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
“Certainly,” he replied, reaching confidently into his pocket. The
smile gradually disappeared from his face and he delved into pocket
after pocket without finding the necessary credentials. Finally he
gave up in despair and admitted he did not have his card. He was an
exception to the rule, however, and did not become indignant. He said,
“Take me along—I deserve it.” At headquarters he proved to be “Chick”
Evans of Chicago, national open golf champion of the United States.
He had come to Minneapolis to participate in a golf foursome for the
benefit of the Red Cross! He waited fully two hours until a telegram
was received from his Board in Chicago stating that he was in good
standing.
Another spectacular raid conducted by the Minneapolis Division was
on the show lot of the Ringling Circus. Thirty men were taken into
custody on charges of draft irregularities, and nearly all of these
were inducted into the army. It was reported that resistance might be
offered, and precautions had been taken in the arrangements for the
raid. No difficulty was encountered, however, and later in the day the
proprietor of the circus complimented us on the manner in which the
round-up had been conducted.
A different type of raid was undertaken at the request of commandants
of the various Army detachments in and near Minneapolis. They
complained that a number of imposters in army uniforms were bringing
discredit to the soldiery and requested that these be apprehended.
There were so many soldiers on leave in Minneapolis at all hours that
it had been found extremely difficult to identify the imposters, and
so it was decided that with the coöperation of the various commandants
a literal drag-net process should be resorted to on a given evening.
Forces of operatives were stationed at opposite extremes of the central
business district. More than two hundred men participated, squads being
formed, and one squad being stationed at each end of each street. The
operatives stopped every uniformed man who was encountered and demanded
his pass. An even dozen uniformed men who did not have passes were
picked up and turned over to Army and Navy authorities, who attended in
automobiles. For a long time there was an entire absence of reports of
offenses on the part of imposters in service uniforms.
Early in the summer a system of nightly A. P. L. patrols was
established in the down-town section of Minneapolis. Operatives worked
in squads of two or three men, some of them giving attention to draft
evaders, others to the work-or-fight order, and others to bootleggers.
Scarcely a night passed without a record of one or more important
arrests, and the entire personnel of the League became intimately
acquainted with the down-town business and social structures.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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