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GENERAL NEWS NOTES OF THE DAY Paul Hennig, a naturalized German, who has been employed as a foreman in a Brooklyn factory engaged in making torpedoes for the United States government, was remanded to jail without bail in the Federal Court here yesterday, charged with treason. Hennig, authorities say, superintended the assembling of the gyroscopes which control the course of the torpedoes. According to District Attorney France, some of these gyroscopes have been found "maliciously mutilated." This was done in such a way as to render useless the torpedoes in which the gyroscopes were installed. When a purity squad composed of provost guards and city detectives attempted to enter his home. Captain Wylie J. White, Eighty-Second Field Artillery at El Paso. Texas, believing they were burglars, fired a volley, at the men in the darkness. Lieutenant St. Clair, assistant provost marshal, was perhaps fatally wounded and City Detective Ed Mebus slightly wounded. The officers returned the fire and Captain White was shot through the lung. The purity squad,- which is raiding disorderly houses is believed to have become confused in the darkness. According to an unconfirmed report received from Petrograd yesterday King Ferdinand of Roumania has abdicated in favor of Crown Prince Charles. Ferdinand is a member of the Hohenzollern family of Germany and ascended the Roumanian throne in October, 1914, shortly after the war began. For some time there have been rumors of a revolutionary plot in the Roumanian army, and it is supposed further that the kings retirement was hastened by the peace negotiations between Russian arid the central powers. A German submarine was sunk by the fire of guns of an American passenger steamer approaching the British coast Thursday, according to reports of the passengers and gunners aboard. The ship was proceeding at full speed hbout noon in a smooth sea. A periscope was sighted by the watch on the bridge and the submarine was seen plainly by the passengers as it came to the surface at a distance of about 1,500 yards directly in the wake of the ship. The gunners opened fire and the submarine was sunk on the second shot. Sending of an army to the Avestern front to aid in checking the Germans may be the next step of the Japanese government, if a separate peace between the central powers of Russia should seriously endanger the success of the allies, was the view expressed in Galveston. .Texas, by Takeno-suke Sakaguchi, special finance commissioner on the imperial Japanese government and a member of the "house of peers, who is now making a tour of the United States. In connection with a statement yesterday definitely rejecting the demands of railroad employes for a 40 per cent increase in wages and turning the whole responsibility over to the government, the railway executives in Washington made no concealment of their feeling that government operation is a step toward government ownership and made it clear that they felt the public and the railway stockholders would demand it. Credit for the sinking of a German submarine and the capture of the first submarine prisoners by American war vessels yesterday was given to the United States destroyers Sanning and Nicholson by the Navy Department. The sinking was first reported on November 24, but at that time few details were given. The U-boat was sunk while attempting to attack a merchantmen flotilla. The Britisli embassy authorizes the announcement that an agreement has been reached with the Bolsheviki government to issue passports to couriers going to England, on condition that they perform only courier duty and return immediately. The Moscow Bolsheviki authorities have followed the example of those in Petrograd and have taken over all the private banks in Moscow. Fred Lundin, accredited political adviser of Mayor William Hale Thompson of Chicago, filed suit for S,000 in the Circuit Court yesterday against James A. Pugh, who was the mayors strong supporter until a break came and who is head of the Pugh Stores Company. According to Lundins attorney, the suit was brought to recover money due on promissory notes. R. B. Stevens, manager of the National City branch bank in Petrograd, and his assistant, a Mr. Link, who were arrested when the Bolsheviki seized the Petrograd private banks, have been released, Ambassador Francis reported yesterday. What action, if any, because of the seizure has been taken by the American embassy is not stated. John B. Lennon, Bloomington, 111., for twenty-seven years treasurer of the American Federation of Labor, has accepted appointment as mediator for the Department of Labor. Lennons headquarters Will be in Bloomington, as he has been assigned the states of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana and Missouri. Seventy-five thousand pounds of sugar were threatened by flames whicli drove 125 girl and man employes of E. J. Brach and Sons, Chicago, candy makers, to the street yesterday. Fireman saved all but 10,000 pounds of the sugar by covering it with tarpaulins. A Zeppelin and a seaplane, whicli was accompanying it, have been wrecked in the North sea, according to a dispatch from Copenhagen, quoting advices received there from west Jutland. The Zeppelin is said to have fallen in flames to the sea. There will be no general revision ,of coke prices for the year 191S. Fuel Administrator Garfield yesterday issued an order continuing in force the prices fixed last September.
