Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-11-21
Officers of Hamburg-Ameri-
can System Alleged to Have
ConSpired Against United
States in Clearance Matter
ALLEGATION MADE THAT
AID WAS GIVEN GERMANS
Case Unique in American Jun
iSprudenCei Over Hundred
Witnesses Subpoenaed for
TdaI, Which Begins Monday

ildli Wlllbll DGSlllo NlUlludy
tss soss,sa ioussAl srse,Al tsssse ~.ssI
View YORK, Nov 20-Une hundred
or more witnesses to testify against
high officials OF the Hamburg Amer
lean steamship line at their trial on
charges OF conspiracy which begins
next Monday. have been summoned hy
tho government, u was announced to-
day The trial probably will last a
week Four OF the five defendants
have pleaded not guilty ana the fifth
WAS not apprehended. The maximum
penalty fog the crime charged is two
years imprisonment and S10000 fine
on each OF the two indictments.
The defendants are Karl BucnZ,
managing director of the linc in CON
troll OF q great fleet OF German mer-
chantmen and liners which sailed un-
der the Hamburg.Amorioan house
flag. Adolph Hochmeister, purchasing
agent Of the line Joseph popenhaus,
a second officer In the lines employ;
George Kottcr, superintendent of the
line and Felix Xcfiner, alleged super
cargo on one of the vessels which
sailed with supplies to the aid of Ger
man cruisers zefner has not been
found
Unique Charge Made.
a charge unique ina American iuris-
prudence faced them conspiracy 20
defraud and deceive the government
hy obtaining clearance papers on
false representations. no facilitate the
trial counsel for the defense admits
that the defendants chartered certain
ships and sent them with supplies Go
the German cruisers Karlsruhe, Kais-
er Wilhelm AVID other German men-
iof-War active Fin the Atlantic IN the
late summer and early fall of 1915
ias charged but denies chat these acts
constitute conspiracy 10 drfraud or
deceive The United states. The in
tent. It is claimed was TO deceive the
alllcs instead,
SO well did the German agents know
that war was inevitable, the govern
mont charges, that some of the fifteen
ships involved were chartered weeks
before the war bcgan and several
actually sailed ON their alleged er-
rands OF war before war had actually
bcen declared TO support these and
other charges numerous affidaVits
have been taken by the government,
one of them relates to an occurrence
aboard the Maria Quesada, a steamer
sailing from Newport News, Va tn
October 1914, ostensibly for Nalpa-
raiso.
THIS steamer, the government
charges. had aboard German super
cargo as did an the other vessels in
Volved When the steamer failed to
find tho German cruiser she was
seeking. the affidavit rccites she
cruised about for some time and tin-
ally put into pcruamhuco. The Bra
zllian authorities, apparently suspi-
cious. sought her papers These the
affidavit continues, the captain re-
fused tu surrender but placed thcm in
N bag ana throw them overheard, tie
then notified tine Brazilian cruiser
sent out To him that he had lost his
papers
I'm another Instance according to
Roger b. wood. the assistant district
attorney ia charge Of the prosecution
the government is prepared TO prove
that the Hamburg-American line PAID
$4,000 To the owners Of am Ameri-
can vessel which had been sold under
"a British prize court order Tho YES
sci was the Lorenl which sailed Au-
gust 6, 1914, from New YORK with
supplies. II is charged, for German
CRUISERS In the West indies, ana the
amount represented her full value
Huge sum Expended.
Seven hundred anu fifty thousand
dollars Of German money the DEFEND
ants admit was spent i'm charteting
and outfitting four vessels for rciiel
of tho cruisers. This money, the gov
ernment is prepared 20 prove, accord
ing to Attorney Wood, WAS placed IA
a bank 10 the credit of man VINO
was told To- spend It under direction
81 capt * BoV- Ed. the German naval
and was spent IN accordance
with these Instructions Millions ol
dollars. the government computed
were spent iu charterins ana supply
ing The flttecu vessels which figure IN
the charges
What these vessels sought it, carry
10 the German cruisers the govern
ment charges. was virtually com ,
pleto list of the cruisers needs, from .
.lpars wine and cigarettes, to coal I
fresh water. suuerkraut and lubrlcat- .
np Oh. I'm two instances. it 10 charged |
complete watcr rondenains apparatus
was carried $50 that the salt sen water /
might bo condensed for drinking pur- /
poses
Among the many men under sub I
poems by the government les an eye, /
witness of the naval battle I'M the fan !
Vi 1914 between the German and /.
British converted cruisers Cap Trnf- !
,lgar and Carmania The Cap rrat- Z
Agar was sunk In this fight and the /
sarmanla almost shared the encmy /
ate. II is claimed that the Trafalgar ,
gas ono Of the German Warships 20 /
which the defendant sought to send .
/
1--WE of the Fifteen ships IL ia
'harged. sailed from Pacific ports aud .
wo others. the Fran and Sommer-
tad. were 10 have sailed from Phll-
Idelpbla bat did not because the
government was advised OF their al
eyed plans. The other eleven ships,
H"toq o. their sailings all IN 1914.
he ports from which they cleared
nd the ports given az their destina-
ions are shown.