The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-07-31
J.. s. UNCOVERS
PASSPORT PLOT
Turkish Subjects SwOre
They Were Syrians and
Got Papers for Home
MAN IN PEABODY
UNDER ARREST
Charged With Conspiracy to Defraud
the United States in Securing Pass
ports-Federal officers Claim Papers
Have Been Forged.

BOSTON, July 31.-The first arrest in
the efforts of department of justice ag
ents to break up an alleged conspiracy
to aid subjects of Turkey to leave the
United States under the representation
that they were Syrians, was made Tues
day when Paul Asloglou, 80, Peabody
business man, was taken into custody by
Deputy L. S. Marshal Benjamin Scully.
Other arrests are expected within a
Jew days
According to department of justice ag-
ents, who conducted the investigation
following information received from the
Spanish consul at Boston, more than 60
Turkish subjects have been blocked in
their efforts to leave the United States
during the past two weeks All had
French safe conduct papers in their pos
| session, obtained, the federal officers say,
through Misrepresentation made to the
French consul at Boston.
| Asloglou, who conducts a furnishings
| store in Walnut street, Peabody, Is
charged with conspiracy to defraud the
| United States by representing that GER
| tain persons resident in the United
States, who were seeking passports, were
| Syrlans, whereas they were subjects of
Turkey. He pleaded not guilty when ar
raigned before L. s. Commissioner Hayes
and was held under $1,000 bail.
| Department of Justice agents stated
that many Turks applied to the Spanish
consul at Boston, who is in charge of
the affairs of the Ottoman empire, for
passports to leave the United States, but
were unsuccessful in meeting the re-
quirements of the United States depart.
ment of state after receiving the neces.
sary papers from the Spanish consul and
! applying to the state department in the
regular way. Application was then made
to local bureau, operated to aid aliens
leaving or entering the country, through
which it is alleged they were able to OBJ
tain safe conduct from the French con
sui.
The particular case charged against As
| loglou in the government complaint is
that of Fatta Abbas of Peabody. Abbaf
made application for a passport to the
| Spanish consul on July /, stating that ht
was born in BakerMadin Diarbekir, Tur
key His application was refused by tn,
American state department and he sub
sequently received safe conduct papers
from the French consul, department. o
Justice agents stated, through an appli
cation made to the alien bureau
The application submitted to tn
French consul had Abbas's name spelle,
Fetah Apoch, to give it a Syrian appear
ance, and bore the signatures of official
Of the Lebanon League of Progress,
Now York Syrian orpaniza tion which ms
sists the French consul-general in tn
investigation of applicants for safe cor
duct papers, and also the seal of the on
ganization. 1t was sworn to by two wit
nesses, who declared they knew Apocl
was Syrian, and bore the signature G
Paul Asloglou as notary public.
Federal officers declare that the sigma
; lures of the Lebanon League of Progress
officials were forged and that the sea
was fraudulent, but on the strength c