The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-12
GERMAN SPY TAKEN
BY BRITISH CRUISER
Prisoner Believed to Be q Plot
ter Against the Bethlehem
Steel Plant.
BRAUN TELLS HIS SIDE

1Ihsah
One Of the men believed to w taken
part in a conspiracy to destroy the Beth
lehem Steel plant by frc Is reported
to ave been taken of the Lamport a
Holt steamer vauban within the last
week In the Atlantic Ocean south o:
Rio de Janeiro and trade a prison ~
on a British cruiser.
The vauban sailed from this port on
November IS. three days after the
$4,000. 900 blaze in the machine shop o.
the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Since
the ship left here detectives and agents
Of the Department OF Justice traced
man from Bethlehem to Philadelphia,
where he booked q passage on the Vau-
ban at the Office Of Thomas Cook 4
Son. The trail led to this city AM
then to the liner.
\ report Of tn. evidence was aid be
fore the state Department ma commu'
n!cation was made with the British En-
bassy, with the result that \ British
cruiser was ordered TO hurry after tn
Vauban and search the ship a few
days ago a report WAS received from
South America saying that q cruise
had stopped the Vauban and taken OF,
a man who was believed to be Il German
officer.
Watch On Passports.
1t was learned YESTERDAY that the Al.
lies are making every effort TO prevent
any German from leaving this country
on ships owned by any of the allied
countries. For instance. every persoI
boarding the steamship Verdi, bound 10,
South America. was obliged 10 produc.
a passport before sailing. Two hrsI
class and one Storage passenger were
prevented from sailing becausc they did
not have passports.
II developed in the curse of this In.
v~estigation that Prof. Il. q. Green, who
is connected with the Department OF
Agriculture. had lost his passport and
could not sail. IL Is believed that the
paper was stolen from him "A short time
ago, While there is no effort made e
show that his passport was used by
the man who was taken on the Vaubar
the incident is cited as proof of the
methods employed by the Germans In
their work in this country.
The passport which Pro- Green had
was issued bou W years Z and
lid not bear his photograph. The pro-
lessor obtained n when he started routf
at the request OF the Brazilian Govern
ment to give instructions to the Bra
zilians on the proper method OF growing
cotton. He returned here about two
months ago and after making various
laI nlann1 ., a4 haa1 ~ Nhs
Verdi. sailing yesterday.
He already had placed two trunk or
the ship. He had eight or nine hand
bags on the pier when he was stopped
by persons connected with the steamship
company and told he must produce his
passport before he could sail. After the
search for the papers proved In vain
Prof. Green caused his luggage to be re-
moved from he chip. He will go tc
Washington and get a Daw passport.
Gompers In TO Testify.
Federal officials limited yesterday that
there will be a continuation this week
Of the inquiry by the Grand Jury into
the activities of David Lamar and Franz
Rintelen in creating strikes in this coun'
try. Samuel Gompers. president OF thu
American Federation Of Labor, and l.. y
7 huDCs vi Ia iVtI nut aIo ca
pected to testify.
Marcus Braun. who was named by th'
Providence Journa ~ the mar h car
ried messages from the office of tho Aus
tro-Hungarian Consul-General, DIR. Alex
ander Won Suber. made public yesterda'
the copy OF a letter which he had sen
to Secretary OF State Lansing. The let
ter said IN part:
mr.. Won Nuber did send by his mes
senger a package allegedly containing
old bills, accounts and vouchers to tn,
Bergenfjord on June ~. 1915. on whi-i
! had booked passage. with the reQues
TO transmit II TO the auditor OF the For
eign Ofice at Vienna from the frs
European port at which I might arrive
and at the same time sent word that tn
contents OF the package were consula'
accounts and bills and vouchers. II
| view of the publicity II may he hat per
sons unacquainted with the facts Nigh
infer that there vas some gross i'm
propriety either on the part of Mr.. vol
Nuber for sending the package or OF nj,
part in permitting the package to re
main in my stateroom, where It wa
placed before my arrival on board en-
steamer. I beg to state for your In
! formation hat II was a bulky package
wrapped In ordinary packing papeI
weighing from twenty-five to thirt,
pounds. The package WAS tied wit
ordinary cord and did not o to mo a
II there would be anything OF great I'm
portance therein. l never saw the con
tents of the package. O was ] able {
fulfil the Consul Generals request, be
cause the package disappeared aboar
the ship.
~ further wish to state that since tn
outbreak OF the war I had previousl
| performed similar services for America
| diplomatic and consular representative
In carrying packages n letters fror
one belligerent country TO the other, an
notably bringing a lot of such package
and letters to this country through tn
Austrian, German and English lines. an
a good many of these packages an
letters were addressed to your Depart
ment at Washington and which gratui
tous services I have faithfully pcrforme
upon my arrival In New York by mail
Ing all these letters and packages to tn
state Department or to whatever othe
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