The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective LeagueHough, Emerson
History
The Web : $b The Authorized History of the American Protective League
Hough, Emerson
American Protective League; Propaganda, German; World War, 1914-1918 -- Secret service -- United States
A. P. L. in New York had all sorts of cases. Chief Rushmore thinks
about the most important was that concerned with A. L——, intimate
friend of Jeremiah O’Leary, on trial for treason. This case was turned
over to the League by Division Superintendent DeWoody of D. J., who
asked the covering of all railroad stations, ferries and steamship
lines or other possible means of entry into New York in order that L——
might be apprehended. A rather meagre description of the suspect was
given. Information had reached the Department that L—— had left New
York when O’Leary forfeited his trial bond and did not appear in court
for trial on charge of treason. L—— was thought to be on his way back
to New York. A. P. L. put out about one hundred operatives on this
case, and stopped hundreds of passengers who might have resembled him
and asked them to identify themselves. This came to nothing. Other
operatives interviewed the man’s wife and were convinced L—— was in
town. An operative of A. P. L., accompanied by a D. J. man, therefore
shadowed one of L——’s intimate friends, with the result that L——
himself finally was located in Brooklyn and apprehended. He was taken
to the New York office of the Department of Justice and there gave
information as to O’Leary’s whereabouts. The latter man, who had jumped
his bail bond, was immediately apprehended in the West and brought on
to New York, where, at the last writing, he was waiting trial on the
charge of treason.
The A. P. L. shadow work in the foregoing case was so good as to elicit
a letter of praise from D. J. in Washington to Mr. DeWoody. The latter
disclaimed the credit and gave it to the A. P. L. operative “who
performed a remarkable feat in a continued and difficult shadow.”
The Division Chief himself writes something regarding a matter which
has brought up considerable other writing at different times from many
different sources.
The story of the much discussed slacker raid in New York is known
to every one, but we might give some details. In August, 1918, Mr.
Bielaski, in Washington, advised the National Directors of A. P.
L. that he was anxious to conduct a New York slacker raid similar
to that in Chicago. The National Directors conferred with Mr. De
Woody, the D. J. Agent in New York, who talked the matter over
with Martin Conboy, Director of the Draft for New York City. The
National Directors also went to the New York Division of A. P.
L. and left a tentative plan based upon the Chicago arrangement,
which was submitted to Mr. DeWoody, who, later, with these others,
worked out a plan for the raid which was to come off on September
3, 4 and 5.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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