The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-28
FIVE INDICTED IN
PLOT TO SMUGGLE
WAR MUNITIONS
Three TcutOns and Two Amer.
leans Named in Conspir-
acy Charge.
X.RAY SHOWED RUBBER
HIDDEN IN COTTON BALES

-Ne use Of British merchant, sh.po "a
carry German sirews Of war Is charged
IN an Indictment handed down yesterday
afternoon Ny the Federal Grand Jury
against a group OF Ave persons. three o.
whom are citizens OF Germany or
Ars,ria-Hungary II is alleged thai the
Curard line> Carpathia carried 27s bar
rel. OF resin to Italy In January in which
we're concealed cylinders OF rubber.
Furthermore 1t is declared that plans
were made to ship on the steamship
Cretic bales OF cotton waste also coz
tanning rubber. but that the use of the
X-ray led to the discovery of the bidder
commodity and the unfolding OF the mot,
now labelled as "A conspiracy TO defraud
The United States by the use OF false
msnifests.
The men accused are Harry Solomon,
q Lieutenant in the German army. now
American citizen, both members of Salo-
mon Bros. 4 Co. formerly OF 80 Nassau
street. Franz Rosenberg. an Austrian,
who has a business in Hanover. Ger
many Sigmund Karman of Budapest
and Albert n. Newman OF Brooklyn.
The shipment of the rubber by Rosen-
berg and kirman in the n alleged
5 admitted by the two men through
their counsel. Towne Il Spellman of ll5
Broadway, and their explanation is that
they were aiming to circumvent the
Allies and were not aware that they
were violating any Law
The Indictment charges that the FIVE
men were IN conspiracy between So
yember ! and February Is last 1t says
that Newman on January I signed a
manifest shipping 276 barrels OF resin
10 Italy on the Carpathia and swearing
that the manifest contained "A true ac-
count OF the goods. Ii also accuses
karman OF having appeared before Louis
Feischer, a Commissioned OF Deeds. and
having signed the name of A.. Is. New
man TO a paper TO the effect that a ship
ment of l15 bales Of cotton waste was
being made to Fratelli Cabella in Genoa
and that the goods were not to be reex-
ported
Details of the alleged conspiracy were
furnished yesterday by persons in the
Office Of United States Attorney n.
snowden Marshall and of his assistant.
Roger b. Mood. who worked up the
Ease.
How the Plot started.
Harry Solomon. who has been in this
country eight years, was in Germany
.ast GUNNER on his vacation when he
war started lie was "A re. ervlst and
Immediately offered his services. He was
assigned 10 drilling the enlisted men
and was so occupied until the latter
part Of October. Cotton became scarce
n Germany and Salomon thought he
could he o: more service to Germany by
omIng back TO this country and ar
ranging for shipments OF that COM
modify He accordingly got n furlough
rom the tiei man War Office.
About the same time there was also
a great scarcity of ubber IN Austria.
anu Rose lbrrG, who was a director In a
dbhcr factory in Hanover. was asked
Uy the Ausiro-American Rubber Com
pary Il Austria to come TO this country
70 make purchases. karman. VINO was
an eNper! in the inner grades OF rubber.
was directed TO come with him.
Il was to supervise the buying of me
rubbe.," said Karman. and to counter
sgn tine checks. You know Gernins
and you know Austrians, Well. they
didn't trust me with the money and
they didn't trust him Rosenberg. with
the money. They sent US both, each to
watch the other"
Rosenberg and Karman got together
N Hanover. where by some unexplained
coincidence they met Solomon. They
mad = draft for sl0O.0 00 made by a
Vienna bank OF the National City Bank.
TIE tlrce men had "A conference and
then Solomon left tnem, going by the
way OF Munich to Genoa WheIe he saw
Fratelu Cabel,a, the Italian agent of his
firm. From there he started for this
country
Hired ais n Week Tailor.
Rosenberg and Karman. however
preceded him to New York. shipping
rom Rotterdam. They presented to
Albert Solomon a letter which they mad
received from Harry Solomon. Next
hey picked up Newman, who used 10 he
a tailor at SIS a week. and opened al
uff.ce for him in 80 Nassau street and
furnished him with stationery that an
bounced him as an import and export
commission merchant" He is said to
rave received $50 a week.
straiGhtway, II is alleged. Albert sal
omon went into Tn" market for 'ub-
her. More thar nifty tons was pur-
CEASED by Rosenberg and Karnan. II
s said. and the next step vas 10 rire
building out AT ~Greenpoint. install a
teaiiug apparatus and begin TO pack
way inc stuff. Resin also was ought
W large quantities. II was heated ana
nourrd into the barrels to a deptn of
'x inches. Then in the centre was
placed a cylinder Of rubbey containing
tom -" 10 190 pounds. Resin was filled
around that and on top Of Il.
IN" n'St shipment was made m the
,trpdthia. The snip was scheduled for
'"noh, but when i neared port there
vas no room for dockage and she vent
70 Naples. There was much delay In
unloading and finally the plot was dis
covered here, with the result that the
SHIPMENT never reached its destination.
Packed Rubber In Cotton.
After the first ship sailed. however.
Itsln was declared contraband OF war.
Il' alleged consplrators accordingly de-
'ied 10 pack the rubber in cotton hales,
which taey thought would not be shown
by the X-ray.
Tlev ar" reported to have hired a
nlhdinr in Pulaski street. BROOKLYN,
"nere The packing was done, About
Nv pounds Of rubber was put In with
'o pounds Of cotton. About l75 bales
" thi' mixture were handed over for
slpnrnt on the Cretic. N-ray experts
st busy taking eleven pictures. but dis
,ole"l nothing except In the twelfth
rctur", whore they detected lows
lay aroused their suspicion n caused
EN- to dig into the bales.
newman being tipped on. withd Few
ne cotton bales. but not until after
,e Federal authorities had made a
'orough investigation.