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Show -f- f ! I Letters From Looney j By Frederic J. Haskin. f WASHINGTON-, July 5. Fantastic results re-sults were expected to accrue when, during tho war, the federal government asked each of Its hundred million citizens to constitute himself a Sherlock Holmes lrv, r det?,ct'on f the disloyal. Good in Jv?" elfment, was like extending tlnJjh ln a bat"Jet to the na-J na-J obo. h;rcie- Tnose men and women I from coast to coast who have the let-tlff-,V!"u,'a' tnose People who may Swr br,,lllant ml"ds gone wrons, or dwarfed minds reaching out beyond their sphere, grasped the occasion as a long-sought long-sought opportunity. th,!e-.dei!artmt of Jtlce, which, fnrA .1, 3 b,Jreau of Investigation, en-h, en-h, ,Z esflonase act, and therefore formTn lhe,deI,rl"8 I'ousa for such in-J,1: in-J,1: f0"nd Itself the recipient of wagonloads of epistles, from the erratic n,. l?m lunatlcs to notes from the m,,i" nu'r,erous were these com- r"'c,ltt thuat U became necessary to establish what It dubbed Its "nut', file and there today may be seen a moat remarkable collection of letters Irorn these mental cripples. Here Is one, for Instance, which ar-r ar-r ved a month after the armistice was s.gnerl: TT'iTi!? SfT" Prlnce has landed In "the United States. I saw him a few days , ?' sure the stranger is the son I of the kaiser. The physical resemblance! r i ,.'Sg' 1 have been carefully sup-s plied with an accurate description of the I crown pnnce, and I am convinced that I my identification is correct. I "He was well dressed and wore a long tan, well-tailored, close-fitting broadcloth coat, like those usually seen at the races i in England. The walk of this man was I also Identical with that of the crown ' prince as described in the newspapers., He walked with a alow, swagirerlng stroll, ' almost a strut, with a heavier bearing on, the right foot. "He was a little taller than the crown ', prince usually seems, but he was very j muen like him indeed. His manner, I however, was very nervous, as though on the alert. The peculiarity of gait showed that of an officer accustomed to wearing a sword and the swing of the body to step free of it. " "T,h?. Inan v'ho m6"h'' have been his! royal highness might also have been only a, German officer bearing Buch a' resemblance, re-semblance, who purposely came to America Amer-ica to parade around and give out this suspicion In order that the real whereabouts where-abouts of the crown prince may remain still a safe mystery.' This letter came from a woman )n Mississippi, it is typical. It mKht have been of importance. It had to be studied, as did all of Its kind. Often It was on the border line of possible intelligence and had to be investigated. The fact thatMt belonged in the nut file had to be established. A study of these letters was equal to a course In the psvchology of the unbalanced, un-balanced, but It likewise required much effort. Some of tie letters contain as many as GOOO words. Moat writers offer suggestions and advice as to how the war should have been fought and how the department should cope with pro-Gtrmans pro-Gtrmans in this country. The department depart-ment would have needed a force of agents as large as the army to investigate the charges made in these letters. Oftentimes a well-written communication, communica-tion, making accusations of pro-German tende-ncies and activities, would be investigated in-vestigated only to find that the writer was demented. Here, for instance, is a telegram addressed to President Wilson and referred to the department of Justice for investigation. "I have come to my president and my J flag for protection and justice. For i God's sake heed my appeal. Have always al-ways been an honest, upright, clean woman. Some persons have an offensive ' film in which Is used my features. FUasa : ha e the film confiscated." The woman w.im found to be of un- AH sort s of InRfiiiouH devices to help win the war wore offered to the department. depart-ment. This ono came from a man in New F!nriand: "My sister has written to you several times, go I will not have to introduce niyst'lf. t don't know niut'U about war, I but 1 bolieva I ran put you onto ;i little j scheme. Yv all know the Germane usfl everything: Ttu:y ran think of to destroy ' our men and dlrable un, and if we have I a trap sfrt for them it might do some good. My p-lrin Is this: To have a large eupoly of cheap tctins mad to shoot ! nutomat lc:il1y. Ioad them with buck- ,hot and then conceal them with leaves ' and ftraw. leaving only the muzzle exposed. ex-posed. Klaoe them on top of the trench and hae an eleftrlo. wire connected to the trltfk-er. When the Germans rharjre tho trench, the puns could be dischaiKed bv Homeone several hundred an:t behind be-hind the Une. Thin would Rive tho Huna d. dofe of thi-ir own medicine." Another nan claimed that he knew ni about th "u" perms. He wrote: "You will forKlve m if I take the llbfify to insult you. For a poor worker, you will bo indulKfilt to me. According to me. af fairs are polnc fine, because the Influonza now has struck only me nd all the doctors in the country don't know what to do. I have the cure. The pharmacist a are highly exc.it ed only be-eau.s be-eau.s they am afraid 1 will slop the epidomle. Son then I will no lonper ned to work In this prison, ss I will 1ve all my cnemv to study the serum of the Spanish affluence (influenza). H yu do not understand my offer, it is not my fault, for I never had tho distinction dis-tinction of ever attending college." In many instances, men and women wrote the department, oft'erin their services, serv-ices, One wonin wanted the department "to squeeze me Into Germany ns a dancer." "I danr nnd teach class t en 1 and stuire dancinK." she wrote. "I hv had offers of ns much ns $ao per week to do classical solos Ucmiiko of family preJudt'-eH n tea Inst since T declined nil f them. 1 would be satisfied to (to on (he stiice In Gernmny If you can pet me through, and I will assuredly com out with something for you. although I cannot speak their horrible jnrpon." Not nil npprnls bear on the war. however. how-ever. One younp pirl asked the department depart-ment to heip her ot on the stage. "I nilcht perhaps pet thure if 1 tried niVMelf." sh wrote., "but 1 prefer to ro with tho government's stamp f P-prnvnl, P-prnvnl, even though U may be privately attached, 1 am supposed to have talent, tho ablMtv and appearance. 1'leaso, plnas. pw-apft help mo to g"t on the M;ige. Vull sen, I am legi;intf you. I ,m not accustomed to hearing men to do IhitiKM for mo, 1 tun accustomed to being begged." It whs puKirested by another wonutn that the agents of the d' n.i rtment might ! bo nblo ti get vnlunble Information about German spies In this country through occult noddies. She exphiinrd that the Germans received most of their infor-mMl'Mi infor-mMl'Mi about the enemy from tho spirits. A nmii in New York state as so much ronCHrned about the luxuries possessed bv a baud of gvpsieH that ho wrote the fiepi.rlinent "tint It is not Mry often that pvpsles lire well-heeled, nnd when In war' t ImeN t lu v t r.( ve through t lie, count v' I In hi nd so me motor cars It might be, to t he offl'-lat interest of the government to know nbout It, and see If Ornian money wmn used to buy r-irn for them." "I'reertllnir Ibe i:uroiean w;ir. and once nftcr 11 started," writes a mmi from one of the southern htjiles. "I received tliroo n nop vinous commun leal tons by inn il, 1)n-"Mtenlng me that if I did not utop Hiding Hid-ing Great Hritulu sgainst Germnny, sullnble revenge would he taken. Two of the, Idlers unvested klrliutpliig me ii N an earn' men ns of disposing of me. should bo cm rled to a certain point on the At In ntle const it ud shipped nut to sen, where I w oiild hu placed on a German wniship and taken to Gennnn." Such are samples of endless numbers of lelters thai constantly pour Into tho department of .iuhlbe. are enmlnid nnd filed nwuy tu the upcolal ci.vpt prepared for thorn. |
