Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1920-04-18
New Jersey Man, Shot While
Trying to Escape in Ger
many, Thought to Have Been
in League With Reds.
SECRETARY OF STATE
COMPLETES PROBE
Compromising Papers, Found
on Body Was Travelling in
Ruhr District With Prussian
Leaders Of Uprising.

Chicago Tribune Omaha Bee. Leased Wire.
! Washington, April 17.-Secretary
of State Colby announced today
that both the American commission
at Berlin and the German govern
ment have investigated the case of
Paul R. Demott of Paterson, N. j.,
who was arrested by German gov
ernment troops near Mulheim and
was later shot and killed by his
guard.
Reginald Foster, special attache OF
the American commission, person
ally Investigated the matter at the
scene of the, arrest and shooting
and his report, communicated to the
State department, stated that COM
promising papers were found on
Demott, who was travelling in the
Ruhr district with two German lead
ers of the revolutionary movement.
Carried U. S. Passport. Z
Demott according to Mr.. Fosters
report, carried an American pass
port issued by the Department OF
State at Washington, September 8,
1919, upon his application to go
abroad to engage in relief work in
France. The passport was extend
ed by the American consulate at
Paris on March 9, last, and amend
ed to apply to the. Baltic states and
western Russia, including countries
necessary to pass through in tram
sit and the purpose of the trip was
then stated to be newspaper work.
It was vised a that time for the
'Balic states and western Russia, by
rail, Journalistic work" Demott
also had papers issued to him by
the British committee of the French
Red Cross on September II, 1912,
accrediting him as representative
of the ociety of Friends of France,
and other credentials.
Demott, and two German leaders
of the red movement IN Germany,
we're in a disabled automobile when
an advance post of German govern
ment troops who were approaching
Mulheim on April 5, surprised the
arty. Demott and the two Ger
mans with him were armed and the
papers they carried and the remarks
they made indicated their connec-
ton with the red army. They were
locked up in the basement OF the
Eye hospital in Mulheim, tried by
court martial within four hours OF
their arrest and were sentenced to
death on the evidence found IN the
papers taken from them.
nm Find Two Letters.
Sewed in Demott's shirt were two
letters addressed L. Monatre (sig-
nature not clear,) writing in French,
to L. Trotzky and Lasovosky
(Dridzo). These letters, which were
on stationery of La Vie Quvriere,
o6 QUAY Jem Naples, Paris, were
dated March 10, 1920, and referred
to an opportunity of transmit "a
few hasty wrods" by "An Ameri-
can" Demott's interest and particl-
patton IN the red army movement in
the Ruhr district" were indicated IN
their papers found on him.
From the floor above Demotts .,
place of Confinement, a stairway led
to the hospital yard. After frequent
visits to this floor. in which he was
accompanied by his guard, Demottt
made a dash down the corridor of
this floor and down the stairway.
His guard pursuing called to him
to stop and shot at him, and De-
mott was running through the
garden for the street. Demott
dropped to the ground. He was shot
in the back and was dead when
the guard cached him. The guard
stated that Demott made no claim
to immunity as an American citizen
when he was arrested.