Arizona republican., 1919-07-06
Letters from the
 Looney
By Frederick J. Haskin


 WASHINGTON, D. C., July 2.- Fantastic results. were expected to accrue when, during the war, the fed eral government asked each of sts hundred million citizens to constitute himself a Sherlock Holmes, for the de- tection of the disloyal. Good service resulted as a whole but the call, to a certain element, was like extending an invitation to a banquet to the na- tion's hobo horde. Those men and women from coast to coast who have the letter writing mania, those people who may possess brilliant minds gone wrong, or dwarfed minds reaching out beyond their sphere, grasped the oc- casion as a long sought opportunity.
 So the department of justice, which through it's bureau of investigation, enforced the espionage act, and there fore became the clearing house for such information, found itself the recipient of wagonloads of epistles from the cratic, letters from lunatics, notes from the nutty. So numerous were these communications that it became necessary to establish what it dubbed it's nut" file and there today may be seen a remarkable collection of letters from these mental cripples.
 Here is one, for instance, which ar rived a month after the armistice was signed:
 "The Crown Prince has landed in the United States I saw him few days ago. 1 am sure the stranger is the son of the kaiser. The physical re- semblance is startling. 1 have been carefully supplied with an accurate description of the Crown Prince and am convinced that my Identification is correct.
 He was well dressed and wore a long tan. we'll tailored, close fitting broad cloth cot, like those usually seen at the races in England. The walk of this man was also identical with that of the Crown Prince as described in the newspapers. He walked with a slow, swaggering stroll, almost a strut, with heavier bearing on the right foot.
 He was a little taller than the Crown Prince usually seems but he was very much like him indeed. His manner, however, was very nervous as though on the alert. The peculiarity of gait showed that of an officer ac- customed to wearing a sword and the swing of the body to step free of it.
 "The man who might have been His 1 Royal Highness, might also have been only German officer bearing such a resemblance, who purposely came to America to parade around and give out this suspicion in order that the real whereabouts of the Crown Prince may remain still safe mystery"
 This letter came from woman in Mississippi It is typical It might l have been of importance. It had to | ha iaI of f Ii, t was on the border line of possible intelligence and had to be investigated. 1 The fact that it belonged in the nut l file had to be established.
 A study of these letters was equal to a course in the psychology of the un- balanced but it likewise required much effort. Some of the letters contain as many as 5000 words. Most writers offer suggestions and advice as to how the war should have been fought and how the department should cope with pro-Germans in this country. The de- partment would have needed a force of agents as large as the army to in- vestigate the charges made in these l letters.
 Oftentimes a we'll written communi- cation, making accusations of pro Ger I man tendencies and activities. would be investigated only to find that the writer was demented. Here, for in stance, is a telegram addressed to President Wilson and referred to the department of justice for investigation.
 T have come to my president and my flag for protection and justice. For Gods sake heed my appeal. Have all ways been an honest, upright, clean woman. Some persons have an offen- sive film in which is used my fea- lures. Please have the film con fiscated."
 The woman was found to be of un- sound mental condition.
 All sorts of ingenious devices to help win the war were offered to the department. This one came from a man in New England
 My sister has written to you several times so I will not have to introduce myself. I don't know much about war but l believe I can put you onto a little scheme. We all know the Ger mans use everything they can think of to destroy our men and disable us and if we have trap set for them il might do some good. My plan is this To have large supply of cheap guns mace to shoot automatically. Load them with buck shot and hen can ceal them with :ea~es and straw leaving only the nuzzie exposad. Place them On top the of the trench and haze an electric wire connected tt tne trigger. When the Germans charg,