[Sailor Steve]

July 5:

The New York Tribune publishes a letter from "Frank Holt" (Erich Muenter) describing his attack on the Morgan household and giving his reasons.

Mineola, NY, July 5 - Following is the text of a letter mailed Sunday from the Minola jail by Holt. It was addressed to his father in law, Rev O F Sensabaugh of Dallas, Texas, and explains the scope of Holt's plans:

"Mineola, July 4, 1915, --Dear Father Sensabaugh; I heard last night that you had telegraphed for particulars, but as I had already written and telegraphed Leona and as the papers gave your interview I did not think you needed any more particulars. The papers must have had plenty of them. How terrible it all looks and how different from my plans. What can I say to console you and the family?

It is too much all at once. My heart and brain are in such agony that words cannot express. I fear you wish to come here, but I hope you will not do that. I am well taken care of and the grand jury cannot meet until September. I am held without bail on plea without guilt and so I just wait, though I wish death might come to end it at once. Life under these conditions is unspeakable horrible.

Yet I think I did right. Only my plans did not come out as I intended. I went to the Morgan home in order to force him to use his great influence to stop the shipment of explosives. That's why I took some explosives with me in order to be able to demonstrate to him what the use of machines of murder mean, but I did not wish to hurt anyone. I wanted him to be in the same danger (him and his family) that we are imposing on Europe. I wanted to send him out to the manufacturers and men of influence to plead with them for real American neutrality while I held his wife and dear childre in some upper room of the house.

I found the three children in the parlor and asked them to come upstairs with me. They came. No objection. I walked ahead. That was my mistake. If I had been behind them all might have been different now.

When I reached the top of the stairs Mrs Morgan came screaming toward me and Mr Morgan behind her. Now, instad of stopping and giving me a chance all went off in an explosion of excitement. No chance for explanation, Mr Morgan jumped at me, althought I held a revolver in each hand. This physical courage overruled my moral courage. I rolled on the hall floor. I tried to shoot in the air, but some one grabbed my hand and pressed it down; at least that is the only reason for Mr Morgan's being touched.

Of course, all was over in a few moments and I was unconscious for a while. Soon I was in their hands and learned to my sorrow that Mr Morgan was hurt, for he was to go out and do the work I could not do.

The slaughter must be stopped and we must stop helping it on. The people must rise to the realization of their best interests and demand an embargo on arms. Let us hope it will come soon. If not our children will suffer the consequences, if not our own generation.

I have tried to do my duty, now the rest of the country must do theirs.

God bless you all. I am in His hands, so don't worry about me.
Affectionately,
FRANK"

An article from the same day claiming that "Frank Holt" is the same Erich Muenter suspected in the death of his wife nine years earlier.

July 5, 1915 The Daily Herald newspaper
THINKS HOLT IS ERICH MUENTER
MORGAN ASSAILANT AND FORMER HARVARD PROFESSOR BELIEVED ONE

Chicago, July 5

Information pointing to Frank Holt, the would be assassin of J P Morgan, as Erich Muenter, a former University of Chicago, student, who disappeared from Harvard following the death of his wife in 1906, was given to a newspaper here yesterday by a college associate in Muenter's Chicago days, who says he knew of Muenter rehabilitating himself as Holt. The informant added that he had known him as Holt in Vanderbilt University and Cornell.

The informer, who anonymity was pledged by the newspaper, was quoted as saying:

"Frank Holt, who shot J P Morgan, is the Erich Muenter who took his degree A. B. at the University of Chiago in 1899, and later fled from Cambridge, Mass following the death of his wife, and has since been a fugitive."

SAYS HE IS NATIVE GERMAN

"There is no doubt about Muenter and Holt being the same man. He has been hidden all those years through a remarkable rehabilitation under the name of Holt.

Muenter was born in Germany but since his rehabilitation has claimed to have been born in Texas of German parentage. For a time he taught German in Chicago private preparatory institution. He also taught German in Radcliffe College for Women.

His wife was a German-American woman as I remember her. She was about to give birth to her third child when her death occurred. Muenter ran away from Cambridge with the two children and brought them to Chicago, where he turned them over to Mrs Muenter's parents. Then, still undetected by the authorities he went to Mexico.

He worked for a while in Mexico City as a stenographer. He shaved his full beard and wore a soft hat instead of the derby he had affected as Muenter. A reward of $1,000 for his arrest has never been claimed. While a fugitive he issued a review of his case suched? in sarcastic terms and mailed it to some of his acquaintances."

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg...&GRid=61457565



German East Africa: HMS Laconia hoists the two Short seaplanes #121 and 122 overboard, where they are towed to shore at Mafia Island.

HMS Mersey's crew spend the day stowing ammunition and petrol tins, and rigging up voice pipes. In the afternoon all the mess tables and stools are handed off to HMFM Trent.

The crew of HMS Severn are likewise engaged in rigging up more armour plate, plus hammocks and awnings for extra protection.

At 1840 HMS Severn casts off from Trent. Mersey follows at 1905. At 2227 the two monitors anchor 7 1/2 miles offshore from the mouth of the Kikunya River.