o screen the source of this aid by
transferring the higher responsibility _in toto_ to official persons
in Germany who were beyond the reach of American justice. These and
other insinuations directed at the German Embassy produced a statement
from that quarter repudiating all knowledge of the Fay conspiracy, and
explaining that its attaches were frequently approached by "fanatics"
who wanted to sink ships or destroy buildings in which munitions were
made.

A similar conspiracy, but embracing the destruction of railroad
bridges as well as munition ships and factories, was later revealed on
the Pacific Coast. Evidence on which indictments were made against the
men Crowley, Von Brincken, and a woman confederate aforementioned,
named Captain von Papen, the German military attache, as the director
of the plot. The accused were also said to have had the cooperation of
the German Consul General at San Francisco. The indictments charged
them, _inter alia_, with using the mails to incite arson, murder, and
assassination. Among the evidence the Government unearthed was a
letter referring to "P," which, the Federal officials said, meant
Captain von Papen. The letter, which related to a price to be paid for
the destruction of a powder plant at Pinole, Cal., explained how the
price named had been referred to others "higher up." It read:

"Dear Sir: Your last letter with clipping to-day, and note what you
have to say. I have taken it up with them and 'B' [which the Federal
officials said stood for Franz Bopp, German Consul at San Francisco]
is awaiting decision of 'P' [said to stand for Captain von Papen in
New York], so cannot advise you yet, and will do so as soon as I get
word from you. You might size up the situation in the meantime."

The indictments charged that the defendants planned to destroy
munition plants at Aetna and Gary, Ind., at Ishpeming, Mich., and at
other places. The Government's chief witness, named Van Koolbergen,
told of being employed by Baron von Brincken, of the German Consulate
at San Francisco, to make and use clockwork bombs to destroy the
commerce of neutral nations. For each bomb he received $100 and a
bonus for each ship damaged or destroyed. For destroying a railway
trestle in Canada over which supply trains for the Allies passed, he
said he received first $250, and $300 further from a representative of
the German Government, the second payment being made upon his
producing newspaper clippings reco