The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-28
Won PAPEN SOUGHT TO OBTAIN
MUNITIONS FROM BRIDGEPORT
PROJECTILE CO., LETTERS SAY
Memorandum From Official of Company Here Gives De-
tails on Order For Shells and Shrapnel Knight and
Hoad1ey Refuse To Discuss Disclosures Made By
Providence Journal

majeure, j. e., the failure to timely OBJ
tain the delivery of machinery and
tools, occasioned by strikes in the ma
chine factories.
This is the letter from Edward Lyeu
Fox to Lieut.. Herbster, U. S. NJ:
December Fl, 1915.
Lieut.. Herbster, U. s. N,
American Embassy,
Berlin, Germany.
NY Dear HerbSter:~
I am back, delighted to find that the
movement for Preparedness has taken
big proportions. Most of all the people
want it, all the newspapers and mag
azines find that it is wanted and are
now taking it up on a big scale; so are
the politicians The Democrats will
of halo; the I'VE did it, idea. In the
coming campaign the Republicans will
also claim a credit for 1t. 1t will get
through Congress because the average
Congressman generally, If the pressure
Is strong enough, follows the Senti-
ment of the country. This sentiment
is real. It is so real that the box Of
fee crowd of the moving picture bus
mess is coming out with preparedness
on the screen.
Il About tn election: Wilson will be
the Dem ocratic candidate; but, unless
Roosevelt starts another third party
ticket, Wilson is doomed to lose. The
most rabid English sympathizers are
against Wilson; so is the entire Ger
man element. Roosevelt, whom ev-
erybody thought down and out, has
bobbed up again. On Saturday night
Gary and a, lot of other very impor-
.tant men gave a dinner to Roosevelt,
and no newspaper men were allowed
to be present. There is Just a chance
that Teddy may get the Republican
nomination. He is not on the outs
with Barnes today as much as is gen
eaT@sa lTry Yfrovy~ L., I IL
patronage seekers of the Repu blican
organization have been out of jobs and
graft so long that they demand that
the Republicans win, no matter how.
IF Teddy doesn't get the nomination
he may bluff them into nominating
him by putting up a third ticket. The
spirit is. anything to beat Wilson.
I had dinner with Laugh orne the
other night, and ran into williams the
other afternoon. Il
with best regards Write me. Re
member me to Ohnesorg. Sincerely,
EDWARD LYELL FOX
The peculiar status of the Bridge
port Proiectile Co, first, became known
when the correspondence Of Dr. Helm
rich F. Albert was published last gum
mer. 1t was then recognized that this
concern, which was supposed to be
carrying legitimate business, was
run solely for German interests, It's
method was to make a. contract to
take the entire output OF a munitions
manufactures for certain period of
time. and then pay the forfeit for
default. At the same time it's con-
tracts were SO drawn that the manu-
featuring plants could not be used for
any other work during the period
covered by them. -
The details Of its method came out
in a suit brought before Judge Haight
in the Federal district court at Tren-
ton, N. J.. last fall In this it appear
ed that the Bridgeport Projectile Co.
had signed a contract with the Cam
den Iron Works for the manufacture
of 100 sets of shrapnel presses at a
cost of $4,000. Within IL hours Of
the completion Of this contract, the
forfeit of $4,000 was paid, and the
work on the presses was counter
mahded. At the same time the Cam
den Iron. Works were unable to un-
dertake work for anyone else until
Jan. 1.
Walter H. Knight, president of the
Bridgeport Projecti1e Co, when reach
ed by long distance telephone last
night at his home in Bridgeport, re-
fused to comment on the part his
firm played in the matter.
ST have no statement to Make was
all he would answer.
When pressed as to the truth OF the
memorandum OF the interview he had
with Captain Won Papen, Captain Hans
relative to the manufacture of the
shrapne1. he shouted, angrily: you
heard what said the first time, didn't
you? I have no statement to make
8 Carl Heynon. treasurer of the pro-