We have on our southern borders the Mexican situation, not yet settled, but one day to be settled. Germany did all she could to set Mexico on our heels, and her atrocious Zimmerman note was one more instance of her venomous but blundering diplomacy. Perhaps she wonders still how we got that note when it first was despatched from Mexico; and how we sat tight so long with knowledge of it in our possession. This is by way of saying that the old Spanish city of San Diego is an important naval base, located close to the edge of the intriguing border of the Southwest—and a borderland is always a zone of espionage.
It is, therefore, not surprising to say that San Diego had 65 cases of alien enemy activities and 842 cases of disloyalty and sedition, 286 instances of propaganda and 32 I. W. W. cases. For the War Department, there were 554 investigations, 98 of these being character and loyalty investigations. So that, on the whole, it may be seen that this once indolent city of the Southwest, now a busy center of affairs, also had an A. P. L. during the war.
There is a curious range of cases reported from one and another corner of the country to the National Directors of A. P. L. Sometimes an extraordinarily troublesome case has had very little at bottom; and again a simple case often turned out big. Yet again, a case might have all the ear-marks of simplicity and prove full of trouble. For instance, if you were sent to arrest a woman, you customarily would not expect her to disclose herself to be a walking arsenal of offensive weapons—a woman’s portative appliances, lacking pockets as they do, not seeming to give her natural facilities for heeling herself in any way practical for quick action. Such, however, proved to be a wrong estimate of a certain young lady whom we may call Miss M. E——, reported in connection with certain alleged “German activity.” She certainly turned out to be active.
An operative found Miss M. E—— living in a garage about six feet square. The room was in much disorder, showing trunks, boxes, tin cans and literature all about. Some ammunition was found, which the operative left in place. He did not open the trunk. Suspect was reported sometimes around a print shop, which next was visited. The proprietor said that the suspect sometimes did some printing herself in his little shop. Neighbors seemed to be afraid of suspect, and said she had been seen with a revolver in her coat pocket.
Operative interviewed the suspect herself and asked her how about the literature she had been printing. She admitted she had distributed about one hundred copies of a circular. We may at this point allow the operative to tell his simple and uneventful story in his own words.
I then told her we had a search warrant, but she had better come down to the Federal Agent. She refused, saying she had work to do and must get it out. I told her we had a car outside and would bring her back to her print shop, but she still refused. I then told her I would walk down with her to the print shop and then we could talk over the ’phone and get more instructions. When we arrived at the print shop, which is about eight feet square, I told Operative No. 9 to go into the house and call up Mr. W——, Federal Agent, and ask for instructions. Being warned by the neighbors that subject carried a gun, I went into the printing shop and asked her if she did carry a gun. She immediately became enraged and rushed for her leather grip and pulled out a .38-Colt, fully loaded. I made a grab at her, and after a tussle obtained possession of the weapon. While putting this gun in my pocket, she obtained a hammer and was endeavoring to hit me over the head, and also at the same time calling for assistance. I now called Operative No. 9 from the house, and between us, we obtained the hammer. But in some manner she pulled from her clothes a .32-automatic revolver and then endeavored to shoot us if possible. Operative No. 9 and myself overpowered her and took this gun from her.
We proceeded to take subject to the car, which was about half a block away. She continually screamed, “Help! Help! Won’t someone help a good Protestant?” We finally got her in the car, and then I sent Operative No. 9 back after my hat, her bag, and the search warrant, which we had dropped. I stood outside the car, holding subject by one arm, when she drew a knife from her bosom and slashed at my hand. I got in the car and we tussled again, and I finally got the knife away from her. I had just thrown the knife over into the front seat of the automobile when she drew a small dirk from her bosom. Between Operative No. 9, who had come back, and myself, we got this dirk away from her, slightly cutting her hand. We then thought it would be best to have a witness as to what was going on, and seeing a man standing looking at us, we called him. Upon noticing some women standing at the corner watching us, I thought it would be better to have them come and search her, and upon calling them they came over. I told them what I wanted them to do and they asked if it would be safe, and told them yes—by this time. I explained who we were and what we were doing, and asked them to search subject and they agreed to do so. During their search they found a pocket containing ten bullets, sewed on to her petticoat, an 8-inch Bowie knife, and also another revolver, a Colt .41, fully loaded.
Nothing much further seemed to disturb the calm of the scene, so the operators took the lady to the county jail, where she was later turned over for examination to the Department of Justice. The two operatives then went back to the subject’s room and found in every conceivable place ammunition of every description. It was sewed in the mattress, stuffed in tin cans, concealed in her trunk. There were also found a Winchester repeating rifle and a Remington repeating rifle, and ammunition in all amounting to about 1,000 rounds. When her hand-grip was searched at the office, it was found to contain four tobacco pouches of bullets, sixty-six in all, and a full clip of .32-caliber bullets. In the garage where the lady lived, some bottles were found and some cans containing powder, which were taken away for analysis.
The District Attorney recognized in Miss M. E—— a woman who had been tried twice for insanity, having been sent once to an asylum. She was committed to the State Asylum at Patton, and the authorities there were notified that in case of her future release she should be kept under surveillance. Thus endeth the first lesson, about Miss M. E——. If she had had more money, probably she would have bought more guns. A pleasant day’s work for men not on anybody’s pay roll.
San Diego had another case which kept the local division going for a time. Among its operatives was a crippled newsboy who once belonged to the Army. This lad had both his legs cut off in a railroad accident as he was changing from one train to another, on his way to a new army post. To make a livelihood, he took up a newsboy’s occupation and became a familiar figure on the sidewalks. He had a board to which he fastened a pair of roller skates, and by means of a small block of wood he learned to push himself along the sidewalks at a very good rate of speed. It came to the attention of the division that this newsboy was a very keen observer and it was known he had a knowledge of six languages. He was enrolled and became very useful—indeed he was at the bottom of one of the biggest and most dangerous cases San Diego ever had; which shows that no crippled soldiers ought ever to despair.