Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-15
GERMAN ATTACHE
DENIES ENGAGING
In BOMB PLOTS
Baron Won Brincken De-
mands Evidence Against
Him Be Made Public
ALSO INVOLVE Won PAPEN
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. Dec. Is.

SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, Dec. Is.
On the heels OF the revelation that
Captain Franz Won Papen. military at
tache to the German Embassy in Wash
ington, was involved in an alleged plot
to blow up California powder mill
George A. McGowan. attorney for Baron
Won Brincken, and father-in-law OF the
attache of the German consulate, issued
a statement today, denying the conspl-
racy charge against him.
The fact that Federal agents have OBJ
tained kilograms, showing that the ques-
tion OF price to be paid for the destruc-
tion of a powder mill al Pinole, CAL was
"to be put up to Won Papen' and the
statements of denial, were the latest de-
velopnents In the Investigation of Ger
man activities in the West.
The statement follows:
"Lieutenant Won Brincken is a man of
high standing I'm his own country, mem
ber of an honored family and an attache
of the German Consul. lie stoutly main
tains his innocence of any wrongdoinB
and demands an immediate hearing to
confront his accusers and retute state
ments NOT founded upon the truth.
THE action of the Federal prosecutor
in denying hearing before Commissioner
Krull and thus Withholding the actual
evidence from the defendant has. we con
tend. subjected himself to public criticism.
1t ls indeed a peculiar kind OF testimony
light of an immediate public hearing.
"This Indictment we feel to be nothing
short OF an outrage. Lieutenant Won
Brincken never wrote or caused to be
written or had anytAlng to do with the
letters set forth in this indictment, nor
did he know anything of them or their
contents,
"The reputed charges made by van
Koolbergen are totally denied. This man
Is utterly unreliable, an adventurer. a
British spy and IL is reported con-
victad feon now serving years sem
tence in o penitentiary."
Won Brincken. Charles c. Crowley, for
merry detective for the German Con-
sulate here, and Mrs. Margaret Cornell,
Crowley's employe, are under indictment
and at liberty on bonds of $4,000 each on
charges of conspiring to destroy COM
merce with the Allies and using the malls
TO incite arson and murder.
Tho Federal authorities today tried to
determine possible connection between the
dynamite plots and an attempt to smuggle
four Teutons into the United States
aboard the United States transport Sheri-
dan, frustrated with the arrest of the
aliens and four American soldiers on the
transport. The Americans are said to
have aided in the smuggling plot. The
transport arrived from Honolulu.
The men arrested wore United States
army uniforms, and when questioned,
passed themselves off as discharged SOL
duty.
Immediately following their seizure N.
Peterson and George King, masters at
arms on the transport, and Emil Gering
and Jacob Klanhaus, ship bakers, were
placed under arrest charged with trying
TO smuggle undesirable aliens into the
country. Later charges OF accepting
bribes may be placed against the men.
Both the military and civil authorities
are working on the investigation as to
how and why the foreigners got aboard
the transport. The plot to smuggle them
into the United States was unearthed In
Honolulu, and the arrests were made
here following cabled advices from
Brigadier General John p. WISER COM
manding the Hawaiian department OF the
army, that the men were aboard the
transport when the Sheridan touched at
Honolulu. Two Germans, Paul Simbach
and Lynatz Tobolski, also wearing United
States army uniforms and claiming to be
discharged American soldiers, were seized
by the military authorities and thrown
into Jail men fraudulently wearing the
uniform.
Closely questioned after the transport
had left Honolulu for the United States
the men said that they were German
sailors who had been interned at Manila.
They said they mad bribed men on the
transport to smuggle them into San Fran
cisco. 1t is stated that they declared that
tno men on the were 10 receive
In all 5000 to get the men safely on
American SOIL
Before the transport was 200 miles from
Honolulu the men said that four others
were on board the transport and they
gave the names of Peterson, King, Gering
and Klanhaus as the quartermaster en-
ployes who had engineered the plot of
getting the men into the United States.
General Wiser cabled what he knew
about the matter 10 the western DEPART
ment here. Yesterday wireless advices
were sent to the transport and then be-
gan the work on board of locating the
refugees. There were more than 400
troops on board, among them hundreds of
easuals. men for discharge from the
army. men going into the reserves and
men already discharged.
Every man aboard had to either show
his papers or be identified by an officer
or a non-commissioned officer, and after
several hours the bogus soldiers were To-
Gated.
The four Austrians and Germans ar
rested here and the two apprehended in
Honolulu claimed that they were sailors
from German merchant ships interned
for the war at Manila. The Federal au-
thorities. however. believe 1t will be,
under the circumstances. a mighty good
thing to look mighty closely into the
why's and wherefores OF the men travel |
ing with American troops on a Govern
ment transport and wearing the uniform.
The big bribe for smuggling them in |
here, alleged TO have been offered, leads |
the authorities to think that very pos
sibly the men are not simply common |
sailors.
Peterson. King. Gering and Rlanhaus |
are being held by the Federal authorities |
in $1,000 bail each. This will be increased |
if additional charges OF accepting bribes |
are brought against them.