The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-11-13
No Legal Basis for Charge Says
Dr.. Graves: Reports Rooms
Ransacked
PROMISES LETTERS WILL
PRODUCE BIG SENSATION
Written to Countess Bernstorff
and Carried into Country Via
Underground - Of Diplo-
matte Interest Only

NEW York. Nov. 13-Dr. Kari Arm
Eonrd Graves, arrested at Washington
o. charge of attempted biacknau.
made counter charges against his &C
sAassv today
my rooms vs-e entered last night
THROUGH q window" declared DR..
0r&vaN 1t his home. S6 West sixty
ninth Street., TO-DAY. The place wa
yansAched and papers taken. Amons
eAom vsp~ tsso haf-shesss OF DECIDED
lsttsrA Fortunately. i had not len
ths Originals In my apartments, and
- my only loas iS time. 1t Will take
No TO days TO duplicate the work
4 copy OF the cipher code also was
taken, but that did MT matter.
Tho LISTERS In my possession have
besn delivered to the Department OF
Justice. w-h~n they are made public
AnR1Ts you, they w,n create sensa-
ton. They will show Illegal stock
transactions, 10th here and In Eu-
rope. cannot talk of the diplomatic
aspects now. / have given my WORD
20 tho Department OF Justice"
Secret Information Conveyed
DIR. Graves denied e1Dphattcally that
there Is any legal basis Cor charge OF
biacknaii. He declared positively thai
the letters contain nothing rejecting
In am way upon the Countess Won
BernstorfT wife OF the German am
bassa dor Those addressed TO her, h-
naid. were from a woman well known
in court circles in Berlin. They were
not in code, but, according to Mr
Graves, we're 40 worded as to convey
secret Information of political ma
ture 10 the am bassador.
DR.. Graves. 81 ones indignant and
cheerful paced reetlesaly back and
forth. the length of his little paEior
as he talked.
AT tmas he laughed Once In q
while he frowned. His manner, how
ever. was one Of prevailing good HUI
NOR.
"Yee," he said, those letters viii
make a terrific sensation when they
come out.
Rooms Entered bv Window.
Somebody mnS have been very
much interested ia what might nav
beei. In my rooms Last night twc
man. representing themselves TO be
/. police detectives appeared here. Mrs
MsGarrick. the housekee per. told them
/ was away. They flashed badge:
and insisted on searching my apart
that they show . search warrant, anc
they went away. Some time later the
eneJanoe was made BY NV window.
4 expected something of the sorT
md aSkrd for Federal protection. \
yp0nG man from the Department Of
SuB<4oo was waiting At my door as
rUeHsned f.oxn Washington 1T sac
seu1odk thte -. ming. showed him
w1oA hAd hesn done"
While DR.. Graves was speaking the
p~pa<tment OF Justice agent returned
- 90 i,at
ten In the case to be forwarded tc
washington. and a receipt was signed
n. + -
0rDes resumed are not love etter'
q - They arc only oleverly con
etxuceed and tnoonspicuous means O
tp1ugmanon. They are In a woman
hsndwrsttng. Tho writer is well
known to me.
snaeay Of DipsumAtac Nature.
Tho statement of Prince Won HAITI
fsDda that h had shown me 5000
= 1nlsA and n Tot borne out by tn,
Uvusnmsoe witnesses. The Count es
vun Dernstssff was At no time men
<aoned By The prince OF myself In tn,
tSunaACttcn. The letters don't contain
! anyt1Ang wh4ch could compromise ,
iA&y or lsnd themselves to tho black
yna21ng Of . woman. They are sim
MIR and soaely Of diplomatic interes
and parity compromising to tho Coun
Bsynseorn slone. fo- they dvuls'
0eocx gambling transactions on botl
sides Of the water. This h something
ne count may Do able 20 explain, bu
] cannot
There Is not the faintest justifica
ton Of charge OF hlackmail. Thes
letters came into my possession an
good many other things have come
1t was in a way which concerns NJ
one but myself. The charge Of tn
theft Of these letters Is utterly foolish
Whom would they say l stole then
from? Where is he?"
price Asked Merely Covers Expense
THE agents who conveyed these let
ters over here contrary to the posta
laws and regulations. incurred frs
and last an expense of SS,4So, TO
which they were not REIN ursed. TIL
price asked for those letters sim pi
covered this amount and the tim
involved.
prince Won Hatzfeldt carefull
read one OF the letters, found nothin
TO fear in that letter, and conclude
= that was bluffing. The letter show
10 Prince Won Hatzfeldt- contained n
ciphers. The other two, not seen b
the prince, did.
issued for me through the action o
the Countess Won Bernstorff. / neve
have mentioned the lady in Ques
ton In this connection. except to tel
Prince Won Hatzfeldt that some OF tn
letters were apparently addressed t
her. ! do not see the legality of
warrant demanded by the Countess
The warrant. in fact, was applied 10
by the Prince Won Hatzfeldt severa
y days ago, 1t was purely and simpl
4 business matter between myself an
the highest representatives Of Cor
,Cnntinu>d On Hooord rG4AA