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Show WOMAN 8PT HELD AT WAR CAMP 5 0 RIFLED MAIL IN CEN60R'60mCE At:(;USTA MINNIE DECK MAN, alleged German spy, as she left the Federal building yesterday afternoon in the custody of V. H. Davenport, U. S. secret service, on her way to the county jail. i I ' ' F ' " 1 1 ,-:, I y '(..- ' - ; ? li . c'i t ? , f P- 1 it i $ ,1... . vAi. -i. i a j i v'c I3 I t I M J v? t " i ' U ! . .. ' j 1 v ' " ' I Supposed Go-ketween of Enemy Aliens Arrested by U. S. Agents. BOLDLY walking Into a trap set (or Inr, Miss Augusta Minnie lifi'knwn, who says she is the fiancee fi-ancee of Ernest A. Jybclcl, an interned in-terned civilian enemy alien at the Third war prison ramp at Fort Douglas, was caught in the act yesterday afternoon after-noon of rifling tho United States mail in the office of the federal censor at war prison headquarters. Miss Deckrnan was placed under arrest on the spot by Colonel Cleorge L. Byram. prison commandant, and later turned over to William F. Davenporl, of tho local secret se-cret service bureau. During tho afternoon after-noon she was arraigned before United States Commissioner Henry V. Van Pelt Oil' a charge of violating the federal espionage act, and is being held in prison pending a hearing on this charge. Tho voting woman also faces the possible pos-sible charge of robbing the United States mail and another charge of being a German Ger-man spv. Should she be formally charged with the latter offense nnd be convicted she would be subject, under military law, to execution. The arrest of Miss Deckmaji brings to light tho fact that it was she who wrote the note which the Hev. B. Henry Lees-mann Lees-mann was caught In the act of attempting attempt-ing to smuggle into the civilian section of the prison compound last Sunday night. The noto was addressed to Lvhold and had reference to money which it is believed be-lieved was to have been secured to finance fi-nance the escape of Leybold and other prisoners mrw in the camp, should they be able to succeed in making a break from the compound. Irftsnwnn was arraigned ar-raigned during the afternoon on r cliarge of violating the espionage act. Scent Well Laid Plot. ! "Evidence has also been brought to lipht I tending to convince th military and civil j federal official that Miss lVckman has I b'en thf outside airnt of Ley hold a tid others in the camp in a determined plot that had for ltf purpose t he delivery from the prison of T.eyhold, Alvo von Al-vfnfdeben. Al-vfnfdeben. th kaiser former financial UKcnt in Hritish Columbia and north-western United States, and a number of other important and dtnseroua eneniv aliens lidd in the -war prison camp. The capture cap-ture of the younir woman also brought to li,'ht further eid.-nce eonnoctint; thu Rev. Mr. Leosmnnn with the plot to carry in-forma in-forma tion between hr nnd Ley bold and clinches a stronsr ruse a.camst the O.cden pastor, aocordinp to the authorities. Mii-s Peek man had in her posses-sion. wiscu she va.s arrested, a letter addressed to Ley bold, which tha authorities believe she was se- kina: to smuglo in to him. in which she tells all about tho sending of the note by the pastor, and tho part the pastor played in the. affair. The arrest of Miss 1'eekinan is considered consid-ered by the military authorities as a most Important factor in set tins at naught a fa 1-reach tr.i; scheme to briup about tin-wholesale tin-wholesale delivery of mo of the moM important prisoners held in the compound. iCoiuthiucd on Paca NinoJ tifl iS HELD By U. S, MS (Continued from Page One.) It is a significant fact that coincident wr.'n the trapping of the young woman rifdr.p the mail in the censor's office, two new tunnels were found in the prison camn throueh which the Interned prisoners prison-ers were seekine to dit; their way outside the inclosing fences. Made Timely Discovery. One tunnel was inside the civilian section sec-tion and the other in the sailor section of the camp, but they were discovered before be-fore they had been carried to completion. comple-tion. Suspicion That Mifs Deckman was not the innocent litUa fiancee she posed as being has been held by the prison officers of-ficers ever since her appearance here last summer, immediately following the arrest ar-rest of Ley bo", d, Von Alvensieben. William Wil-liam Schioeterborg and others who were caught in Seattle and interned as dangerous dan-gerous agents of the German government. As a result she was kept under close watch. The evidence gained by the officers of-ficers resulted in the issuance of an order or-der from Washington forbidding her to see Ley bold. Leybold made strenuous protest against this and took the matter, up with the Swiss minister, but the latter informed him he had nothing to do with the prison regulations. Miss Deckman haunted the post con- stantly dunntr the summor and fall and lias boon a 1 tvquent visitor , tli.-ro until j last month. As that time the prison officers of-ficers su.-prt if 1 attempts (mi lwr part I to got hold of ma il In the censor's ot-tioe. ot-tioe. and sho was toil-Widen to come upon the military reservation. Then came the capture lust Sundav nlk-hi of the Kev. Mr. l.eosinann m tli. act of attempting to pass the contents of a note to Uhold. The note, which was ivcowrvd and which asked eybuld If he or .he should write to August Miehorn In S-'iltlc !ibout some moiii'v, was signed by Miss Peohman. Lay Trap for Girl. 1 l'.-vi:iiT that tlie nolo iff. rr.nl to I iny imon.l.-.l tor us,, in finua-ins :ui ! rsi-.ipc atu that Miss llcctman wouiil go to any l.TKlhs to c. t the inforntatlon .It-s:re,i .It-s:re,i from U.yboKi, ;'o. pi ison authorities .-t ai.out Liyini; a Irap ti ,at.-l h.-r in the a.i 01 Moiai.ni; tlie law ill a niaina-r that v.ouhl eaahle ihe l,,l,ral aullvMilles to urrst and hold her. At ten mirnii.-s pasi 1? o loek yester-,ia- Miss reeisiuan arnve.l at l-t lHan;-l lHan;-l las on a Mreei ear. sin suppel eonii- tletttly trom Ihe ear an. I walkc.1 hritfl.lv I tJ Prison heail.iuarteis. The wav "as . '.car for her. The eensor and all I hls as.-isiams had (ton, to luncheon and so tar as she could s"e the olf.ee v.as i descried. Th- you woman walked into i the o:i:e. cast her e , s ahout and saw l no one in siht. Sho noliced lhat the I outer door to ihe censoi s department was shuhtlv a.i.ir. Willi her .-laintilv K!oed hand s'na I 1 us ie-i tlie dot.r (.pen and p-eie.l can- I j r.ousiy a out. .N'ot a soul was in s'-ht. ! Her eve tell on the d'jor to ihe censor's 1 Piiv.f.e nttice. whicli stood si.liilv aiar. 1 j she tiptoed a.-ro.-'s the :nterven:n fpa.-e i and cautiousiv pushed tne door open '1 . '.ere w.,s no one in njcht. A pile of I n:ail tio:n tile prison camp lav on the tal-ie. ' From behind a partition Maw Emery ! S West. eecuti e offa.er of the prison ' I company. v..ue!'..d ihe woman thio.is.-li a eo'ipie of .r.'iir iicles. she stepped hur- rieJ.y to the tatle. pl.nuej eautious'v i around and t-osjii aoiii-t thro.. nil the mail. ; She was lrok.ns .'or a note from I.evt.ol 1 ' to her. This note wasn't there, however. 1 Another which it was mten.ied she shoald set. she overlooked in her haste. j i Confronted by Commandant. : Turnina she tiptoed out of the room. I I Just as site sfuipei outside of the door she tound herse' face to face with Col- I I or.el iiymni, who i:ad stejiped from a convenient place cf rop.ee alment. "Miss Deckman. sire me th n letter! I you r.ok," ..-ommanflcd the colonel. j "Why. w-iiy, I haven't (jot any letter." I i stnmmrred the astounded cir!. as she i Lin sited and assumed an air of coy in- ' no'-ence. j .lust then Major Vest stepptd from I his hiohnir place and confronted her. i "I watched you so thromh that mail." said the major, and. taking the trlrl with him. he showed her where he had stood and watched her izo through the letters. Then Miss Deckman broke clown and adm.tterl to the oft iters all she had done. She turned over to them the letter whiri she ha! addressed to Devbold and which, il is thought. she sought to smimple Ihroueh to hirn without its going through the hands of the censor. This letter was found to he written in German, out when it was translated it was, found to refer to the sending of the note Sunday night by her through the pastor. "Bad Luck," Woman Says. "Bad luck seems to be camping on my trail," she remarked in one place as she t related how she had jdven the note to j , the pastor and told him to deliver it in I person to Leybold or ieturn it. and then told how he had been caught trying to convey tlie contents through another prisoner. The letter Indicated that Pastor Lees-mann Lees-mann understood the import of the communication com-munication and the urgency for secrecy. Under further questioning Miss Deck-man Deck-man adm: tied to the officers that she stole a letter from Leybold to herself from the censor's office on Januarv 2;;. Corroborative evidence that she did po has been secured by the prison officers. On this alone, it Is stated, she is subject sub-ject to a charge of robbing the United j States mails. And her act yesterday. It is stated, constitutes spy in?. Miss Deckman, when first cauht at the prison camp, sought to maintain an air of injured innocence, but she finally broke down and wept. The capture of Miss Deckman, It Is believed, will put a stop, at least for a time, to the attempts of Leybold, Von Alvp.nsleben and other prominent prisoners pris-oners to escape, by depriving thorn of an outside agent. Discovery yesterday of the two new tunnels in the prison camp makes a total of no less than fourteen tunnels that have been discovered by the prison authorities within the past two and a haif months, according to information informa-tion given out yesterday. Fourteen Attempts at Escape. Only four attempts to tunnel out had been given out to the public, up to yesterday, yes-terday, but the happenings of the day led the officials to give out the information informa-tion that fourteen attempts have been made by the prisoners to tunnel their wav to freedom reoonUy. It is known by the federal authorities that Von Alvensieben is probably the most Important civilian prisoner held in the camp and Leybold is a close second. It Is believed that nearly every attempt at escape has been for ihe main purpose of didiveriiii- on Alvtnslfb,n and It l" now known that be was to have escaped at the lime Knit V1 kens and his partner part-ner in. i.ie !h"-lr t:et-awu. hut at the last minute ht didn't haw the nerve to ko thrtiUf;)! with it. Von , I vet isle ben Is said to have hrn the pel samkiI neiat repi i -entn ti ve of the k:i istr ni I . rl t ish ("ubiini'Ut a nd the nofthwt-stern section of the t'nlt'd Statin and at one time he wnn rated ns a millionaire. mil-lionaire. It ;.s albu-d fb-rmau siv :n-tivities :n-tivities e-uiuu-t'U from his fumiK-r home on A lii 1'nint in W'ect Sr:ittU- that finally final-ly i i-sulted hi bis a n I'.-t as a i lerman a i:ei!t a fid ! arrest hi tin- :i mt- lime of Lvl"'id and ScldiH'terborc, all uf ulim were s.-nt l:.-:e for internment at the s.i.'nc time hibt s.uumer. Corn in Schleswig-IIolstcin. As to the antecedents of Miss Deckman I hero is r onshirahiy m stery. Plie appeared ap-peared here i mined In civ after Leybold was Interned and elaimvd to be a German Ger-man irl enTML:i'.l to marrv Lybol.. S!ie speaks and w rites ( b'i tn;tn iluontly. but it lias Ic-n not( d that Iht handwriting 'ins not tl'.e (. haracteristis of the born i.'iermr; n and w lu-n she Is am; ry or f - ! cited shf drops all (1crm;tn ac. ent from' her Kiivlish. tliocrh under oniinary cir- j cums i a ik efl she ii.tj it rvi lily. j At one time Miss pp'kman ndmltted tliat she was born In Schli sv lolstehi-Sbe lolstehi-Sbe is j vears of ace, rather pu-tty and tic, idedly bright. 1 h i1 on off leer? d-clai e she is ;ifi act omplisiud ;eres: As nearly near-ly as ean be learned she lived for a number num-ber of ears m Canada vi i h a distant relative and did houbework for her. It a in iritis), Columbia that she met Leybold an. I neenme lutatuated with him. She followed hirn to Seattle an 1 as there hen LeyVdd and You Ah r:isk ben Were cntrarp.-J 1 y tlie federal government govern-ment Theti phe foKo'.vd hbn hro and has been here sir.e. S!;e has been goinK to school at the l'nivers!ty of t'tali. but the authorities believe this was merely a blind to rover her ral activities as an outsid- ;i.;ent for the prisoners in the war prison camp. Breaks Into Tears. Immediately upon being ushered Into the office of Mr. 1 avenport In the ftd-eral ftd-eral buddms;, uin her arrival from Kurt Douglas. Miss ijeckmiTi broke Into tears. She made a brave effort at self-possession, however, and fearing that she mlht commit herself she reluctantly submitted to an Interview. To a Tribune reporter she said she had spent some time In Seattle, where she first met Leyhold. After a courtsnip of a few weeks she and Leybold became en-eaired en-eaired to be married last June. She said she had lived In the United States about four years. "I came to Salt Lak" she said, "because "be-cause Mr. Leybold, my f hi nee, was interned in-terned here. I wanted to be near hirn, for I have always entertained the hope that he would soon be released from the military prison and we would be free to marry. "I cannot understand why they have pursued me and watched me, for It was only natural that I should want to see my fiance, and regularly on visiting days T have gone out to tlie fort to pee Mr. Leybold and to take him f?ome comforts." When Miss Deckman was asked why she attempted to pass a note to Leybold she replied that after the manner in which she had been watched and had been denied privileges to which she believed be-lieved she was entitled, she poucht the aid of the Rev. Henry Leesman. who, because be-cause of his standing a-s a minister, she thought could pass a note for her without with-out arousing suspicion. Had Confidence in Pastor. Miss Deckman denied that she had ever known Mr. Leesman n until she came to Salt Lake, and said she first met him ut a church gathering. She said she had confidence in Mr. Leesmann and did not believe' that he would fulfill the mission she had asked of him if any wrong would be attached to it. Between sobs Miss Deckman declared that she has no relatives in this country and no friends to whom she could appeal, ap-peal, and that when she found Mr. Leesmann Lees-mann she believed she had met a man who could help her in comforting Ley-bold Ley-bold while the latter was in prison by carrying messages of cheer to him. Miss Reck man spoke freely of the note which site had asked Mr. Leesmann to convey to Leybold, which she said was merely to find out whether Leybold had secured certain moneys from August Miehorn. a broker in Seattle, which Ley-bold Ley-bold had assured her he would jrnt to aid her in her education as a student at the I'niversity of Utah. She said that Ley-bold Ley-bold owned certain timber lands near Seattle, on whieh he had expected to be able to necotiat a loan. The note which she gave to Mr. Leesmann. Lees-mann. she said, was: "Did you get an answer from tlie trustee in Seattle r1-eardint r1-eardint the loan, or shall I write to him for money?" Hopes for Speedy Release. Miss Deckman appeared to be relieved after telling her story and said that she hoped she would soon be released to resume re-sume her work at the university, where she said she was taking tlie general course that she might be fitted to provide pro-vide for herself if anything happened to prevent her marriage to Leybold. Miss Deckman and Mr. Leesmann were arra Igned late in the afternoon before United States Commissioner Henry V. Van Pelt, on a complaint charging them with violation of tb espionage act, and specifically with having attempted to pass a communication to a prisoner of war within the war prison barracks at Fort Douglas. Rot h the prisoners pleaded not guilt v j to th1 rharcc and were held under SCOO I ball for hearing on February i!7. Miss Deckman and Mr. Tx-esmann ex-pressed willingness and anietv to explain matters mat-ters pertaining to their arrest, but were denied the privilege by the commissioner. In default of hail they wpre remanded to t he custody of the United States marshal mar-shal a nd were escorted to the county jail. Leesmann expressed the hope that he would be able to furnish sureties from among his friends In Ogden. 4 It was learned last nicht that after -her arrival here Miss Deckman made her arpearnnre at one of the joeI Rrd Cross auxiliaries and sought to Join thf nork- ! era t here. I er action" In unrolling and f:imuim: r"'N of bandages and other work of the Red Cross- members, aroused the sii'T' ion of some of the other workers. work-ers. When Mi?s Leek man notice. th;it her actions werA attracting attention she dropped out of the auxiliary activities. |