pending
arraignment before a United States
commissioner.
Meanwhile mechanical experts
have been assigned to assemble a
complicated machine found dsman-
tied in one Of the rooms raided. The
at loss to explain its purpose
Transiators were put 10 work OH =
mass of papers and pamphlets seized
One Of the houses raided had been
under police surveillance for several
days as result OF meetings held
there, it was said.
Eleven Of the prisoners. wheu
booked at the police station. gave
New York addresses, two said they
lived in Philadelphia and a third
said his home was in Elizabeth, n.
j. All the men, 1t was said. are
Spanish aliens who have come to the
United States during the past three
years.
According to the secret service
men, man % years of age, who
gave the name OF Jose Grau. is the
chief organizer of the Spanish l. w.
W. here, and is the editor of a radf-
cal Spanish newspaper published In
New York. In the l. w. w. organ
ization. it was said, he is known as
Armoldo Sapatena.
Branch Under Surveillance.
1t was explained that the Spanish
branch of the l. Wv. in this coun-
try had been watched closely for
months by the secret service and
most of the members are avowed an
archists. SO far as could be learned.
however, there was no general round
up of the members. II was intmated
the raids here were the result of the
information indicating a carefully
framed terrorist plot about to be
carried into effect.
The prisoners were questioned for
several hours at police headquarters
but for the most part maintained a
sullen silence. The police declined
TO divulge what information, IL any.
had been obtained from them. While
they have not definitely determined
the purpose of the machine seized in
the raid. members of the department
believe ii was TO be used In the man
ufacture Of bombs
On the wall of the club of the I. w.
w. in a building on Lexington Aven-
ne, one Of these raids, was a picture
OF DR.. Karl Liebknecht. the SPARTA
can leader recently assassnated. The
palice recalled that there was a bomb
explosion four years ago in a build,
ing four blocks from this house in
which anarchists OF the Ferrer school
had their headquarters.