The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-03
LIEUTENANT BERGE
 INCLINED TO CLASH
 WITH AUTHORITIES
Release of Passengers Fol lows Most Novel Diplo- matic Negotiations His tory Records

1 Two hundred and forty-five persons held prisoners by German prize crew on the former British passenger liner Appam
 were informed tonight that they were at
 liberty to land American soil. More | than 200 others aboard, including the Ger
 liner and certain passengers alleged to i belong to the armed forces of Great Britain, will be held on board until the 1 United States government definitely de-
 termines their status and that of the ship 1 itself.
 | This arrangement was reached on or ders from Washington at conference | between representatives of the German
 and English governments on the Old Point
 wharf with the American collector, Nor
 man R. Hamilton, acting as intermediary
 The captured liner, which has swung at anchor in Hampton Roads off Fortress i Monroe since she put into the Virginia. Capes Tuesday morning, will move up to Newport News early tomorrow to disem- bark her passengers With the others will land G. D. Tagliaferr naturalized
 American of Nevada, the only citizen of l the United States aboard. Tagliaferr l who although carrying citizenship papers, i had not made his identity known, was discovered today by the immigration of- 1 ficers
 l Lieutenant Berge, the German reservist commanding the prize crew, still asserts
 and maintains full authority on board ] ha line f,,1t ho iS off rr1o
 from the United States government 1 through Collector Hamilton. He has, l agreed to move the ship to Newport
 News and hold her there pending fur | ther developments.
 l CLASH WITH BERGE l After the conference on the wharf 1 the British naval attache told Col lector Hamilton that those aboard who | were free to depart had some uncer- | tainty about their right to go. He pre- vailed upon MT. Hamilton to return I to the ship and make the same state ment he had made at the conference. l The passengers were assembled in
 the dining saloon and Sir Edward Meri- l latter then explained that all those | Herman prize crew, the crew of the Ap- pam and 12 passengers whom the Ger
 mans contend have British military | connections.
 A passenger who spoke as the rep resentative of these 12 men asked Col lector Hamilton whether they would ! have the protection of the United States government while the ship was with in American territorial waters. l Lieutenant Berge objected to the pas senger using the term American pro- tection," reminding him that he was aboard a ship flying the German flag,
 which was equivalent to being on Ger | man soil.
 I The collector interceded for the pas
 senger.
 You have sought asylum in a port of the United States" said MT. Hamil-
 ton, addressing Lieutenant Berge. While you are in these waters you 1 will be afforded protection and all the others will be given similar protec- l tion."
 The passengers expressed their ap- | proval of the collectors stand by loud applause.
 'very welI,' returned Lieutenant
 Berge.
 MT. Hamilton explained that his in- structions had been to release every body aboard except members of the prize crew, but since Lieutenant Berge had raised the point that the members of the Appams crew should be detained because they had resisted capture and also the 12 alleged military members ] they would be kept aboard until the I state department had passed on this question
 I ENGLISHMEN ASHORE Immediately after tonights conference cn the wharf selected group of Eng ,ishmen, including Sir Edward Merl- wether, Frederick Seton James, Frances Charles Fuller, Dr. F. E. Rice and the ma sters of the six British vessels cap tured by the raider which took the Ap- pam. and the Appams purser were brought ashore to aid in perfecting ar engagements for the landing of the others on board. Mir. James remained at Old 4 Point hotel, but the rest of the party
 returned to spend one more night aboard the Appam
 Reports agree that all the passengers were accorded the best treatment possi- ble by the prize crew under the circum- stances. Food and water were short dur ing the last few days of the long voyage across the Atlantic from the African coast but the passengers say they had
 the same fare as their captors and had
 no complaint to make.
 I Versions of the identity of the Ger man raider which captured the Appam and the other craft still differ. Prince Won Hatzfedt of the German embassy
 at Washington asserts that she is the German cruiser Moewe, built in 1913 or
 tContinued on page Twe)