History of the World War : $b An authentic narrative of the world's greatest warMarch, Francis A., Jr.
History
History of the World War : $b An authentic narrative of the world's greatest war
March, Francis A., Jr.
World War, 1914-1918
Besides the acts enumerated in the indictment it was proved upon trial
that Kaltschmidt and his gang planned to blow up the Detroit Screw Works
where shrapnel was being manufactured, and to destroy the St. Clair
tunnel, connecting Canada with the United States. Both of these plans
failed. Associated with Kaltschmidt in these plots were Captain von
Papen, Baron Kurt von Reiswitz, German consul-general in Chicago;
Charles F. Respa, Richard Herman, and William M. Jarasch, the latter two
German reservists. Testifying in the case Jarasch, a bartender, said:
"Jacobsen (an aide) told me that munition factories in Canada were to be
blown up. Before I left for Detroit, Jacobsen and I went to the
consulate. We saw the consul and he shook hands with me and wished me
success."
Charles F. Respa, in his testimony made the following revelations in
response to questions by the government's representatives:
Q. How long had you been employed before he (Kaltschmidt) told you that
he wanted you to blow up some of these factories? A. About three weeks.
Q. Did Kaltschmidt at the time speak of any particular place that he
wanted you to blow up? A. The particular place was the Armory.
Q. Did he mention the Peabody Building at that time? A. Not
particularly--he was more after the bridges and the armories and wanted
those places blown up that made ammunition and military clothing.
Q. The explosion at the armories was to be timed so that it would occur
when the soldiers were asleep there? A. Yes--he did not mention that he
wanted to kill soldiers.
Q. Did he say that if the dynamite in the suitcase exploded it would
kill the soldiers? A. I do not remember that he said so, but he must
have known it.
Q. Did you take both grips? A. Yes. Q. Where did you set the first grip?
A. By the Peabody plant (blown up on June 20,1915).
Q. Where did you put the other suitcase? A. Then I walked down the
Walkerville road to the Armories at Windsor, and carried the suitcase.
Q. When you got to the Armories did you know where to place it? A. I had
my instructions.
Q. From Kaltschmidt? A. Yes.
Q. Did you place this suitcase containing the dynamite bomb at the
armory in a proper place to explode and do any damage? A. Yes.
Q. Was it properly connected so that the cap would explode and strike
the dynamite? A. I fixed it so that it would not.
Q. Did you deliberately fix this bomb that you took to the Armories so
that it would not explode? A. Yes.
Q. Why did you do that? A. I knew that the suitcase contained thirty
sticks of dynamite and if exploded would blow up the Armories and all
the ammunition and kill every man in it.
It is interesting to note in this connection that Kaltschmidt was
sentenced to four years in the federal prison at Leavenworth, Kansas,
and to pay a fine of $20,000. Horn's sentence was eighteen months in the
Atlanta penitentiary and a fine of $1,000.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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