The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-12-01
MONEYCAME IN BIG
CHUNKS DIRECT
FROM BERLIN
To Finance Shipment to German
Warships in Ais dc
ORIGINAL PLANS ksalDE IN 1913
Managing Ictor of Hamburg.
ment with German Government

New York, Dec. 1.-THE German
government was revelaed yesterday
as the handspring of the movement
to succor German cruisers at sea
with coal and supplies, shipped on
neutral vessels from American ports
early in the war, by testimony of DR..
Karl Buenz, managing director of the
Hamburg-American line. Buenz took
the witness-stand late yesterday in
the trial of himself and other line of
ficials and employees for conspiracy TO
defraud the United States.
In the fall of 1913, DR.. Buenz testi-
fed, he received from the head office
of the line in Hamburg a letter which
notified him that his superior officers
and the German government had sign
ed and sealed an agreement which
would become operative in time OF
war-of which there was not then a
whisper-and that an abstract of this
agreement would be sent soon to the
German consul-general in New York
where he might see it.
The letter then outlined the salient
points which were as recalled yester-
day by DR.. Buenz about as follows:
That the Hamburg American line
would undertake to send coal and
supplies TO any German warships
needing them in the Atlantic at that
time.
In due time the abstract OF this
agreement with the German govern
ment came to the German counsul.
general at New York as promised.
was examined by DR. Buenz and
found to be as outlined in his letter
There the matter rested till July 81,
1914. On the morning of that day
when the shadow of war rested over
Europe, DR. Buenz received cable
gram from Hamburg which read
about as follows: Are you prepared
to carry out our agreement with the
German government To this he
sent one word back over the cable
"Yes
Thus, the defense contends, was
fashioned what the American govern
ment has termed a conspiracy to de-
ceive and defraud the United States.
DR. Buenz, directing the activities of
q thran nthnIs Infnnnp big
subordinates in the line-was alone
to blame, if there were any blame. Mr..
Rand told the jury in his opening ad-
dress. and even DR.. Buenz was sim.
ply following orders.
There was one provision that was
not followed out Mr.. Rand said,
and only, one: No money was fur
nished with which to charter and sup
ply the ships But the men of the
Hamburg-American line and the line
itself dug down into their own funds
and spent the money themselves.
knowing that it would be repaid
When these funds ran short there
was a loud cry for help and money
NeiAlt uci Z lIOui manly
We made no secret of this. We
make no secret of the fact that this
money came originally from the Ger
man government. When it did come
it came in large chunks. Within
few days we received three remit
tances of 100000 each from Ger
many and these we disposited in New
York banks to the credit of the line
Nor do we make a secret of the fact
that the Hamburg-American line act
ed as banker for Capt. K. Boy-Ed. He
is the German naval attache at Wash
ington and he had to spend large
sums of money.
The government charges us with
four lies. 1t charges that we lied in
giving the shippers Of the supplies;
that we. lied in stating falsely the de
situations of the cargoes that we
lied, in, stating incorrectly the car
GOES and, finally that we lied in Civ
ing the valuation of the cargoes, 1t
simply charges these things; it has
not adduced one whit of evidence to
proge, them, 5 ~&Ah o-I5s
DR.. Buenz had apparently hardly
started to tell his story when ad
.journment hour was reached and the
case went over until this morning.