The New York herald., 1922-01-28
Scotland Yards Most Elusive
Man Seized in Office Building
in Lower Manhattan.
rs SENT TO ELLIS ISLAND
Slipped Into America Despite
Watch and Obtained En-
ployment.

sJgnatius Trebitsch Lincoln, widely
known for his activities as German
spy during the war and at one time de.
scr!bed 10y Scotland Yard as "the most
elusive man in the world" was ar
rested in downtown Manhattan yes.
terday afternoon by an agent of the
Department of Justice and taken tc
Ellis Island, where he Is held pending
deportation proceedings. Lincoln was
found at work in an Office building
somewhere between Church street and
Broadway.
He had entered this country sur
reptitiously in November, eludina
guards that had been set to watch fol
him on a tip that he was coming.
1t was explained by William j
Burns, Chief OF the Bureau of Inves.
tigation Of the Department OF Justice
that Lincoln was taken into custody al
the request of the immigration service
of the Labor Department. Mr.. Burns
said that, so far as he knew. Lincoln
was not wanted by the United States
Government, but that several otheI
countries would like to have him"
When Lincoln arrived here, In Novem'
ber, disguised and under an assumed
name. he notified newspaper of his ar
rival, and said characteristically IN
the United States objects to my staying
here Il will make arrangements tc
leave" His whereabouts remained un-
known, however, and he continued tc
issue pronunciamentos telling of his diff.
ficulties abroad, and being sought by
both the Austrian and German authori-
ties.
Lincoln spent three years in prison
in England for forgery. after having
been arrested here in 1915. When here
he boasted of having been German
spy and feared being taken back to the
Tower Of London to be shot. He made
several efforts to escape. one OF these,
on January 15. 1916, being successful
but he was recaptured a little over a
month later and deported to England.
A shrewd, picturesque, bombasti'
man. he has perhaps had a greater va
riety Of adventures in the world OF
international intrigue than any figure
outside the pages OF hction. BY birth
he is a Hungarian and q jew. but was
converted to Christianity while a youth
in the sIums Of London.
BENJAMIN s. Rowntree. the British
philanthropIst. became interested in him.
and Tor four years he acted as his sec
rotary. 1t was through this association
that Lincoln, who up 10 that time was
known as Trebitsch. was ace TO become
a candidate for Parliament from OAR
,inetou, n contest which he won and
served in the House of Commons for
several years.
lie has been Presbyterian minister.
an Anglican curate. a student OF divin-
ity IN Germany, self-vaunted German
spy. agent provocateur. besides holding
manv official positions In the Austrian
and German Governments from time to
time. In 1919 he turned up in Ameron-
gen, apparently to attemr. 20 see the
Kaiser on behalf OF some OF the royalist
faction in Berlin. but II is not recorded
that he was successful. He took lead
ing part in the abortive Kapp revolt and
was arrested In Austria.
Lincoln was released from n Vienna
prison last June and then went TO Italy.
where the police made things so uncom-
Portable for him that he left the coun-
try and working his way by round
about route through several countries
where he was persona non grata finally
reached here incognito.