Evening star., 1915-11-26

September from Philadelphia for
Monrovia; the Unita, sailing IRON fhli-
adeiphia, September TOR Cadlz, ana
the Fran and Sommerstad, which took
out clearance papers, but did not sail,
as their alleged plans to reach Ger
man cruisers became known
The Fran took out clearance papers
for Pernambuco and the Commerstad
for Cadiz.
Source of His Information.
Mr.. Turney testified. apparently with
great reluctance, that Adolph Hoch-
meister and George Kotter. purchasing
agents and general superintendent of
the line. respectively, defendants in
the present action, gave him all the
in nformation upon which he acted in
chartering the vessels, told him their
alleged destinations and held many
conferences with him concerning them.
All the vessels were cleared by the
witness, who sent his clerk to the Gus
tommouse in Philadelphia TO swear to
the manifeSts.
Did you know that these destina-
tions were false?' the government s
counsel asked.
Il did not.
Did you know these vessels were
trying to reach German cruisers in the
Atlantic?"
No
Mr.. Turney was compelled to sur
render to the governments counsel all
correspondence in his possession bear
ing on the chartering of the vessels
Most of this was with the Hamburg
American line.
Not Many Vessels Figure in Hearing.
Only a few of the sixteen or seventeen
vessels which left Atlantic and Pacific
ports early in the war with supplies for
German cruisers had figured in the
governments evidence when the trial
began of Karl Burnz and other officers
and employees of the Hamburg-Amer-
lean line, charged with filing false
manifeStS. Attorneys for the pros
ecution said they still had a great mass
of evidence. Most of the testimony has
dealt with shipments made from Allan
tic ports, but the assistant district at
torney has promised to show that the
alleged conspiracy extended to San
Francisco.
During the Thanksgiving recess of
the federal court agents of the district
attorneys office and of the Department
Of Justice continued their investigation
of the Jurors and maintained surveil-
lance over witnesses who, it was feared,
might leave the jurisdiction of the
court.
Norwegian Steamer Under Probe.
The Norwegian steamer Nepos, which
sailed from Philadelphia August %,
1914. with supplies for German cruisers
at sea, although she cleared fo. Mon
rovia, was the first vessel concerning
whose activities witnesses testified to-
day Roger b. Wood of the govern
ments counsel put her captain, Olaf
Nielsen. on the stand and asked him to
tell what happened after he left Phila-
delphia.
My supercargo, Mr. Fleuhr. told me
that We expected to meet a German
cruiser, Capt. Nielsen said. 4 learned
later that the cruiser was the Kaiser
Wilhelm der Crosse. which was sunk
some time afterward by the High
Flyer. FIeuhr wanted me to go to
Cape Verde Islands, but l told him
wouldn't do it,"
developed that the captain and su-
percargo both had their own ideas of
where they We're going and that the
cargo's orders that he go to this, that
or the other place in the Atlantic. but
held his course for Africa.
Vessel Stops at Teneriffe.
This course was via Teneriffe. There
they stopTad
The supercargo, baked and angry,
told the captain to sail no farther, but
lie to in the harbor.. 1t was virtually
the only order of the supercargo that
was obeyed.
For five months th4Nepos tugged at
her anchor there Then she sailed
home, empty. her charter cancelled.
How did you DISPOSE of your cargo ?"
the witness was asked.
"A fire spoiled some. he said. Some
was sold to British agents-there were
English warships there-and some went
TO the German consul
Il
burg American line chartered the
Nepos.
Court Confers With Counsel.
When Capt. Nielsen completed his story
Judge Howe declared short recess and
summoned leading counsel for both the
government and defense to his chambers
for a conference, the nature of which was
not disclosed 1t was reported, however,
that the conference concerned legal pro-
cedure in the case and nothing else.
After the conference the government
switched again to the loading and
sailing of the Costa Rican steamer
Marina Quesada, which cleared from
Newport News, Va, December 16, 1914,
with coal for Valparaiso. Chile. This
vessel, it is charged, was one of the
fleet of relief ships The defense denies
this, and vigorously opposed evidence
concerning her.
George. W. Atkinson, a coal merchant
of this city. testified that he sold the
coal taken aboard the Marina Quesada
to Schumacher & Pilkin-agents, the
witness said, of the North German
Lloyd. So far as the defendants were
concerned, they were not connected
with the purchase to the witness
knowledge. Atkinson swore to the
ships cargo manifest on which clear
ance was granted by Collector Hamil-
ton.