Business career
In Detroit, Kaltschmidt became the president of the Marine City Salt company. He was also elected secretary of the local Deutcherbund.[ citation needed ]
Albert Kaltschmidt | |
|---|---|
| Born | Albert Carl Kaltschmidt 1871 |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Leader of pro-German sabotage group in WWI |
| Allegiance | German Empire |
| Conviction | Conspiracy |
| Criminal penalty |
|
| Imprisoned at | USP Leavenworth |
Albert Kaltschmidt was a German immigrant who became a wealthy industrialist in the United States. During World War I, he was the leader of a pro-German Empire group. The lone wolf group (independent of Imperial Germany's spy network) was able to bomb a Canadian factory in 1915. Kaltschmidt was arrested for an attempt to bomb Detroit factories, and was convicted of conspiracy in 1917. He spent nearly four years in prison, after which he was deported.
In Detroit, Kaltschmidt became the president of the Marine City Salt company. He was also elected secretary of the local Deutcherbund.[ citation needed ]
In May 1915, Kaltschmidt called a meeting of fellow pro-Germans including Walter Scholz, Charles F. Respa, and his brother-in-law Carl Schmidt. He told those assembled that it was their duty to the fatherland to sabotage the production of munitions that were being sent to Allied nations fighting the Central Powers. [1] On June 21, 1915, Kaltschmidt provided Respa with 156 sticks of dynamite and introduced him to a night watchman, William Lefler, who was employed as security at the Peabody Overall Co. factory in Walkerville, Ontario, Canada. [2]
On June 21, 1915, Respa was able to bomb the Peabody factory, but a bomb placed at the Windsor Armoury failed to explode, saving the lives of 200 soldiers who were stationed there. On March 7, 1916, Respa was sentenced to life imprisonment. [3] In 1917, sabotage group leader Kaltschmidt faced charges in the US for attempting to bomb the Detroit Screw Works. Others charged were William M. Jarosh, Richard Herman, and Fritz A. Neef, general manager of the Eismann Magneto company. [4]
Detroit Judge Arthur J. Tuttle sentenced Kaltschmidt to four years in United States Penitentiary Leavenworth, and a $20,000 fine ($490,900 in 2024). [5] His co-conspirators were also sentenced:
Kaltschmidt was released from prison in February 1921, after which he was deported. [6] In 1927, he was allowed to return for two months for business purposes. At the end of his two months, however, Kaltschmidt failed to report to federal officials. An article by the Detroit Free Press reported that, "quicker than you could bat an eye, he was arrested by Government agents and booted out of the country." [7]