1915-02-01ss

“The possibilities of any German in Hamilton getting arrested seems to be very remote”

Hamilton Spectator.     February 1, 1915

Arrests might have seemed remote in early 1915 but that did not mean that Hamiltonians of German heritage were not free from suspicion.

As intense warfare was being watched in Western Europe and other parts of the world, it was generally felt that German spies were at work in Canada and the United States.

In February, 1915, Hamilton had a police inspector whose task was to keep an eye on German-speaking citizens, and it was reported in the press that he had one specific target of his surveillance:

“”This object of suspicion came to this city towards the end of last year and at present is head of an importing business.”¹

¹  “Is He a Spy? : Police Watching Head of an Importing Business”

Hamilton Spectator.   February 1, 1915.

This suspect had been reported to the police, due he injudicious remarks  he had been making about England and the British Empire:

“Since the outbreak of the war there has been little or no trouble of this kind, in Hamilton, but the police say that a word to the wise is sufficient, and the indiscreet gentleman will be cautioned to modify his language when referring to the Greatest Empire in the world – and the one that gives him a living.”¹