RECKLESS ADVENTURERS HIRED
Without doubt, according to facts gathered by the Federal authorities and developed in Canada, Captain von Papen and reservist German army officers in the country did plan a mobilization of German reservists to attack Canadian points. Hundreds of thousands of rifles and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition that were to be available for German reservists were stored in New York, in Chicago, and different places along the border. While the Canadian and the American officials developed evidence concerning this plan of invasion, Max Lynar Louden, known to the Federal authorities as “Count Louden,” a man of nondescript reputation, who had secret communications with the Germans in the early part of the war, has confessed that he was party to the scheme for quick mobilization and equipment of an army of German reservists. Many persons insist that Louden is a fabricator, nevertheless his secret activities were of such a character that he was under suspicion by the Federal authorities. At one time, he succeeded in getting himself invited to a Government House Ball, when the Duke of Connaught was the host. His bizarre costume attracted attention. The moment it was rumoured that he was supposed to have two or three wives, a State investigation was commenced, which resulted in the imprisonment of Louden. His story, therefore, is interesting.
Through German-American interests the plans were made in 1914, he said, and a fund of $10,000,000 was subscribed to carry out the details. Secret meetings were held in New York, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Detroit, Milwaukee, and other large cities, and at these meetings, Louden asserted, it was agreed that a force of 150,000 men, German reservists, was available to seize and hold the Welland Canal, other strategic points and munitions centres.
“We had it arranged,” said Louden, “to send our men from large cities following announcements of feasts and conventions; and I think we could have obtained enough to carry out our plans had it not been for my arrest on the charge of bigamy. The troops were to have been divided into four divisions, with six sections. The first two sections were to have assembled at Silvercreek, Michigan. The first was to have seized the Welland Canal. The second was to have taken Wind Mill Point. The third was to have gone from Wilson, N.Y., to Port Hope, Canada. The fourth was to have proceeded from Watertown, N.Y., to Kingston, Canada. The fifth was to have assembled near Detroit and land near Windsor. The sixth section was to leave Cornwall and take possession of Ottawa.”
After the enterprise on the Welland Canal failed and Count von Bernstorff, according to von der Goltz, disapproved of the Canadian invasion, there was a lull in any concerted move upon Canada.
By referring again to Captain von Papen’s diary it is evident that he had other matters to absorb his attention. The counterfoils of the cheque-book record payments such as the following payment dated July 10, 1915, “H. Tauscher (Preleuther’s bill for ‘Res. Picric Acid’) $68.” The busy attaché, fighting here in the interests of the Fatherland had other plans.