Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-12-27
PLOTTED IN MEXICO
GERMAN CONFESSES
Naval Officer, Spy. Names Con
fedrrates; is Under Sen
tence of Death.

San Antonio, Dee - IN the mill
tarv prison Mt Fort sam Houston, the
headaiIarters Of the southern depart
neni, under sentence to die by banging
is n young German naval officer who
saws his name ia I.athor WiXcbe The
man is probably the most important
prisoner captured in THE country during
the war and although he Was sentenced
to death more than fourteen months
ago. President Wilson, who hns the last
word regarding Witsches fate. has not
Indicated what hls actson w1ll be- The
opinion. however. Is general that Wit
sclle. nov that The war is ended. will
either bc ordered deported back To Ger
many or else scut to the military pcniten-
tarY at Fort Leayenworth fm term OF
years
Miis,cie was captured in Nogals,
hrlzoua, on January 81. 1913. He crossed
the line from Mexico for the purpose, n
u charged, of mitigating Negro upris-
inus in the south and Of assisting IN
the direction Of Buch other plots rs the
German government ordered carried ont
on this side Of tho Atlantic. II Was rs
n result of the capture Of Witsche that
tho United Stairs authorities were
finally enabled 10 identify tho active head
Of tbe German pecret service IN North
America This man was Kurt Jahnckc, =
German resident II MEXICO City.
Of ail the enemy agcnts on this cnn-
tnent the one whose arrest WAS most
desired by Washington during the war
was Jahncke But iahncke was care
flli always To keep a safe distance from
the border.
II ~ aaid that Witsche may hold the
secret That eiI explain the explosions in
New Jersey, notably the Big Tom ex-
pnsion in Jersey Clty and the King
land catastrophe He is reported To
havc admitted knowing about these ez-
.3loslons to allied Secret Service agents
IN Mcxieo and Il was upon information
furnished hy these agents In Mexico that
the American authorizes ~ NoRalc9
sere atIo immediately tn arrest Witsche
when be crossed the border near that
place in January Of laat year
While the war vas going on and AZ
long as he had any reason To hope that
Germany might win, or at least save
something from the wreck, The American
authorities we're never able to gain any
information from the spy regarding the
German secret Service work On This
continent. H denied At his trial, and
continued II do - until long after the
arrnistico, that he was IN any way ldcn-
t.atd with tho German espionage gys-
tern IN the Americas Hc saId hc had
gone Ia Mexico rs n business man hop
inr To make p fortune hy buying Ip and
regtiling Mexican bullion. But he now
admits that he was II the enemy Secret
Service and that his Immediate superior
va .falnekr. to whom he says lc had
orders to report 0r duty when he ar
rved IN Mexico 4 short time before
the United states declared war on Ger
franv he presented hls credentials =
Jahneke. he states, ia NJ ontercy. at 3
Gale Guerrero Ills credentials wero
signed b. an attache of the Legation,
presumably In Mexico City
Wltscic says that he left Germany m
1912 and that he landed first ID the
United states at san Francisco n 1915.
1t i pretty we'll established that he had
been an officer on the German cruiser
Dresden. which was driven ashore by
the British after the battle OF the Falk-
land Islands How he made his way TO
San Francisco has not been disclosed.
Although the Mexican Law forblds for
eieners sending messages IN code, the
Germans. declares Witsche, were per
Iniffed 70 code everything tnev we're
sble 70 cable out Of Mexico.
Ntsche entered Mexico on 3 Russian
passport. He was still using q Russian
pasSp5r when captured by the Amerl-
cans 1T Nognles 10 1918 This was IS
sued he sayo. hy the RussI an Consul
general IN Mexico City When ven
Eckhardt, the former German minister
"a Mexico was gwen safe conduct
papers through this country 70 PERM;
bls return 10 Germany. last April, be sd
mitsed TO an American Oft clai whlle en-
route to <ew York that Jahneke was
tsnne II his men BE also made IN
oOiries as ~ what had become of Nltsche,
having been unable Up 70 shat time e
find cut the late IF the young naval
osfieeT
Oi the Germans pho were commits
stoned n CarranEa army two Of the
most important mentioned by Wltsche
are General Maxunllan kloss snd Ms
..r Ricardo SchwieTz kloss Is the head
.. the munitions department Of the
Mexican government SchwIers Vas
captured BY the American authorizes st
L 4