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Show re mm smm um G-r:EU HOLD 17 ! i:ico;isp FOR UPES . ' ' ' I ' : t ' y Suspects Sing Defiance -.' After Arraignment in U. S. Court 7; ' NEW YORK, Jan. 15 (AP) The lamentations of weepinf relatives were drowned out by a frenzied chorus . of . "Reign, glory, we art here to see it so!" sung by 17 handcuffed prisonersas pris-onersas federal officials declared de-clared today they had "merely scratched the surface" of a ter-rorlst ter-rorlst plot to overthrow the United States government, : The prisoners' defiant outburst, ung to the tun of "The Battle Hymn of the Republlc,"csm after they were arraigned In Brooklyn and held In (90,000 ball each In -connection with an alleged con-piracy con-piracy to set up a dictatorship uch as Hitler established la nasi Germany. - Macklln Boettger, :3a, acting as spokeemsn for the group, declared the members of the aaMrted bomb-and-gun tyndlcate were? "all for the coiutltutton ' of the United States, but we don't, want torn-munttm." torn-munttm." - ' "W wt preparing ourselves U defend the constitution agatnat encroachments en-croachments by communist and ' th communist party,"' Macklln said. "Now the oommunista are loose, and wt are her. : - "We had no Idea of overthrow. Ing th government, but w were ready to overthrow those who . would. We were out to assist th army and navy If and when th time came that we 'considered It necessary ." Mor arrests were predicted by. United State Attorney Harold ' M. Kennedy, who said that T.B.L agent under , i. Edgar Hoover war "virtually forced" t act ' G-MEN RELEASE MAN ' ARRESTED BT MISTAKE NEW YORK. .aa. IS UrWeha M. Ryaa, m f II km taJua , Into custody by federal assets la oaaeetia with aa 4leceV eeasptraey evert row th gev enunent, was released few hours after his amst, a victim ef "misUkee Identity." Deputy Chief IiMpeeter James F. MeOeey said the melnslea ef Syaa ameag th snea rsueaed p was a sniscaka. He aaM Kyaa was released at 1S:S a. at, today to-day after belaf la easts ay fee tour hours. MoOeey aaM Byea had beea drives to hk) hem by aa F B I ' ageat was apoUftssd tor th arrer. " now because their Investigations. Indicated a series of bombing outrages out-rages was Imminent. Kennedy disclosed that F. B. U agents closed In oa th suspects Saturday night because they had.' received Information ef definite instructions in-structions Issued to on ef th plotters to set off a bomb la a public plac. Th plot, he said. Included plans to blow up buildings, raid utility plants and government offices, "liquidate" Jews, assassinate a dozen unidentified congressmen and set up a dictatorship. He said his Investigators and F. B. I. agents were checking to determine de-termine whether the alleged plot ters hsd been sending ammunition and arms to the outlawed Irish republican re-publican army. Hoover, In announcing disruption disrup-tion of th alleged plot, said those In custody were members of an Inner circle of th Christian Front, . an antl-Seinltlc organization. More than half th suspects, he said, served in the activ or reserv branches of th armed forces of the United States or were members mem-bers of th New York national guard. One official was asked If efforts were being made to learn whether th group had . Influential or moneyed backers. He replied: "That would M th logical conclusion." ' - Eighteen men were taken Into custody in th raids, but on of them wss released a few hour later when It was discovered that he was a victim of "mistaken, identity." Arrsigned before Federal Judge Grover Moscowitx In Brooklyn, the (Cmtmued ea Fuo Two) . r Comma llval . Arrest of 1 7 in Plot to Overthrow Government 'Scratches Surface' (Cootlfluaa front Page Om) men pleaded Innocent and wert held In $50,000 bail each (or hearing hear-ing February S. They were charged apeclflcally with "conspiring to overthrow, put down and destroy by force the government of the United States, and oppose by force the authority thereof;, alao to seize, take, and posies property of the United Statea." The courtroom, was filled with friends and relatives of the men. Several women wept as the prisoners pris-oners were led away. In Albany, Governor Herbert H. Lehman said he would order an Immediate Investigation of any connection between the Christian Front and the personnel of the national guard. Major General William N. Haskell, Has-kell, commander of the New York national guard, said any guardsman guards-man who stole rifles or ammunition ammuni-tion from a state armory was subject sub-ject to federal court-martial. General Haskell aald he had ordered or-dered that Captain John T. Prout Jr., of the 165th Infantry, one of those arrested, be relieved of his command pending the result of the federal Inquiry. Representative Emanuel Celler (D., N. Y.) of Brooklyn said he waa on of i the congressmen marked for assassination and declared de-clared that as ranking member of the house Judiciary committee he would recommend legislation to Increase the penslty for sedition. The Inflnlteeimsl sizs of the group, Hoover said. In no way lessened les-sened the fanatical seal of Its members. He added that the men In numbers and seal resembled the early group that laid the groundwork ground-work for Hitler's rise to power. Just how the men believed they could carry out the alleged plot In a city which has a police force of 18,000 snd several near-by army posts was not explained. Te Steal Arms - While the atore of "revolutionary" "revolution-ary" arms here was comparatively small, Hoover Indicated many more guns snd bombs might be found elsewhere. He aald elaborate plana had been made for the theft of armament for revolutionary use from national nation-al guard arsenals. In fact, six of those under arrest were listed as members of the New York national guard, ons aa a member of the naval reserve and another as belonging be-longing to the marine reserve. One was described ss a member of the German-American bund, whose fuehrer, Fritz Kuhn, is in Sing Sing prison for stealing bund fund. He said the leaders of the alleged al-leged conspiracy were John F. Cassidy, Brooklyn head of the "Christian Front," and William Gerald Bishop, leader pf a "sports club," known as the "Country Gentlemen," Gen-tlemen," secretly opersted behind the front Hoover disclosed that much of the evidence against the alleged conspiracy was obtained with long-range long-range cameras operated by F. B. L agents from vantage points around the training camp of the organization organi-zation at Narrowsburg, about 100 mllea upstate in New York. Cassidy has professed himself to be a follower of principles outlined by the Rev. Charles Coughlln, but the Michigan radio priest last night "roundly disavowed" any connection connec-tion with the "Christian front" whose members are under arrest. Father Coughlln said he had advocated ad-vocated a "real Christian front to oppose these fakers." The priest charged that "this so-called so-called Christian front" was of communist, com-munist, or bundist origin organized "along their policies of boring from within to embarrass the real Christians Chris-tians of this nation." Suspects Listed The names of the 17 arrested and information as given by Hoover: Michael J. Bierne, 32, naturalized natural-ized Irish-born citizen, corporal in the New York national guard and a telephone company lineman. William G. Bishop, believed born in Vienna, Austria, 39 years ago. Three time deported from Great Britain and three times from Bel-glum Bel-glum for activities not yet learned. MacKiin Boettger, a, native ol Pittsburgh, Pa., member of national na-tional guard, either New York or Pennsylvania. Salesman for a waahlng machine company. Andrew Buckley, 34, naturalized Irish-born citizen; sergesnt and qualified gunner In company H, 165th infantry, New York national guard, employed aa a tailor. William H. Bushnell Jr., 18, unemployed. un-employed. Claua G. Ernecke, 36. native of Berlin, Germany, who has tsken out first citizenship papers. Member Mem-ber of the German-American bund. Served one enlistment In troop A, 101st cavalry, New York national guard. Correspondence school salesman. John F. Cassidy, electric light company clerk. John F. Cook, 19, member of the U. S. marine reserve corps. John A. Graf, 23, public utilities clerk. Leroy Keegan, 37, native of Chicago, Chi-cago, member of the U. S. naval reserve. George Kelly, 23, hotel employe. Frank M. Malone, 25, department depart-ment store employe. John T. Prout Jr., 29, a telegraph tele-graph company employe; captain 165th regiment, national guard. Alfred J. Quinlan, 27. John A. Viebrock, 36, elevator mechanic. In whose Brooklyn home F. B. I. agents ssld they found cans of cordite and partly-made bombs. Michael VIII. 35, naturalized German-born citizen; rapid transit tran-sit company chauffeur. Edward Walsh, 23, unemployed; private In national guard. |