The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-11-16
TRUE--777T
by Vance wy epubl,c Ledger
The Spy Plot That Failed

L WAS curing the early udyS Oi the
1 World war that a rough-looking
man, who posed as a Belgian, began
to frequent one Of the branches Of the
Carnegie library In Pittsburgh.
He was poorly dressed, wore scrag-
ely beard and seemed to have all OF
the time In the world.
Usually he went to the reference de-
partment of the library, and spent
hours In reading books that had ref
erence to America. He paid particu-
lar attention to the maps and one
night was seen to be tracing some of
these from one of the geographical
works In the library.
Miss Frances Langftt, the assistant
librarian, noticed the man, and her
suspicious were aroused.
So while the fellow spied around
the shelves the young woman did
little spying on her own account.
Night after night she sat there with
green shade over her eyes appar-
emily engrosSed In her work, but in
reality keeping tabs upon the Belgian
who was not a Belgian.
One night she watched him replace
book on the shelf, and when he had
departed she FASTENED over to that
part of the library and obtained pos
session of this particular book.
It contained a coastwise map, and
gave evidence of having been traced.
Before the next day had dawned
the patriotic young woman had in
formed the Department Of Justice of
her suspicious of the man who had
been visiting the library.
Operative Henry-that will have to
be his name for the purpose Of this
article-was placed on the case at
once.
He traced the man and found that
he was a stranger in the city.
He located the house where he had
room and discovered he was going
by the name Of Jacob Harmon.
The fellow must have sensed the
fact that he was being followed, be-
cause he ceased his visits to the L.
brary.
About the same time an understood
man with decidedly German accent
began to frequent the library.
When Intercepted he gave the name
of Emil Mayer.
This man pursued pretty nearly the
same tactics as the other, but on the
surface there did not seem to be any
connection between the two.
One day he was followed to his
room, and later In his absence a
search was made of his effects.
There was nothing absolutely GRIM
inal, but the detectives did find a
number of papers and tracings.
In themselves they seemed meaning
less, but if 1t were possible to put
them together they might have meant
much.
At all events, the work of shadow
ing Harmon and Mayer continued
without interruption.
Two and two were put together and
the conclusion of the authorities was
that the library had been made the
rendezvous of German spies for near
ly year.
OF course 1t goes without saying
that there was nothing in the library
that was not open to the public at
any time.
But the conviction grew that Har-
mon and Mayer were doing the prelim.
mary work, which was afterwards veri-
fed by bolder and more audacious
men who stole into navy yards and
laid the foundations for destroying
munition plants.
Operative Henry had several con-
versations with Miss Langfitt and he
compared this with the reports which
were brought in as a result of the
shadowing of the two Germans.
Up to this point they had never
been found together.
In the meanwhile an attempt was
made to learn something of the pre-
vious history of the two men.
One of them it was learned had
been visiting a number of the seacoast
towns in New England and 1t was also
alleged that he had not complied with
the alien enemy registration laws.
One night United States agents
started to follow the two men and
then for the first time they Joined one
another in a little back room In the
northwestern part Of Pittsburgh.
They sat at table and produced a
coastwise map which they began to
study.
That was the signal for the detec-
tives.
The suspects were arrested and In
twenty-four hours had been placed In
a detention camp.
What became of them no one will
tell.
The mystery has gone into that
limbo which is the repository of so
many war secrets but to this day there
are persons in Pittsburgh who are sat-
isfied that the timely discovery of the
librarian cut off the connection be-
tween these men and the German war
Office.
wNU Service.