Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-12-04
ASKS WITHDRAWAL

ASKS WITHDRAWAL
Continued from Page One)
reaching a verdict. No reply has been
received. but none is necessary and It
is taken for granted that the ;n,las-
sador will order the attaches away
as soon as he has exchanged communi-
cations with Berlin.
Consider Won Nuber's Case
1t also became known tonight that the
department has under consideration the
case of Alexander Won Nuber.. Austro-
Hungarian consul general at New York,
whose name frequently has been men,
toned with those of Boy-Ed and Won
Papen in connection with activities which
have been frowned upon by the United
States government. 1t was said author
itatively that it had not been decided
Just what action. if any. would be taken.
1t was intimated that the state depart.
ment also was considering wne:ae. cny
step should be taken regarding other
higher officials of foreign embassies in
Washington.
Accumulative Complaints
The complaints against Won Papen and
Boy-Ed were accumuatve. dating back
to the early days of the European war.
The case against them is peculiar. not
being capable of legal proof. 1t con-
sisted or an accumulation of suspicious,
crcrms' ances and conditions which con-
ha viii n EiO-
late the neutrality laws of the United
States. The accumulation was sufficient
to convince the department that the Of
ficial status of the attaches in the United
S1ates should be discontinued.
Secretary Lansing is understood to
have given consideration to the at
tempts to supply German warships with
coal, provisions and ammunition and
although no absolute proof of the COM
plicity of either of the men in the pass
port frauds reached the state depart
ment a mass of testimony accumulated
to place them under the gravest sus-
picion The Stegler passport case, false
afiidavits which were made in shipping
matters, and the sending of reports TO
Austria Hungary by James F. j. Archi-
bald, an American citizen all were
among the mattess taken into account
by the department.
Mr. Lansing has stated that the eri-
dence in the Hamburg American CON
spiracy trial in New York did not prove
to the satisfaction of the department
that Boy-Ed had violated the neutrality
laws of the United States or that he
had done anything which at the time
of the commission was in violation o.
the federal statutes.
- Closely Watched
CAPTAIN Boy-Eds activities in the Unit
ed States since the war began have been
the subject of close attention by the state
department and the department of JUS
tice. Several times it had been boardly
limited that the American government
might intimate to Germany that the OPP
erations of her naval attache We're op-
jectionable, with the inevitable sugses-
ton that his connection WITH the enoaS-
sy should be terminated. Each time.
however, the threatened action came to
nothing.
While the state department consistent
ly refused to discuss the captains case,
the German embassy intimated that Ii
had reason to believe he had done moth
ing for which he should be censured.
Roy-Ed's Activities
Captain Boy-Ed's first activities when
attracted the attention of the govern
ment were in connection with the misuse
of passports TO German reservists seek
ing to slip through the Allies lines 10
ioin their armies. Some of the men IN
connection with whose cases the capi
tain,s name was mentioned now are serv-
ing terms in federal penitentiaries
Later Captain Boy-Ed's name was
mentioned in connection with the charter
ing of ships from American ports TO sup
nly fuel and food to German vessels
which in the first months of the war were
hard pressed by the allied flying squad
rons. The same alleged connection came
nm again during the trial OF the Hah-
burg-American Line officials Just con-
Guided in New York. in which witnesses
testified that Captain Boy-Ed hahdieIl
tho money which came from Berlin TOT
charterine the ships and furnishing them
with supplies.
The government did not contend that
an offence against liie his"NA>'
United States had been commltteu ny
sending out the ships. but that the Of
fcia,s of the Hamburg American Line
had guilty knowledge of the fact thet
tho customs house of the United states
1uere deceived and defrauded into IS
suing clearance papers for the ships
on false statements.
Tie Inference ran broadly all through
the trial that Captain Boy-Ed too, was
cognizant of the offences which the
government charged. and in the early
DAVIS of the trial. his name was ire
o,1ently mentioned in open court by
the government prosecutors. Finally the
state department here suddenly inter-
yened and cautioned the officials or
the judicial arm of the government
that unless they expected to lndlct
CAPTAIN Boy-Ed for the offenses charg-
ed the Language employed by prosecu-
TORS should be avoided for the reason
that it might endanger the friendly re-
lations between the United States ana
Germany.
Embassy's Displeasure
The German embassy manifested TO
the state department its displeasure
with features of the trial in New York