The destruction of the _Lusitania_ by a German submarine caused
anti-German riots in many parts of the world. These started in
Liverpool when the bodies of dead members of the crew were brought to
their homes there, and spread rapidly to other parts of the United
Kingdom. The photograph shows the looting of a German’s residence in
High Street, London.]
When it became obvious that passports must be serving the ends of
persons other than those to whom they were issued the government
demanded that each passport should have the photograph of the bearer.
But this did not disconcert the conspirators, as _The German Secret
Service in America_ tells us. It says: “The Germans found it a simple
matter to give a general description of a man’s eyes, color of hair,
and age to fit the person who was actually to use the document; then
forwarded the picture of the applicant to be affixed. The applicant
receiving the passport would sell it at once. Even though the official
seal was stamped on the photograph the Germans were not dismayed.
“Adams [Albert G. Adams, a United States Secret Service agent, who had
insinuated himself into Ruroede’s confidence] rushed into Ruroede’s
office one day waving a sheaf of five passports issued to him by the
government. Adams was ostensibly proud of his work, Ruroede openly
delighted.
“‘I knew I could get these passports easily,’ he boasted to Adams.
‘Why, if Lieutenant von Wedell had kept on here he never could have
done this. He always was getting into a muddle.’
“‘But how can you use these passports with these pictures on them?’
asked the agent.
“‘Oh, that’s easy,’ answered Ruroede. ‘Come in the back room. I’ll
show you.’ And Ruroede, before the observant eyes of the Department
of Justice, patted one of the passports with a damp cloth, then with
adhesive paste fastened a photograph of another man over the original
bearing the imprint of the United States seal.
“‘We wet the photograph,’ said Ruroede, ‘and then we affix the picture
of the man who is to use it. The new photograph also is dampened, but
when it is fastened to the passport there still remains a sort of
vacuum in spots between the new picture and the old because of ridges
made by the seal. So we turn the passport upside down, place it on a
soft ground—say a silk handkerchief—and then we take a paper-cutter
with a dull point, and just trace the letters on the seal. The result
is that the new photograph dries exactly as if it had been stamped by
Uncle Sam. You can’t tell the difference.’