Norwich bulletin., 1915-12-02
No Intention 10
 Deffaud the U. 5.
DEFENSE OFFERED IN HAM.
 RuRe-AMERIcAN CASE
KNEW MANIFESTS FALSE
Four Defendants the Only Witnesses Tn Their Own BehaIf-AH Told the Same Story-cssse Should Go to Jury Today.

New York, Dec. 1.-The trial of Dr. Karl Buenz and his three co-defend- ants of the Hamburg American line on charges of conspiracy to deceive and defraud the American government virtually ended late today when the defense rested and the government announced that it would call no wit nesses in rebuttaL There remain only the summing up of counsel and Judge Howe's charge before the jury retires. Unless there is deviation from the present plan, the case should reach the jury late tomorrow.
 Four Defendants Testified.
 The four defendants, Dr. Buenz, George Kotter, superintendent of the line, Adolph Hachmeister, purchasing agent, and Joseph Poppinghaus, the young man who sailed on the steam ship Berwind as her supercargo and delivered her goods to the Cap Trafal- gar off the Island of Trinidad, testified today. They were their own only wit nesses. William Rand, Jr, their law yer. asked them almost identical questions and the stories they told were virtually the same.
 Acted Under Agreement.
 Kotter and Hachmeister testified that they acted on instructions from Dr. Buenz, who in turn was acting un- der an agreement reached in the fall of 1913 between his line and the Ger man government whereby the line was to send supplies to such German cruisers in the Atlantic as might be found there in case of war. Popping haus acted on Kotter's directions and pr. Buenz did not even know of his existence until shortly before the pres ent trial.
 s27,ooo Worth of Supplies.
 The three of them-Buenz, Hach- meister and Kotter-met in Dr. Buenz's DriUo @ OffiRa "a offnrnnnT1 nf TJ1I S1, 1914, to discuss ways of obtaining neutral ships to carry the projected relief cargoes. Kotter knew a steam ship agent, John J. Cans, and they sent for him. He came in and from him were chartered the Thor, the Lorenzo and the Berwind. After they had been chartered Kotter bought coal from them texcept in the case of the Thor, already Ioaded) and Hachmeister Boush about $27,e6e worth or pro- aboard.
 Knew All About Manifests.
 On Hachmeister's cross examination the government made him testify that he had been employed by the Ham, burg American line since 1889, knew all about manifests, knew that every item of a ships cargo had to be writ ten down on its manifest, yet had failed to mention the supplies and provisions on the manifests of the three ships mentioned. The compa- ny's brokers, acting on information furnished by the line, cleared the ships, Hachmeister testified, but he had fail ed to inform the moi the presence of the supplies and provisions.
 T considered them ships stores" he testified.
 "But you knew they were intended for German cruiSers?" asked Roger B. Wood, of the governments counsel
 The witness said he did and could give no reason for considering them as ships stores. Heretofore the de- fense had contended that the omission of these items was due to a blunder, that the defendants did not know they had to be recorded, and that as soon as they learned it was necessary the proper entries were made on all other ships sent to the Germans aid.
 No Intention to Defraud.
 Each of the four defendants swore on the witness stand that he had no intention to defraud the United States and no thought to deceive port col lectors in manifesting the cargoes or stating the destinations of the vessels
 Case Should Reach Jury Today.
 Three hours will be devoted tomor- row to summing up. Judge Howe's charge, it is expected, will consume an hour or less, so that the case should reach the jury during the af- ternOOn