The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-12-03
Resident Managing Director Of
Hamburg American Line In
New York, and His Three Sub
ordinates, Held For Conspiracy
DECEIVED AND DEFRAUDED
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Sent Supplies To German War
ships From American Ports In
~ Ships Sailing Under the Clear
ance Papers That Were Bogus
tAssociatsd Press by Federal wirelsss.l

d NAboociateo frosb by fedofnl WtroioBoD .r..
AYEW YORK, December 3.-Dr.
IN Karl Buenz, resident managing
= director 81 the Hamburg. Ameri-
can steamship company, and three sub
ordinate employees of the Hamburg
American, were found guilty yesterday
of conspiracy to deceive and defraud
the United States by sending supplies
from American ports for German war
ships on ships sailing under fraudulent
clearance papers. H. @
The jury, after seven hours of delib-
GRAFTON, determined the four defendanta
guilty on the first ballot. Immediately
after the verdict had been rendered,
notice of an appeal was filed, and Il is
regarded as certain that the appeal
will be perfected. s.....,F. ~.
A statement made by Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Wood, after the verdict
of guilty had been .ecorded, expressed
satisfaction at the outcome, because,
the attorney said, the men certainly
are guilty. 4E
Lawn Must Be, Observed !. Z.
"1his verdict means, no said,
'that the laws Of the United States
must be observed by all citizens and
by all belIigerents and their representa-
tives resident in the United States. It
means that If these laws be violated,
the government decrees that whoever
amongst the violators can be discover
ed will be prosecuted, whatever their
standing" -
The four defendants heard the de.
cisiOn of the jury calmly. a., (.
The crime against the United States
for which Buenz and his snbordinates
have been convicted consists Of having
despatched supply ships from both At
| lantic and Pacific ports, the vessels
clearing for destinations to which the
charterers had no intention Of sending
them for discharge. These ships met
German cruisers at various agreed upon
rendezvous and discharged their ear
goes of coal and supplies into the war
shiDs. These fraudulent papers were
obtained through perjury in August Of
1 1914. ~ ~. .
Evidence Mountain High. "a. ..+-..
In the preliminary statements in tho
trial, Roger b. Wood, assistant United
States district attorney, In charge Of
the prosecution, announced that Hevi-
dence mountain high" connected Can't.
X. Boy Ed, the naval attache at the
German embassy, with the conspiracy
against the United States. These and
lother references to Captain Boy-Ed an
nOyed the German ambassador, Count
Won Bernstorff, to such an extent that
he allowed it to be known that he il
prepared to officially protest against
the "harshness of the treatment OF
the naval attache and the Hunneces-
sary" dragging in of his name at the
trial r2tar.
The chartering of the ships and ths
despatehing of supplies to German war
vessels was admitted by Attorney
William Rand, counsel for the defense,
his contention being that his clients
acted on orders from the head Office of
his company in Germany and that such
carrying out of orders did not consti.
tute conspiracy. .. Ii, 1,#
Fraud Makes Cargoes Illegal s,e s4A
In charging the jury yesterday, Fed.
eral Judge Hoover said: "It Is not un-
lawful to send supplies to any German
fleet, If in 'despatching ships with the
supplies there is no intention Of deceiy.
ing the port collectors or attempt to de.
ceive them and if the shippers truly
J state in their application for clearance
J papers the character Of the cargoes OF
the ships and the intended destination
of the vessels. . .Atr#a
In outlining his case, which has been
. before the court since November 23
5 Assistant District Attorney Wood as
serted that Captain Boyd was tn,
directing head of the conspiracy fol
which Doctor Buenz and his associates
have been convicted. Mr.. Wood as
serted that fund of $750,000 had beer
sent to Doctor Buenz from Germany
and that the entire sum was spent un
der the personal directions of Captain
+ Boy.Ed, and that from 100000 I,
a 5000, 900 of the amount was spent il
a San Francisco in chartering vessels AM
!. obtaining supplies for the German war
n ships Leipzig and perhaps the Dresden
. Thio ha f,ayarnmant aharuaa vwa