New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-11
Gondos's Charges of Fl
nancing Fay Denied by
Trust Company.
MAY CAUSE ARRESTS
IN SHIP CONSPIRACY
RinteIen. Seized as German Soy,
Had Office in Same Building
with Printer Bank.

| tempted DldchmalI, ana flfnllLeI, WHO
caused their arrest. we're busy yester
day making charges and counter
charges. the United States Secret Ser
vice agents who are in possession OF
/ the disclosures made by the prisoners
I TO Inspector Faurot we're equally busy
/ running down new clews. These may
] lead TO more arrests in the plot of Ger
man propagandists to burn and dyna-
mite factories making munitions for
/ the Allies and ships transporting them.
! The Condos brothers. Alexander and
/ Victor, were each held in $4,000 for
! further examination on Mr.. Printers
| charge.
In asking Magistrate Deuel., in the
Tombs Court. TO fir bail, Assistant Dis
, trict Attorney Van Casteel, made this
statement:
Lieutenant Fay's bail was placed at
/ $4,000. We do not think that the bail
of these two men should be any less"
Fay has been indicted as the alleged
head Of the plot 10 destroy ships carry
| ing munitions TO the Allies.
Blames East Side Bankers.
I Mr.. Printer supplemented the
statement OF the trust company last
night by saying:
| "These Condos brothers are trapped
and are doing the only thing for then
| 20 do--to cry they are framed up by
/ secret service agents Of foreign gov
/ ernments and that this bank is owned
| by the Austro- Hungarian government.
| The ownership Of this bank is mat
/ ter of public record. II is filed with
| the State Superintendent Of Banks of
! this state.
"This whole trouble has been starts
by some East Side h.~:ers. who have
lost their business because of this in
stitution. Two weeks ago | made COM
plant TO the District Attorney that
some bankers were circulating lihels
about this institution. saying that we
were discourteous to Austro-H ungar-
I ians, and that we were an American
/ institution. Now here comes the Con-
dos brothers. who admit they were
/ hired by East Side bankers 20 fight
me. saying that this is no, an Amer
lean institution. but owned By the Aus
/ tro-Hungarian government. The fact
/ is that the East Side bankers, who arc
/ Jealous of us, are trying 20 wedge me
/ in from both sides with slanders. This
/ bank is conducted according TO the
/ laws of the State of New York"
! United States Secret Service agents
\ caused the books Of the Transatlantic
| Trust Company to be examined by a
! Federal grand jury in this city last
month, when an investigation Of the
Rintelen- elov passport fraud was on.
! One official Of the Transatlantic Trust
Company was also examined BY the
Federal grand jury. What was learned
the Secret Service men refused TO dis
close.
This examination of the books of the
trust company. Of which Alexander
Won Nuber. Consul General for Aus
tria-Hungary. is one of the founders
and directors. followed development
in the Rintelen- Meloy inquiry that
tended to show that Rintelen. with
eight bankers in this city. planned to
use s3O,OO0,0O0 to keep the various
/ Mexican warning factions in continu-
Gus warfare.
Rintelen. who is under Indictment
in this country. charged with having
engaged in obtaining fraudulent Amer
lean passports for German and Aus
trian spies, formerly had an Office at
81 William Street, in the same build
ing with the Transatlantic Trust Com
pany. He is now in "A British deten-
ton camp. II had been reported on
two occasions that he had been shot
as a spv. Both Rintelen and Meloy
owned mines in Mexico.
Trust Company Issues Statement.
Immediately after the Condos broth
ers had been held the Transatlantic
Trust Company issued a statement that
was a sweeping denial of all the charges
made by the Condos brothers. The
statement follows:
Alexander and Victor Condos were
arrested yesterday at the instance Of
the president of this company, charged
with blackmail, they having threatened,
unless $4,000 was paid 10 them. TO cir
culate and publish wholly false and
malicious charges about this company,
among other things to the effect that it
was an agent Of the Austro-H Hungarian
the so-called Lieutenant Fay and others
with funds to carry on German
propaganda in this country.
"Reporters from various newspapers
have urged US TO issue a statement in
regard TO this matter. Accordingly we
would say:
"First-That this company does not
and never has in any way represented
the Austro- Hungarian government or
any other government, being solely a
private banking institution.
Second That IT has no knowledge.
other than that obtained from the
newspapers, as to Fay or other asso-
ciates with him in any pro-German
I propaganda in this country; nor has II
ut any time furnished any funds for
such purpose to any person whatsoever.
Third That it has never been en-
gagged in any business other than the
business contemplated by its charter
and the laws OF this state"
When told that Alexander Condos
told the detectives that he Condos
had been visited in Bridgeport by an
agent Of the bank. and that he, at the
agents request. introduced him to n
foreman Of an ammunition plant IN
Connecticut and TO several leading Hun
garians, Mr.. PRINTER said:
"This bank sent an agent to Con
necticut TO get business for the bank,
and he got il. lie may probably have
seen Condos. Bui he went there solely
on banking business"
Mr.. Printer is quiet, scholarly
appearing man. and no one would THINK
that he was type who would cave
this country, ms he did couple OF
wears ago, to fight duel in Hungary
with a former Tgrtner. In the duel
shots were exchanged, but none was
wounded.
The Condos brothers, when inter
viewed in the Tombs yesterday. said
they had a long and very interesting
story to tell. but would only tell IT on
n space-rate basis.
I'VE arc newspaper men curse Ives and
know Whit thla story Is worth. You
can have IL II you pay FOR IT,"
In the spring Of 1914 Alexander Con
dos tried 10 prevent Count kHrolyi.
I Al