The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-09-10
TR|PART|TE SPY AGAIN
CUTS LOOSE VIOLENTLY
ON MEXICAN S|TUAT T|ON

EDITORS NOTE: The following
story is received through the AS.
sociated Press, but the editor of
The Ardmoreite deems it his duty
to the reader to utter a caution
against accepting the statements
of Dr. Altendorf without some men
tai reservations. Altendort claims
TO have served as a spy in the
employ of both the German and
the American governments and to
have been in the confidence of
President CarranZa of Mexico. He
claims that he was working in
the interest Of the United States
altogether. Some of his stories
previously sent out, in recent days,
have been recalled or altered by re-
quest of government officials at
Washngto on. There is reason to
believe that certain ulterior mo
tyes are behind these Altendorf
revelations" Now, as always, is
good time to reflect when you
read
New York, Sept. 9.-Betwocn $l7
100000 and $4,000, 600 worth Of goods
are smuggled annually across the
Mexican border, more than onofourth
of which are arms and ammunition
according to a statement issued here
by the National Association for the
Protection of American rights in Mex
leo, quoting Dr. =. T.. AltendOrf, for
mcr member of the United States mill
tary intelligence department. as au
thorty.
Responsibility to the "deyltries" OF
Villa and other bandits was placed by
Altendorf at the door of American
manufacturers Of arms and ammuni
tion, who work hand in hand with
the smugglers" incidentally, he de
clared that u renegade American was
responsible for the attack on American
troops at Carrizal in June, 1916, when
two American officers and - men
were killed and % wounded. Dr Al
tendorf said that the MeXiCans who
made the attack We're short of ammu
milton at the time, but obtained sup
plies through the renegade, who, he
declared Smugglcd $4,000 worth
across the border prior to the attack
"Nilla smuggles over 80 per cent OF
his munitions" Dr. Alterdorf said. II
that part Of his supplies We're cut off
he would be forced out Of success, for
he could hardly keep going on the Az
per cent he buys from Carranzistas
Doesn't it look as if responsibility for
Villas deviltrics came pretty close 10
the American manufacturers and deal
ers, who supply the 90 per cent? And
as the CarranZstas are worse, If that
be possible, than the NillistaS, and as
they in common with other manditu
down there must now also depend en-
tirely upon smuggling for supplies,
does not the whole Mexican situation
create somewhat embarrassing ques-
tion of ethics for these same manufac'
turers and dealers?'
The renegade American mentioned
by Dr. Altendorf was said by him to be
an agent of Mexican Consul Cara
at Brownsville, Texas, and also Won
Eckhardt, the German ambassador TO
Mexico. who was involved in the
scheme for an attack on the United
States by Mexico and Japan. This
man is declared to have bought $3G,-
GOO worth of nickel in August, 1917,
to prevent it falling into the hands of
the Americans.
Dr. Alterdorf said that there was
one big drugstore in Brownsville
which received shipments of ammuni-
tion in boxes marked drugs and that
another dodge restored to by the SNUG
glers was to conceal ammunition in
watermelons so as to get it past the
customs officials Usually" he said
lit does not seem worth while to take
so much trouble, for there are such
long stretches Of unguarded territory
that nothing much but laziness need
drive a smuggler to take such risks. -
AS an evidence that at present Villa
is rather hard pressed, DIR. Altendorf
declared that in March of the present
year the bandits wife pawned her jew
elry in San Antonio for $4,000 and