CHAPTER I
THE STORY OF THE EAST
In deplorably skeletonized fashion, we have offered a brief story of the League’s growth, its purposes and its methods, and the stories of some of its great centers. But how about the country-wide achievements of the League, its field story? How can it be told? It is matter of regret that in no possible way can that ever be put within the compass of book publication. The records of these millions of cases, as has been said, runs into tons.
If you should visit the division offices, for instance, of New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago, or any other large A. P. L. center, you would see in each city a room full of filing cabinets, with indexed drawers, carrying in permanent form the story of the League’s work in that given locality. Mass all these from the hundreds of cities engaged in the work, and you would have a pile of filing cabinets as high as a tall building. Go to the National Headquarters and you would find more rooms full of cabinets, covering the national work—an enormous total, painstaking, exact, correct. Go over to the Military Intelligence and you see more of the League’s work there. Go to the Department of Justice and look at the vast accumulations there at hand from the reports of this auxiliary.
Now, in imagination, pile all this uncomprehended assemblage of records into the middle of some park or square and have a glance at it in mass. In that mountain-pile of written and printed material, thousands of brains have recorded their soberest and most just conclusions, and have told why they concluded thus or thus. Thousands of stenographers have worked long days and nights on these tons of millions of pages. Be sure, in this mass of a nation’s story in counter-espionage, there is to be found, ticketed and tabulated, filed and cross-indexed under name and number, as part of the archives of the United States, the life and actions, the birth, derivation, antecedents, convictions, assertions and beliefs of practically every man and woman of German name in America. But close to the foot of this mass of the archives, lay down upon the ground a book, a volume of ordinary size; let us say, this book now in your hand. How small it seems! It is small. It is no more than a fraction, a mite. It is not enough. Some man’s loyal, unpaid, patient labor went into every one of these records.
There came, curiously, cumulatively, the feeling that this was not merely a mass of quasi-public documents, but an assemblage of the most valuable human documents ever collected in America. This was massed proof, not of work, but of patriotism. Then we did have, we do have, a country; there is a real America? Yes, and let no man doubt it ever again. It is a great and splendid country. These hundreds of thousands of pages which have been read—and every report sent in has been read—make the greatest reflex of America it ever has been the privilege of any man to know. Talk no more of a merely material America—it is not true. The real America at least is a noble, a splendid, a patriotic country, eager to do its share, determined to take its place.
The bewildering amount of material from all over the United States made condensation and classification alike difficult. It was therefore decided to separate the country into four loosely divided sections, the North, the East, the West, the South, and to throw into each division just so many condensed reports, taken at random from the whole as might be possible within the existing space limitations.
In the East and Northeast were located many or most of the great munition works and embarkation points as well as many centers of war work, manufacturing and shipping. This meant one form of work for the A. P. L. In the great middle section of the country—the semi-industrial, semi-agricultural central and north-central states—the activities of the League were slightly more varied. This cluster of inland states we have grouped as North. The South is known almost traditionally; and the West may arbitrarily be made to cover the far lands to the Pacific Coast itself, the state of California, with its great cities, alone being given subclassification in another section of this volume. Into these several hoppers the grist was thrown.
Would you like a real history of the war, a story which does convey a comprehensible picture? The simplest way is the best way. Read the Atlantic Monthly for January, 1919. Does it give a great pen picture by some artist in words? No. But it gives verbatim translations of bits of conversation heard by a nurse in a hospital full of wounded Russian soldiers; detached, disconnected comments, points of view, records of personal experiences. That is great reporting—the greatest reporting in the world. Had our more famous correspondents kept away from the routine of the alleged “front” and gone into the hospitals for a half million personal statements of wounded men of every nation, they would not have failed to show us the war. They would have written a great story of the war—a real history of the war. Now the astonishing thing about the record of the A. P. L. is that its reports came in precisely that way. The story of the League becomes a history of the country served by the League.
NEW YORK
Once in a while an operative landed a big case on a small clue. A New York operative was sent out to look up one R. R. A——, an employe of a shirtwaist factory, who was alleged to have said that he knew how to beat the draft. The same suspect was heard to say that he knew of four men, the knowledge of whom would be worth $10,000 to the United States. When interviewed by an A. P. L. operative, he denied most of the allegations made against him, but he did give the name of an Austrian army officer named L—— who had plans of submarines and battleships of the United States. This latter gentleman was followed, his baggage searched, and the plans confiscated.
Chautauqua County, New York, includes the cities of Jamestown and Dunkirk, each of which had an A. P. L. branch, the former being the first to organize, June 26, 1918. The Chautauqua County division proper was organized as late as October 28, 1919, an assistant chief being appointed for Jamestown and for Dunkirk. The entire county covers an area of about 1,000 square miles and has a population of more than 100,000.
The League was of great service in rounding up delinquents who failed to return questionnaires. Local Board No. 1 of the Jamestown District on November 20, 1918, had ninety-eight delinquents. By December 10, the A. P. L. had reduced that number to twenty-one, and since then fifteen more have reported, leaving only six delinquents out of a total registration of 2,135.
The community was carefully organized with regard to each of the financial war drives. In the war stamps campaign one E—— was discovered selling stamps without having been authorized to do so. Investigations showed that he had been secretary of the local branch of the German-American Alliance and was in constant association with alien enemies. An associate of his, who may be called R——, said that the German Club was pretty much run by a man named F——, an Austrian enemy alien who belonged to some lower order of German nobility but had moved to Austria. He became an “Austrian” when the United States declared war on Germany, but was willing to claim citizenship in any country now that diplomatic relations were severed with Austria, since he could speak several languages. The A. P. L. found means to inspect the living rooms of F——, discovering great quantities of German papers and an Austrian flag. The remainder of the story, told in the words of the Chief’s report, shows how a mighty small fire sometimes can generate an enormous volume of smoke:
We learned that F—— had admitted himself to be engaged in getting German subjects out of the United States and into the German army. Operative on the case, R——, was confidentially informed by him that six thousand men had left this country the preceding month and were to be carried by the large trans-Atlantic submarines. F—— himself was going to sail October 4.
The operative invented a German cousin whose wife was in Germany, and told L—— that this cousin was very eager to get across. The cordial clubman instructed him to write a letter to “Freiherr Hans von Ungelter,” former German Consul in New York, and enclose it in another envelope, which should be addressed to (name given), care of General Delivery, New York. The addressee’s name, operative was informed, changed week by week. Further, it was learned that the system followed by L——’s New York friends was to give men physical examinations, and if found fit, to furnish free transportation through the channels mentioned above. The sole requirements were loyalty to Germany and a sound physique. Operative stated that he showed surprise when L—— gave him this information, and said: “Then the report that a German captain was seen in New York was true?” F—— replied: “Certainly, they stay there a week at a time, taking in the theatres and waiting for their cargoes to be delivered at various ports, where they pick them up on their way to Germany.”
R—— furnished the name of the New York man for the current week, and a good operative went to New York to confer with the Special Agent of D. J. there and with the New York Division A. P. L. General Delivery was covered, but nothing showed. A second week was tried with the same result. Operative was then asked to arrange an interview with F—— for his supposed cousin, but F——, according to operative, refused to talk or to see this cousin.
R—— came back to us declaring that F—— knew he was being watched and suspected him, and might kill him. Tension was high at local headquarters. Then we started in to investigate R—— who had been our informant right along. We learned that his record was none too good, for he had offered to procure releases for drafted men for amounts ranging from $15 to $30 a head. We then traced R—— back to Buffalo and got this report: “Great talker and fine salesman, but always away over his head.” In other words there was no case and never had been one. By this time we had almost forgotten E——, the thrift stamp man. We were younger in detective work then than we were later.
A report comes from Jamestown, New York, regarding one whom we will call Henry D——, described as follows: “Known to many in this town as strongly pro-German; a radical socialist; believed to be an anarchist; has been very active going from one town to another. He left Jamestown for Rockford, Illinois; he went thence to Chicago, thence to Grand Rapids. From the latter city he came back to Jamestown. He has now gone to New York. We understand he is contemplating a trip to the old country. Has been very secretive about his movements. Seems to spend a great deal of money in travel, although he is only a workman; has boasted that he had strikes called in every shop to which he was sent.” This man was put under surveillance by the New York office of the American Protective League under charge of being a dangerous alien enemy, and was properly dealt with.
There were no instances of violence in Chautauqua County arising out of the war situation. The community was at all times right side up. Those who have sought to belittle or impede any war activity were effectively stilled.
Schenectady, New York, organized its division on March 1, 1918, with one chief, two captains, four lieutenants, and eighteen operatives. The division conducted sixty-seven investigations for character and loyalty; forty-two under the Espionage Act; twenty-six cases of propaganda, and fifteen of draft evasion. The division was commended by the War Department for showing a high standard of efficiency; also by the Federal Reserve Bank at Albany. Schenectady has a large foreign population, among whom may be found quite a good proportion of radical Socialists. These people were expected to make trouble when we went to war, especially as two of the largest local industrial concerns, the General Electric Company and the American Locomotive Company, were engaged on munitions and other war work. There was no overt act, however, but on the contrary, the people of the city proved intensely patriotic, over-subscribing every loan.
Rochester, New York, reports routine work for its division, but had a good many operatives ready for any emergency that might arise. The record-cases do not represent the amount of work actually done, but yield the following figures: Character and loyalty reports, 190; selective service, 4; training camp activities, 2; liquor and vice, none; war risk insurance, 1; sedition and disloyalty investigations, 25. Rochester would seem to have been much more pacific—not pacifistic—than at first would be expected.
Albany, New York, offers an instance of a phenomenon more or less frequently recurrent during the war—namely, the apprehensiveness of the feminine mind as regards mysterious flashlights in the stilly night. The informant stated that for some time she and her neighbors had been watching flashes which came from a certain house at night and kept up for a long time. She was very much excited. Two operatives visited the vicinity shortly after dark. A light did appear which might have been that of a lantern. It would dim and come on again. The informant stated that sometimes the light would grow as bright as an automobile light, and sometimes it would seem to be red. The next morning the operatives found a farmer plowing near the suspicious house. He admitted that he owned the house. He said he and his wife were American born, of British grandparents. The operatives asked him about the mysterious lights. Smilingly he asked them to go through the house. It then was clearly evident that the light they had seen came from a lamp in the middle of a room. The mysterious intermittent flashes were only due to persons passing between the lamp and the window. The farmer also said he often worked nights bundling up beets, carrots, radishes, etc., which he had pulled during the afternoon and expected to take to early market the next morning. He usually did this work just outside the house on a bench. On inquiry as to what he used, he showed a large carriage lantern with a reflector, in the back of which was a piece of red glass. So the women had been right after all. He would move this lantern from one end of the bench to the other as he worked, and this made the changes in the color of the light. The intermittent flashes were due to his passing back and forth in front of it.
A big chemical poison scare was nipped in the bud by the investigation of a German woman who was found putting up capsules of a white powder in her house. Of course, nothing less than poison for our soldiers and sailors could be predicted. Investigation proved that though the woman was of German descent, she was entirely loyal to this country. She made a little extra money at home filling capsules for a drug house in the city. These capsules contained bicarbonate of soda, tartaric acid, etc., and the woman took a few of them in the presence of the operatives to show that they were harmless. Thus, another case proved to be a “dud.”
An alien enemy was wanted at Albany, reported by D. J. to be traveling on a motor-cycle. It was known that he had a girl not far away and called on her or wrote to her occasionally. The mails in this case, as in many others, were used for decoy purposes. A registered special delivery letter, marked for personal delivery only, was mailed to him at the girl’s address, with the idea that she would give forwarding directions to the messenger who delivered the letter. The result was better than expected. When the messenger arrived at the house, he saw a man just about to leave on a motor-cycle, and thinking that this might be the man, he hailed him and presented the letter. The suspect signed for the letter and was at once arrested and turned over to the Department of Justice.
Syracuse, New York, had a man at the head of its division who, before he came an A. P. L. chief, had made four hundred investigations, and since that time has directed one hundred and fifty more. A very close liaison was maintained with the Department of Justice and the local police department.
Just as valuable as though it recorded some great crime is the report from Hudson Falls, New York: “Our community is made up of loyal, patriotic citizens, who responded to each and every call to duty. We have been active in local, state and national matters throughout the war.”
PENNSYLVANIA
It is hard to tell what is going to become of all the military fakes and pseudo-heroes now that the war is over. Take, for instance, the case of one Captain Robert H——, ostensibly in the United States Navy, who fancied Philadelphia as his residence. This worthy captain was also known by other names. Sometimes he wore a uniform of an ordinary seaman with overseas service wound stripes, although he never saw service abroad. He wrote to his wife that he had been wounded and told her to hang out a service flag with a silver star, which she dutifully did. The star had not hurt Captain H——, so why not put it in the window? This gentleman spoke of a great many flag-raisings and elaborated on the seventy-two days he had spent in the trenches. He told all about German atrocities, and quite often took up collections for sick and wounded soldiers and sailors in the name of this or that hospital. There never yet has been found a hospital to which he has turned over a dollar. Naturally a good organizer, this young officer invented a good Navy of his own, the “Naval Home Defense,” and at one time had enlisted one hundred and fifty-six members, including one lady and her two young sons. The project came to grief because of a generous order for some uniforms, costing something like $1,000, which was placed with a local clothing firm and had to be paid for. It is too bad, because the organization also had a ladies’ auxiliary, his wife being president thereof. This is only one of a very great number of cases of imposters parading as officers of this or that country.
Bradford, Pennsylvania, is in the heart of the big oil country, and it had its own troubles by reason of its necessarily motley population. A very interesting report on local conditions, submitted by the Chief of McKean County Division, says:
At the outset we were confronted with a situation fast becoming serious, as so many industrial claims had been allowed by the district board. Only one or two young men of social prominence had been inducted into the service, and charges were frequently made that the Government did not intend taking men of wealth or prominence and that it was the laboring men who would have to do the fighting. The Socialist element was quick to take advantage of this situation, and men who left here for the service went away feeling that they had been discriminated against.
We took up this situation with the Department of Justice, who sent us a Special Agent. A contingent of boys leaving for the front did some printing reflecting very seriously on the methods of the draft board and scoring the local slackers. They had planned to put a banner on their train with such inscriptions as, “My father owns an oil well, but I didn’t claim exemption”; “We have a garden in our back yard, but I am not a farmer”; etc. We headed off this plan, but the worst thing about it was that many of the names upon the slacker list referred to were of men who had legitimate reasons for exemption. At the same time, there were some men named who clearly ought to have been inducted into the service. To silence criticism, we had a district draft board man come to Bradford, and with him we went over a lot of cases which had caused trouble. As a result, many of these cases were reclassified, and many men inducted into the service. This caused an entire change of opinion here, and since then we have had no trouble of that nature.
We had one exemption claimer, a young Jewish merchant, who told a very pathetic story about dependents—among others, a blind father and an invalid brother. This young Hebrew was of the belief that he could do so much more for his country if left at home to take care of these unhappy relatives of his. Investigation did not seem to bear out his point of view. He was not, however, turned over to the authorities for action in regard to his statements, as he was wanted for the army more than for the courts; and yet, when he was turned over to the medical men for examination, it was found that he had something which he did not know he had—serious heart trouble which actually exempted him! There are some people you can’t beat any way of the game.
A Bradford pro-German, born in Germany but naturalized before the war, has always been socialistic. Put under observation, he was heard to say in the presence of many, at a meeting in honor of a man who was going to join the colors: “Here is your —— —— capitalistic system taking the best men we have and leaving men like ——” His remarks were resented and caused a row. Investigated and reported to Department of Justice at Pittsburgh, this pro-German was arrested and placed under indictment.
At one of the plants the loyal workingmen had fixed it all up to paint a man a nice yellow color because he did not subscribe to any Liberty loans. A. P. L. operatives arrived just in time to prevent the frescoing above mentioned. The suspect himself was taken aside and argued with by the A. P. L., with the result that he presently disclaimed his disloyal remarks, said he was sorry, and wanted to buy some bonds with the other boys.
The Chief goes on to say that Bradford operated under cover as much as possible. A good many townsfolk, he says, could not identify A. P. L. at all, although there were very few who did not know that there had been some sort of checking up of pretty much the entire population in matters of interest to the Government. This impression aided in suppressing a great deal of radical and seditious talk, and served as a warning to others not to begin that sort of thing.
Reading, Pennsylvania, reports 170 cases of alien enemy activities, 226 cases of disloyal and seditious talk, 38 cases of investigation of radical organizations, such as the I. W. W. Among other interesting stories contained in the Reading report is one which has to do with a professional labor agitator, a wrong telephone number and an alert A. P. L. operative. A workman called up a man whom he supposed to be his friend, and stated that there was going to be a strike pretty soon at a certain factory. The recipient of the message happened to be an A. P. L. operator, who at once took up the trail and located his man in the shop where he was employed. Witnesses soon were found who proved that this was the man who had started the strike agitation. He had been there only two weeks. He had been in three other plants where they were doing Government work and had made trouble in each plant. He knew the percentage of Government work in each factory where he had been employed. He was sent to Philadelphia for full handling. It seemed that he was trying to get in touch with an official of a Socialist organization and pulled the wrong telephone number by mistake! You could never tell in war times when you were talking to an A. P. L. man.
Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, had sixty-six members enrolled. Considerable character and loyalty investigation work was done, and a great deal of seditious talk was stopped which otherwise might have caused trouble. The Chief adds: “The mere fact that such an organization as ours existed and that we were working in secret had a wonderful moral effect on the entire community. I regret exceedingly that this organization has to be dissolved, and am of the opinion that it will play an important part in the readjustment which is now taking place.”
Meadville, Pennsylvania, had the usual routine work on deserters, delinquents, etc., and fourteen operatives were kept busy throughout the community. The Chief modestly says: “We did everything we could for our country.”
Bristol, Pennsylvania, did not turn anything in to the Federal courts, but weeded out a number of undesirable alien enemies from the shipbuilding plants in that locality. The League gave very material assistance to the State Constabulary and Borough Police Officers in making investigations.
NEW JERSEY
The Trenton, New Jersey, district was one of busy environments, and it offers a number of three-star cases. Let us consider one Graboski, who had a friend, Grabinski, who tipped off the A. P. L. that Graboski was not a carpenter, but a chemist with a doctor’s degree from a foreign university. This amiable masquerader was believed to have been instrumental in blowing up the plant of the General Electric Company at Schenectady, New York. In view of his information, Grabinski was dealt with leniently, but Graboski was followed to his boarding-place and was there found in bed listening to the conversation of the occupants down stairs. He was taken before the United States District Attorney as a preliminary to his internment in a southern detention camp.
Much more proper than contrary is the conduct of a German bearing the homely name of Schmidt, living near Trenton, New Jersey. Investigation was made on report of a neighbor. By the time the operative called, Schmidt had a service flag in his window. Many different subjects were discussed, including music. Old man Schmidt had no more investigations after he declared himself:
Yah, ve Chermans ist fond of musik. I like musik, und mine vife, she like it to. I haf der old violin vot I brot mit me from Chermany. I blay him a liddle alvays—old Cherman tunes—vot ist all I know. Maybe you hear me sometimes—last year, vot? No? Vell, I blay him not any more now. You see, der boy—mine son—you don’t know him—he never live mit us here—he vork in Chicago—he ist in American Army already. Und I luf to blay, but all vot I know ist shust Cherman tunes—dat’s all—so I don’t blay any more. I hav der old viddle avay put.
Trenton, New Jersey, staged a draft raid with two hundred A. P. L. men and a detachment from Philadelphia under the leadership of the Assistant Chief of that city. At the Trenton Fair there was a crowd of 75,000 people. The raiders set out in fifty automobiles and broke up into small parties. At four o’clock in the afternoon the dragnet went to work, and no one was allowed to leave the grounds without credentials. Even the fences were watched. All operatives, whether from the Department of Justice or the A. P. L., worked with courtesy, and there was no more difficulty in getting out of the grounds than there would be in getting into a theatre if provided with a ticket. Many of the men apprehended were farmers from out of the way places and had their wives and children with them. Those being evidently not of the slacker variety were released with the understanding that they report to their local boards. No one was delayed unnecessarily. After this, all the side shows and amusements were combed out, and several men were picked up in this way. About 300 were apprehended and taken to the armory, where their cases were passed on. Four deserters from our Army were taken, and the British Military Police apprehended a man, thought to be a pickpocket, who was masquerading in a Canadian uniform. This raid was conducted after the much criticised New York slacker drive, and the contrast was commented upon by the local press.
CONNECTICUT.
New Haven, Connecticut, might very well have been a seat of trouble, but appears to have pursued the usually even tenor of her way, sending her young men out in hundreds to fight the country’s battles, and making very little fuss about it. The division took part in five minor slacker raids, in which the men gave satisfactory account of themselves, working closely in touch with the Department of Justice and the Military Intelligence, especially in the matter of protection of the large munition factories against sabotage. New Haven is one of the great American centers for the making of firearms, and that there has been no serious trouble there is a matter of congratulation. There were 226 investigations made for the War Department, each investigation necessitating interviews with at least three persons. The organization at New Haven was quiet, even tempered, and strictly efficient, a fine example in a state which was very strong in its A. P. L. organizations.
New London, Connecticut, besides routine activities, had one case which involved the trailing of a count, a princess, a Russian banker, a Greek candy manufacturer, and a prize-fighter, besides a person described as a “male,” but who proved to be a young lady in a well-known local family. With these ingredients as preliminary, it might almost be sufficient to tell any reader to write his own ticket—and indeed the case is not yet closed. It will probably turn out to be one of American Bolshevism. The Chief says there is enough in this for a good movie scenario. As much might be said for another pro-German case in which the beautiful and accomplished suspect was followed by D. J. men, who installed a dictograph in her hotel apartments. This case also had to do with a draft of $14,000 traced from Montreal to a New York bank, through which British Secret Service men discovered a paymaster of German spies in this country. This woman met several Army and Navy officers in the course of her travels along three-fourths of the Atlantic Coast. It is most disappointing to have the Chief add: “We are unable to disclose for publication any further facts at this date.”
New London had a number of special investigations, some of them interesting, others ludicrous. One of the latter was Case No. 245, Subject “Mysterious Flashes.” A woman residing on the shore reported mysterious flashlights, intermittent, but long continued. She was sure of nothing less than a German invasion. An operative was put on the case and worked five hours one night. He found a mysterious man walking up and down the beach. He had an electric torch which he flashed here and there, muttering to himself the while, and now and then putting something in his pocket. Summoning all his nerve, the operative cried: “Halt! Who goes there?” Inquiry proved that the man was in sailor garb. When questioned as to the nature of his mysterious actions, he replied: “I am catching nightcrawlers for fishing. I want to get some eels for my breakfast.”
Mystic Village, Connecticut, furnished another scare of the same variety. Near the village is a hill, known as Lantern Hill since Colonial days, because it is a convenient signal post. Stories got out about mysterious lights on Lantern Hill. On one clear night the investigators saw what seemed to be unmistakable signalling. The light was brilliant and changed in color from green to red. State and Naval authorities resolved to look into the matter, and it was arranged that on a given night patrols of naval reservists from the submarine base and detachments of the Home Guard should surround the hill, while forces of the Guard were to patrol the shores of the sound to catch sight of any answering signals from the sea. The patrols were duly set, and, sure enough, the light began to show as brilliant and mysterious as could be asked. It seemed to swing at an altitude of about two hundred feet above the woods. It occurred to one of the naval officers on watch that with the aid of his powerful night glass and a convenient perpendicular presented by the side of the barn, he might triangulate the position of the light. He had not been at this very long when he broke out into laughter and announced that what they had taken to be a mysterious light was only a star rendered abnormally brilliant by the refractive effect of the damp night air. Its later disappearances were accounted for by the later rise in altitude, when of course the light would cease to be distinguishable from others of like altitude. Taking it all in all, this about finished the cases of the many mystic lights which were reported from time to time.
Litchfield, Connecticut, up near the stern and rockbound coast, offers a good example of sober-going loyalty. There were only fifty-one cases of seditious talk and twenty of propaganda, whereas the selective service regulation involved 734 cases.
Ansonia, Connecticut, was honored by the presence of a Russian Soviet Society called the “Society Lunch,” which had regular meetings and was organizing other societies in nearby towns. Sometimes this society would get a speaker from the outside, such as the editor of the Russian Voice, published in New York. The city of Ansonia did not like these things, inasmuch as they tended to promote anarchy and foster revolution. The division had one of its operatives among the membership, he having joined the society for the purpose of reporting on its activities. What the society did became henceforth a matter of interest not only to its membership, but also to the local body of A. P. L. vigilantes.
The Chief of Norwalk, Connecticut, worked in close touch with the police of his city and was on the lookout for the various alien enemies reported from headquarters. He says: “No alien enemy actually apprehended in my district. The only way we can account for it is that they were afraid to come here.”
Essex, Connecticut, says something which will meet general agreement: “We firmly believe that the A. P. L. has done an inestimable work in the protection of our country. Every man in this division is glad of the opportunity afforded to be enrolled as an A. P. L. member.”
MASSACHUSETTS
Springfield, Mass., had only nineteen members in its division. That we may know the nature of the League membership as a whole, let us look at the qualifications of these nineteen men. They included a lawyer, a physician, a broker, a private secretary, a social service worker, an advertising manager, a college president, a bank president, a furniture buyer, a merchant, a superintendent of the Bradstreet Company, a traveling salesman, a life insurance agent, a masseur, a surgeon, a musician, a shipping foreman, a bank teller and a high school teacher. The work of the Springfield division had to do largely with character and loyalty investigations, which ran all the way from nobody at all to a bishop in the Episcopal Church. Some male and female applicants for Y. M. C. A., K. of C. and Red Cross were found unfit “either because of immoralities or bad habits.” Once in a while a case of disloyalty and sedition came up which would cause a smile. An applicant for a commission whose father was a Belgian and whose mother was a German was investigated and was found to be a loyal American. When questioned, he said he was for the United States of America, but that “father would never forgive mother for the invasion of Belgium.”
A more spectacular Springfield case hung on a letter sent by the War Department to the A. P. L. reading as follows:
Will you please have your agents investigate a man living at 71 Catherine Street, Springfield, Massachusetts, known as August X——, and report the result of their investigation to me?
The final result of this investigation was that the subject was interned, having been proved to have been a former soldier in von Kluck’s army of invasion in 1914, who had been taken prisoner by the French, had escaped from France to the United States and drifted to Springfield, where he got employment in a machine shop. “I have always wondered,” says the Chief, “from whom the War Department received the first information regarding August X——, and wonder if again we have a case of cherchez la femme.”
DELAWARE
This state is not one of the largest in the Union, and its report is not one of the largest in the world, but it foreshadows a very satisfactory state of affairs, both past and future.
Mr. Robert Pennington was State Inspector for Delaware. He worked by means of three county associates and a full set of captains, one for each representative district of the State. A great deal of routine work was handled, much of which had to do with applications for commissions, overseas service, etc., as well as a certain number of sedition and disloyalty cases. Some Red Cross rumors were run down, and at least one important investigation was made of a man who was putting out machinery better adapted for mixing explosives than for grinding alleged dental powder. These machines were to be shipped to Switzerland to a point near the German border. Some draft evaders, deserters and slackers were rounded up duly. Many investigations were made by the various chiefs and reported direct to Washington. The State Inspector had almost daily requests from the Department of Justice in Washington in the matter of draft deserters.
RHODE ISLAND
Providence, R. I., had a good active organization of 275 members, all loyal and hard-working Americans. They did yeoman service in assisting the local branch of the Department of Justice, whose offices were so crowded with work at times that the help of the League was sorely needed.
The A. P. L. in Wakefield, R. I., was small but busy, like all the rest of that great little State. Much of the League’s activity in this district had to do with covering the rough and broken seashore, a region largely occupied by well-to-do Germans. Some of these alien inhabitants were found to be out-and-out disloyalists, over sixty such cases being investigated.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
The lack of any extended reports from this state would indicate an absence of many of the tortuous problems that assailed her larger New England neighbors. Manchester, N. H., reports that the local division coöperated with almost every governmental activity in the State, including the Department of Justice, draft boards, Red Cross, Four Minute Men, and other branches too numerous to mention. We may write almost identically the same comment for Maine and Vermont.