New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-17
Chagrin Under Veneer
of GerhardS Defence
Won Bernstorf Absent, While Aid Makes Eager De
mails of Meyers" Dual Life-Germans Here
Scof-Dr Albert Adds to Mystery.
fDYr.TStIIE- iaHtIITS i5I'Ro
III CHAMBERS STREET
-UISD ms

lists in the notebook of Herman A.
Metz.
When questioned in regard TO his
knowledge of Count Won Bernstorf'
envoy, Mr. Metz said that he knew Mrs.
Selma Lewis, who had asked him to
ascertain the attitude of Secretary
Bryan toward the sale Of the Krag
rifles to a belligerent. Then he pulled
out a tattered black book and after
tkumbing the pages a moment turned
to a leaf on which appeared "McAdoo,
Alfred Never. Schimmel, Laughlin,"
each name written below the preceding
one.
He said that the names had been
given him by Mrs. Lewis and that he
had not looked them up. There were
too many wild schemes in the air, he
said, to spend much time on anything
Ike rife dealing
Count Won Bernstorf could not be To-
Gated yesterday. II was said he was
detained Somewhere in the Catskills,"
owing to an auto breakdown. In his
absence members Of his staff apd other
German officials in this city were pro-
fuse in their denials of the published
story. Their eagerness bordered close
" on Mysteries This is in striking
contrast to the usually reticent atti-
tude which German officials assume
toward the press whenever they are
asked TO comment upon stories of
which it is assumed they have knowl
edge.
Counsellor Haniel Won Haimhausen,
who in the absence of the Ambassador
is ranking officer of the German En-
bassy, made the following statement
yesterday:
"The whole story is preposterous.
am not speaking for Count Won Bern
storff, but | can say, without fear OF
being contradicted, that the charges
which have been made about DR.. Meyer
Gerhard's identity are positive false
hoods"
DR.. Won Haimhausen, who is an au-
thority on international law, ridiculed
the assertion that the German who
since last August mas been known here
as Dr. Meyer was in reality
DR.. Alfred Meyer and had lectured
throughout the country in the interest
Of the German Red Cross, disguised in
toupee and gold-rimmed spectacle5,
while he was in reality purchasing
arms and ammunition for the German
government.
"The story does not deserve official
cognizance," DR.. Won Haimhausen de-
clared. at is too ridiculous. Why
should the German government attempt
to impose a false DR.. Meyer Gerhard
upon the people of the United States?
Would not such a thing be very fool
ish? Would not some one of the thou
sands who heard DR.. Meyer Gerhard
lecture and who had seen his photo
graphs in hundreds of newspapers and
periodicals have recognized the hoax?
Such an imposition would have been
quickly discovered"
Denial by Captain Boyd.
Captain Karl Boyd, Naval Attache
Of the German Embassy, was equally
emphatic in his assertion that no i'm
position had been made upon the Presi-
dent and the people of the United
States.
There is no use TO make a lengthy
denial Of the story" he said. ats lu-
dicrousness is the best denial"
Captain Franz Won Papen, military
attache Of the German Embassy, could
not be located yesterday. But his Sec
rotary gave out a statement purporting
to have been authorized by the at
tache. He said:
after a thorough examination OF
German official records we have not
found the DR.. Alfred Meyer, said TO be
Privy Councillor and chief of the de-
partment of army supplies of the I'm
perial German Ministry of War. on.
cially no such officer is on record al
being connected with the German gov
eminent lie certainly has not been
in the United States, because his pres
ence would have been known TO the
German Embassy here"
Captain Frederick Elder, private sec
rotary TO Count Won Bernstorf, said
that DR.. Meyer-Gerhard was the bona
fde Red Cross Commissioner, and not
the DR.. Albert Meyer.
"A comparison of the two signatures
suf1ices TO establish the fact that they
could not have been written by the
same person." DR.. Elder declared. "The
signature "A. Meyer on the alleged
contract for the sale OF a quantity of
Krag j orgensen rifles is entirely differ
ent from that Of DR.. Meyer-Gerhard
copied from the hotel register. 1t is
absurd to assume that tho German gov