The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, April 14, 1915, Image 5
10N\KKTi:i? ( Kl IM It KUON
PlllN/. WH.III I M \M HOltS
AT nkwpoht nf.ws.
Raider Hau BPh Wade of Fnendes* Vom.
?Hj. off Hampton Bonds aiul f litter?
ed Harbor for Food Supplies ami
Coal?Haider with Four Guns lind
Sunk Fourteen Mrivlmni Vessels of
Hostile Nations.
N'ewport New?, Va.. April 11.- The
German converted cruiser Kronprinz
Wilhelm, another of those elusive
raiders of commerce in the south ser.s.
slipped Into this port today iSd asked
for fuel and provisions. Many times
reported destroyed, the former North
German Lloyd liner eluded the war?
ships for eight months while she sent
merchantmen to the bottom and her
officers say she was forced to steal
her way through a fleet of four al?
lied cruisers off this coast In order
to reach this refuge.
We got In without being seen by
the enemy and we can get out tho
same way," declared her commander.
Lieut. Capt. Faul Thierfelder, former?
ly navigating officer of the German
cruiser Karlsruhe. When she an?
chored off old Point the Wilhelm had
lese than 25 tons of coal and scant
provisions for the crew of 600 men
and II prisoners from British mer?
chant ships sunk wi the South At?
lantic. The drab painted 15,000-ton
cruiser came with a record of 15 mer?
chant ships captured, 14 of them
sunk, nine British, four French, unu
cne Norwegian. The British ship
Chasehlll. captured, was allowed to
proceed taking to shore more than
300 prisoners from previous raids.
The values of these ships and their
cargoes, officers of the Wilhelm to?
night estimated at $7.000,000.
81nce she slipped out of New York
harbor August 3, last, as German mer?
chant and passenger sailor, the Wil?
helm never touched land and took
tCO prisoners from various vessels
destroyed.
The second of the raiders brought
as thrilling a story as did her prede?
cessor, the Eitel Friedrich. Her rec?
ord of destruction, however, was ac?
complished with vnly four guns, two
taken from the German cruiser Karls?
ruhe and two captured from the Brit?
ish merchant steamer Lacorentina,
sunk o.tober 7, 1914. The most con?
nected story of the voyage from New
> ork. 250 days In all. during which,
th? ship no*. - touched land wai
sail tonight i Over Ucut Aib War
neke, the Ars? loVer.
''We left N< - Tork. August 1," said
Licit. Warne " three days out off
the Bermudas we met the German
cruiser Karlsruhe. We took from her
two three inch guns, which we
mounted Lieut. Capt. Thierfelder,
navigating officer of tho Karlsruhe
took command of our ship. We also
took 17 of the Karlsruhe's Junior of?
ficers and men. Wo made for the
South Atlantic and the tlrst ship we
encountered was tho British steamer
Indian Prince, which we sunk Sep?
tember 4 .1914. 1 want to say that
8ir Edward Grey, the British premier,
has been kind to us and that if Great
Britain had been organized as well as
we were to patrol the South Atlantic
we never could have remained alive
these many months. Sir Edward Grey
sent us those two big guns on our
afterdeck. He sent them to us on
the British Lacorentina. Tho Lucor- ,
entina could not uso her guns be?
cause she did not have any ammuni?
tion. Aft^r k tin guns and
what of her cargo we wanted, we put
some hombs into her and down she
went.
"Some of the merchant ships we
sunk with our own Runs, some we
blew up w ith bombs and in some cases
WO were compelled to r un the ships.
\\'.? laejg on hoard from enemy's
ships during our voyago more than
SO.iH'M tons of coal.
Wo made tho uniform:; for all our
? i e ! roi;i clorh w hieb w o captured
from the French steamship Guada
loupe February _' '?. We wanted dark
blue, but could only And this gray
blue and so you see we r.re strange
looking German sailormen today.
From the Guadaloupo we also ^ot
shoes, leather ami thousands of doh
ins North of things which were on
their way for the French army."
Lieut. Warneke was asked if the
Kroiit-rm/ Wilhelm hol BjOJ hoped to
get help from the German steamer
Odenwald which was held up by the
United States at San Juan. P. It.. sev?
eral weeks ago. ||e made no dllcet
reply to tho question, but declared
that the uetlon on the part of the
t'nlted States in denying clearance to
the Odenwald was 'the worst thing
America has done."
Why did you Americans not grVSj
clearance to the Odenwald"' he ask?
ed. "We heard all about It by our
wireless. W?? did not nee.I any news?
papers. We had gootl wireless ap?
paratus aboard nil the time. The <t>
m.il of ch irance to the Odenwald
was the only bad thing America has
done. You simply held that ship Up
In Puerto Blco until the British could
come and try to catch up."
Lieut. Warneke said that most of
the 1,000 sailors and passengers taken
from British and other alllad ships
were sent from time to time by Ger?
man ships to Buenos Ayres, Hio do
Janeiro, Pernambuco and Santos
Three hundred and sixty from tho
French steamer Guadaloupe were sent
ashore at Pernambuco.
Several weeks ago, tho officer said,
tho Prinz Wihlelm was getting short
of eoal and supplies and some of her
crew and prisoners were afllicted wlili
ieri-heri, caused by lack of vegetable
food. It was hoped to get supplies
from the German ship Macedonia
which was reported to have escaped
from Las Palmas. This vessel, they
learned, however, had been captured
by British ships. This hope gone,
they steamed north and were in touch
with events transpiring regarding the
Prinz Eitel Friedrich.
It was reported tonight that the
Wilhelm's original destination v s
New Y( rk, but that warnings were
given not to attempt to make that
port. Although officers would not ad?
mit It, tho Wilhelm is declared to
have been waiting far out in the
ocean off this port until the Eitel
Friedrich was interned. As soon as
this news reached her, she was or?
dered to creep in through the allied
ships off the Virginia coast. Allied
ships were said to be off this coast
last night. The signals from four of
them were plainly heard, he declared.
A member of the crew of the Prinz
Wilhelm, who formerly was in the
United States navy, declared the ship
witnessed an encounter between the
Karlsruhe and the British cruiser
Bristol. "When off the Bermudas,"
ho said, "the British cruisers Bristol,
Suffolk and Berwick came up and
wo were forced to run. While the
Karlsruhe was engaging the Bristol
we were steaming straight away. We
never heard from the Karlsruhe after
that except once. Our last message
from her told us that the Bristol had
been damaged and was making for
some port for repairs. The message
said the Karlsruhe h:. been only
slightly damaged and that no one had
been killed.
"On November 21 wo sank the
French steamer Inne de Bretagne.
On December 12, just as our coal
supply again was running short we
took possession of the British steamer
Bellevue with 4,000 tons of coal. Our
next prize was the French steamer
Mont Agel. She was empty and after
transferring her crew to our ship we
sent her to the bottom. On Decem?
ber 28 we captured the British
et?... .>...,? Hemisphere and from her
secured 3.000 tons of coal ' j
' < Mir ne*t captUfa vvas the British
steamer Potaro, which we sent down
? n January 1 o. This vessel wqm in
ballast. Un January 14 we came up
on the British steamer Highland
Brae. In addition to a crew of 91,
this steamer had aboard 51 passen?
gers. Wo took What WS wanted from
her, transferred crew and passengers
to the Wilhelm and sent tho steamer
to the bottom. On tho same day we
overhauled tho British sailing ship
Wilfred M. Sho was loaded with
fish and potatoes and from her wo
secured many provisions.
"Tho Norwegian sailing ship Se
mantha. the only neutral ship we
sank, was overhauled on February 3.
This ship, we were told, had on board
a cargo of wheat consigned to the
British army and navy and we sent
her down because she was carrying
contraband of war. On February 22
we captured tho British steamer
rhanthiU. ana! after taking coal and
provisions from her we put about 4 00
or 500 prisoners on her and told her
captain to take them to tho nearest
port. We left her food and coal
enough to make port and before put?
ting the prisoners aboard fitted up
sleeping accommodations for them.
She was a freight steamer, but we
made a regular passenger liner out
of her.
"While We were transferring Coal
the Guadaloupe with 1*>" men and otli
Oers and 11o passengers came up and
WC took her in charge. These pas
SSIlgen were also placed aboard the
Chaaahlll and. alter taking what we
wanted from the Frenchman, we sent
her down by Opening her sea cocks.
"We did not sight any more ship
until March 14 when the Royal Mall
line steamer Tamar bound from San?
tos to Havre was overhauled off the
Brazilian CCOSt. We took off the 83
0fAOOrs and men and sent the ship to
the bottom. Four days later we cap?
tured the steamer Coloby which was
bound from Rosarlo to st. Vincent.
Tin- Crefl Of the last named two ships
we now have aboard here."
Describing the dash of the Wilhelm
Into Hampton Roads .the officer said:
'After we had arrived off the Vir
glnls capes, i little lo the north, i
think, we tinned due west and put on
ill possible .steam. We started about
7 o'clock Saturday evening. Prom
that ||mc until I o'clock this morn?
ing we ploughed the sea at a rate
variously estimated from 213 lo
knots. All lights were out ami it Was
mi anxious lime for us. am bands
were on deck and the crews at (he
guns We hoi notice of the Intern?
menl of tin- Prlns Bltel and we Judg?
ed thai IhC enemy's ships off the
rapes might not he so vlllgant, We
heard that some of tho ships
?teamed south, hut as we got nearer
tho wireless told us that they were
still in this vicinity.
The captain, Thierfelder, would not
DC interviewed tonight, asserting that
he was too busy. He did stop long
enough to say that he hoped to bo
aide to leave port, but the general
belief here is that the Wilhelm will
intern. Collector of Customs Norman
R, Hamilton reached Newport News
from Norfolk early in the day after
the Prinz Wilhelm had anchored in
the James river in almost the same
place taken by the Eitel when she
reached here March 10. The col?
lector went aboard, instructing the
commander that he must leave port
within 24 hours unless he needed coal
or provisions or time to make repairs.
The German commander came ashore
with the collector and made a request
for immediate coal and supplies. He
asked for 300 tons of coal and supplies
for three days. Collector Hamilton
after consultation with Assistant Sec?
retary Peters at Washington allowed
him 150 tens of coal, which will be put
aboard tomorrow and food supplies
for three days. What repairs to the
ship are necessary the German com?
mander was unable to determine and
the United States naval hoard will be
asked to make an examination.
Formal papers in the case were sent I
to Washington tonight, being signed
by the German commander late to?
day. The collector then took Com?
mander Thierfelder back to his ship.
As the launch drew along side, there
stood on the Wilhelm*! deck Com?
mander Thierichens and his staff of
the interned Prinz Eitel Friedrich.
When Capt. Thierfelder approached
the two embraced affectionately and
then retired for a consultation. Later
Officers of the two German sea raiders
dined together. Newspaper men'were
permitted aboard the ship but were
denied access to the British prisoners,
who Will be released tomorrow. One
man leaned over the railing as the
newspaper boat pulled away.
"Have they forced the Dardanelles?'
he shouted. Officers of the raider said
they escaped detection from British
cruisers on several occasions. One
showed to the reporter of the Asso?
ciated Press a sketch he had made of
a scene which the officers witnessed
when a German coaling ship which
was to bring the Prinz Wilhelm relief
was captured by two British cruisers.
"We could see them take our coal
ship ahd sink her," he said. "But
they never saw us."
When the Wilhelm arrived off
rhimblg shoals early todsy two United
stiaes submarines, th<? G-l and D-2, i
n ?t her The ap| NUrSnCe of the su
marines caused considerable surprise
among her crew, but there was no
demonstration as the submarines con?
voyed the Germain raider to quaran?
tine where a United States quarantine
officer, boarded her. Commander
Thierfelder reported that 6G of the
crew and prisoners were ill with beri
beri and requested that means be
found as soon as possible for taking
them to hospitals. This will bo at?
tended to tomorrow.
In his talk with the quarantine
officer the German commander said
thaf he narrowly escaped capture by
British warships t\m "e, once off the |
Canary islands, and again off the
A /.ores.
When tho German raider was re?
leased from quarantine and passed
on to this port, she passed through
1*'? American battleshdlpi In Hampton
Roads. The Prinz Wilhelm, however, |
neither saluted nor dipped her IIa?,
a fact which aroused considerable
comment among the American sailors.
HEARING POSTPONED.
LlHsrd Suit Will not Ik* Taken up To?
morrow.
Columlba. April ii.?j w. Lillard's
suit to test the constitutionality of the
Rlchland county permanent highways
commission act will be heard this
week In the Rlchland court of com?
mon pleas, Judge John S. Wilson of
Manning presiding. Judge Wilson's
rule directing the highways commis?
sion to show cause before him why
they should be permanently enjoined
from performing the duties devolved
on them by the act was returnable
tomorrow, but Judge Wilson yester?
day ordered B recess until Tuesday. On
ti?e reconvening of the court this week
H. X. Edmunds, attorney for Mr. EH
Isrd, will ask that a definite time be,
set for the hearing.
.JITNEY lit S IN COLUMBIA.
Many Take Advantage of B Cent Auto
Hide.
Columbia. April 10.?The iirst jit?
ney bus In,Routh Carolin,! made its ap?
pearance In Columbia today. The
service was put on by Caughmann
Bros., and the llrst line was establish
ed between the Jefferson Hotel and
Itrookland, n suburb of Columbia. Op
port unity t" make I he t rip Into t b<
citv by utltomohilo at a < ost uf only J
cents attracted innnj passengers. Tin
jitney bus servier will also be estab
llshed between the hotel and the de
P"t.
THE JAPAN-CHINA MATTER.
ENGLISH PRESS CLAIM JAPANESE
WOULD TRESPASS ON THEIR
RIGHTS.
Chinese Attitude Becomes More Sus?
tained?Railway Question is One
Which i* Causing Trouble at Pres?
ent,
Peking. April 11 ?Article 5 of
group 5 of the .Japanese demand on
China?an article which, it is pointed
out here, may be regarded by British
as transgressing on their railway
concessions and railway pledges re?
ceived from China?was reached at
the conference yesterday between the
Japanese minister to China, Mr. Hioki,
and Peking government officials.
Article ~> of group 6 reads: "China
agrees to Japan's right to build a
railway connecting WnChang with
Klu Kiang and Nan Chang; also a
line between Wu Chang and Hang
Chow and a line between Nan Chang
and Klao Chow."
Influential Japanese have been sug?
gesting for many months that British
capital and Japanese enterprise for
railways and other developments for
China be combined. British capital?
ists, however, so far have failed to
respond to the idea.
The British press in the Orient is
unsparing in its criticism of Japan.
The North China Daily News recent?
ly styled Japan's demands in China
as a "dirty trick.'1
Those foreign adviser* who believe
that Japan dare not employ force are
prevailing with President Yuan Shi
Kai for the time being
The stlffer attitude which the!
Chinese began to display Thursday
was continued at yesterday's meeting.
Foreign Minister Lu Chang Hsiang re?
fusing to discuss articles 4, 5 and G
cf group 5, despite, it is sr.id by
Chinese officials definite threats on
the part of Japan.
Article 4 of group 5 proposes that
"China shall purchase from Japan
a fixed raitio of the quantity of muni?
tions of war?say about 50 per cent.?
or Japan" shall establish in China a
jointly worked arsenal, Japanese j
technical experts to he employed and
Japanese material to be- purchased."
Foreign Minister Lu Cheng Hsiang
again asked that discussion regard?
ing the Manchurian group be con?
cluded. The Japanee minister replied'
that he was without instructions in
this regard from Toykc *H
to be no doubt now In Chinese and ]
foreign circles here that the Japanese
are deliberately maintaining the Man
churian group open.
"In Japanese newspapers published
In China und otherwise the Japanese
arc striving to impres the Chinese
that the tatter's hope in American as?
sistance will be unavailing, it being
declared that Japan has knowledge
dally and in the press that a Chinese
Japanese combination, meaning an
alliance, will strengthen China.
brief items from bishop,
villi:.
Row Benson Improving?Rev. Mur
ctlison Visits Ills Former ilomo?
Lecture at Methodist Church.
Bishopville, April 10.?Miss Ella
Alford of Dillon is visiting her sister,
Mrs. T. G. McLeod.
Miss Sadie Smith has returned
home after spending two weeks in
Sumter with friends.
Rev. Hugh R. Murchison, of Lan?
caster, spent a short time in town last
j week. His many friends were indeed
glad to see him.
Miss Mary Lee DuRant has returned
to Rock Hill.
The friends of Rev. M. M. Benson
are glad to know that he is rapidly
recovering from severe injuries re?
ceived some time ago.
Miss Louise Shirer is at home
again, having served several months
as assistant teacher in the Rock Hill
school.
Rev. J. Dean Crane, of Dark Cor?
ner, will give a lecture April 13th at
tho Methodist church, subject, Men,
Mountains and Manness.
Mr. J. R. Kirkley of Providence
spent Friday in town.
The spring session of Harmony
Presbytery convened in the Presby?
terian church here last Tuesday even?
ing. The opening sermon was preach?
ed by the retiring Moderator, Rev. J.
J. Brown. Several other prominent
ministers took part in the exercises
each day. The Presbytery adjourned
Friday morning.
Illiteracy Among Whites.
In South Carolina, according to a
compilation made by The Progressive
Farmer (Raleigh), there are 10 per?
sons illiterate, that is unable to read
and write, in every 100 of the native
whites of native parentage 10 years
of age and over. The ratio for the
country as a whole is but lour in 100.
North Carolina and Louisiana have
higher Illiteracy percentages than
South Carolina. The Texas ratio is
but three in 100.
PRESIDENT TO SEE EXPOSITION.
Will Mako Trip to San Francisco as
Soon as Possible?Not Campaign
Tour.. i
Washington, April 11.?President
Wilson plans to make his delayed trip
to the San Francisco exposition as
soon as foreign affairs permit. Tho
date is still uncertain. The presi?
dent's advisers, it became known
tonight, are anxious for him to make
a number of speeches in different
parts of the country before the next
congress meets.
Friends of the president say the
contemplated trip can not be called
a "campaign tour" and they are pre*
venting as far as possible the forma?
tion of "Wilson clubs" to avoid even
the appearance of starting a boom.
Although political advisers of Mr.
Wilson say privately they have no
doubt that he will be renominated, It
was indicated tonight that there will
be no formal launching of his can?
didacy as such a step might embar?
rass him in carrying out the policies
of his administration.
ELECTION CONSPIRATORS SEN?
TENCED.
Officials of Terra Haute Given Prison
Terms and Fined.
Indianapolis, April 12.?Donn Ro?
berts, mayor of Terra Haute, was
sentenced today to six years imprison?
ment and fined ',2000; Judge Ell
Redman and Sheriff Shea, were sen?
tenced to five years and fined $1,000
each in federal court. They were con?
victed election frauds. Others were
taken under advisement. Motions for
a new trial and arrest of judgment
were overruled.
The president of the board of pub?
lic works, Montgomery, Police Judge
Smith and a member of the publie
works, Ehrenhart, were sentenced to
three years and fined five hundred
dollars. Secretary Vigo of the coun?
ty Democratic committee was similar?
ly sentenced. Minor city officials
were sentenced to serve two years and
pay a fine of one hundred dollars.
As They Do in China.
When a Chinese woman calls up the
telephone station for a connection,
she says: "My beautiful, sweet-veiced
sister will please do me the joy-giving
honor of ringing 1245 so a dutiful
wife can communicate with her sub?
lime husband." A telephone girl says
she hopes the Chinese women will
send 'ceen thousand missionaries for
jw^?rk among American women.?WiU
? mlngton star.
This Man Wants
to Talk to You!
(f To tell you how to make
Sumter County a better place in
which to live.
(| To tell you how to get to?
gether in the spirit of joint ef?
fort that will increase business
and ultimately benefit you as an
individual in a practical way.
<J Can he do it?
(| His name is Ben R. Varda
man, of Des Moines, noted lec?
turer who has "done it" in a
thousand different cities and
towns where people have flock?
ed to hear him talk of "Community Building."
(j| He talks at the Academy of Music, 8.30 Friday
night, April 16fh and at Court House, Field Day.
Saturday at 12 o'clock.
Admission Free