The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-21
GERMANY'S RUBBER
SMUGGLERS CAUGHT
WITH S,40O POUNDS
Woman to Sail From New York
With Crude Article as
Personal Baggage.
TWO MEN IN THE PLOT
WITH DEUTSCHE BANK

A plot to smuggle crude rubber from
shis country to Germany In the trunks
Of women who were engaged by Ger
mans to travel to and from Rotterdam,
with a ton or SO OF h c~ontraband
classed as personal baggage" has been
discovered by agents Of h Department
Of Justice and the neutrality squad Of
the customs service.
One Of the women and two men, In
Guiding the alleged principal. have made
o complete statement to Federal off,
c!als, and The case will be laid before
United States Attorney Marshall to-day.
There have been no arrests. II u limited
that the three persons In question may
supply Information that will help
the Government to even more important
disclosures.
The woman Ia Miss Anna Dekkers
Hhe was about to sail for Rotterdam on
the Holland-America liner Rynda!n on
November % when from fou to eight
packing cases containing about a.4OO
pounds OF crude rubber" which she was
about to ship as baggage withou, q
manifest, we're seized on the steamship
pier In Hobokcn. II was part OF 10000
pounds Of rubber that had been bought
from "A dealer In his city. II had been
kept for a time In Vetteripan's Hotel IN
The Bronx.
N%aturaIsed Americas Accused.
The man who Is said to have arranged
Miss Dekker's trips and the purchase of
the rubber IL Max Jaeger. who came to
this country from Germany In 1902 and
- q n~aturaiized American. The second
man. who did the actual purchasing. Ia
Richard Wohlberg, a manufacturer OF
ubber cement. The story az revealed
last night after being carefully guarded
Tor nearly a month runs as follows:
Max Jaeger. mechanical engineer.
graduate OF the Karlsruhe Technical
School. has visited Germany frequently
In the course OF his thirteen years resi-
dence In this country. He wen; to
Germany with his family In March last
and was employed in an automobile
factory at Beierfeld. Returning here
in July he collected from manufacture
ers a lot of sample automobile Access
0ories and ook them back to Germany.
thinking that they might be probably
manufactures there.
The head of ais company told him
that II wasn't a good time to start new
enterprises. and suggested that as the
German Government badly needed rub
Der money could he made by importing
It on a large scale. Jaeger's boss then
took him to the Deutsches Bank In
Berlin. The head OF the rubber DEPART
ment of that mi gave Jaeger IA letter
of Introduction to his nephew. h is
with IA New York rubber firm. but whose
name is not disclosed.
Told TO Hire Agents.
Jaeger was instructed to employ
agents who would travel from New York
TO Rotterdam with crude rubber as per
eonal effects" At Rotterdam these
agents We're to be met by d certain man
who. according to the story told yester-
ola y. had been IN military service under
the German War Department" This
man was to wear a white c~hrysanthe-
mum as he stood OF the per at Rotter-
dam. so that the Disseminating rubber
0muggler might the more easily recog-
nize him. The trunks were to be sh pped
to addresses in Germany given to Jaeger
ny the head OF the Deutsches Ranks
rubber department.
Loaded with these instructions Jaeger
arrived here on the Ryndam OH Octo-
Der 81 and went to work. He pr, scented
his letter of introduction to the nephew
OF the Drutscher Bank officer, but the
members Of the rubber tirm by whom
the nephew was employ I'd told Jaeger
they would get into trouble with the
Rubber Manufacturers Association IL
they sold to him directly. They sug-
rested that he ind an intermediary.
So Jaeger went TO his friend Wohl-
berg. the maker OF rubber cement.
Wohlherg vas reluctant 70 enter the
scheme. protesting that 1: detected he
"ouldn't buy any more rubber for his
business. But upon the assurance from
the rubber firm that hsd suggested the
employment Of n middleman tndt he was
safe. he bought. for Jaeger. 10000
pounds Of rubber from this firm. OF
eht. = -AA at, nor. cant ~. Aa4saT-
mans Hotel. Later. In trunks and boxes,
this batch Of nearly two tons LANDED on
the Holland .Ameri"a pier as the per-
oonal baggage OF Miss Anna Decker.
Frequent Trips to Holland.
Miss Decker CAME to America about
eight years e hut frequently visited
her parents in Rotterdam. ON II OF
these trips, In August last, she met
Jaeger, and it was arranged that she
vou'd take "A lot OF rubber with her
when she went TO Holland again. Re.
turning to New York On November IA
on the Rynddm she was met 10y Jaeger.
He arranged for her departure for Rot
terdam on the same ship on November
27. The Government agents suspect
that at least one officer of the Ryndam
was paid for helping the scheme along.
Thev nave information that Miss Decker
was only one OF '"Ne!ti women tflpIOyCi
ny Jaeger as rubber carriers. and thai
in at least one cas-. he sent money
abroad TO bring a woman here.
According to his own statement. he In
tended, as soon as his secret expectations
OF rubber We're flowing smoothly. to turn
the MANAGEMENT over to an agent In this
country and TO return to Germany. But
Uncle Sans detectives spoiled his plans.
In making a statement to the Federal
officers Jaeger. Wohiberg and Miss
Decker We're following the advice of their
counsel, Harold Deming.
II Is a violation OF a Federal statute
20 export goods for commercial purposes
without declaration.
According TO the testimony in the re-
cent trial of the Hamburg-American of
hcials, II was the Deutsche Bank OF
Berlin that forwarded the $3.50. 900 which
WAS to be used under the direction Of
Capt. Boy-Ed in getting supplies for
German war vessels.