The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-09

New York, May 9-Leut- Robert Fay, of the Imperial German army; walter scholz his brother-in-law and a German reservist. and Paul Daeche, a German reservist. were found, guilty in the United States court last night Of conspiring to cripple or destroy allied merchant ships and of con spiring to injure marine insurance un- sderwriters.
 The maximum penalty which can be imposed upon them under the Federal statutes is 2 years in the each Clenaency was recomm ended IF rhs DsssRsi Rsraietl Wss pronounced by Assistant Federal Attorney John c. Knox, who presented the Govern ment's case, a decisive victory for justice; a warning to all sympathizers of bell5gerent nations and to all sub jects of such in the United States that violation of this countfys criminal laws in the interest of a foreign na- ton would not be tolerated
 Trial of Three is to Follow
 Federal officials emphasized its inn portanas last ight because of the Daeche is the beginning of a. series of similar trials The Government will hnow Dut on trial at the earliest mo : ment the three men under dictnaent as co-conspfrators with the three usts convicted. They are
 Max Breitung nephew of Edward N Breitung. the banker. charged with buying explosives for Fay
 pr. Herbert Kienzle, German American, charged with procuring ex- p1osives for Fay
 Engelbert Bronkhorst, a gGerrnan charged with procuring dynamite foa. Fay
 At l0:l4 last night Judge Howe en-3 tered the court room on the third floor of the Federal building, where for two weeks the trial has been in progress.
 At 1O:15 Clerk william Leary ask. ed the formal question of Foreman Howard M Patterson Gent1emen of the jury, have you reached ver-
 -sWe have replied Patterson. We hnd the three defendants guilty as charged in Sthe two indictments, and we make a strong plea Of c1emency for Paul Daeche.',
 Daeche Is Visfb1y Affected.
 Fay listened to the verdict without the quiyer Of muscle, the slightest change of expression. Scholz straight ened up with a sudden movement as though he had been shot. Paul Daeche, confident up to that move, ment of acquIttaIs flushed red overt face and neck. His lips quivered, and with obvious effort he regained control of himself. Tears gathered in his eyes. He is less than 25.
 The rest of the proceedings in court were brief Judge Howe announced that he would pronounce sentence to- day at 10:30 a. m. Daeche, already under $25,o00 bond, was permitted to go home Fay and scholz were re- turned to the Tombs where they have been in default of bail of the same amount
 It developed that Fay was found guilty s.as charged'' on the first bal- lot; Scholz was found guilty after two ballots had been taken. and when the jury went out to supper, at 6:2O,5 the eighth ballot. taken at 9:28. Fay ! was found guilty as charged. with recommendation for clemency. In all the jury was out two minutes less than five hours.
 Judge Howe began his charge at 3 :s0. finished at 4s32, when the jury took up it's de1iberat1ons. One Ger man American and one Russian Jew were the only hyphenates .on the Jury.
 .sThis is not the end.'' declared Fay after the verdict "Our fight has only just begun My lawyers will uR= doubtedly appeaI.s,
 W04le counsel TOT. the o0I6nS0 would make no positive stateme mt, they intfnated that motions for an ap- peal might be made this morning.
 MT. Knox took but one hour and five minutes of the two hours allowed him for summfng up the govern ment,s case in what the secret service has characterized the greatest plot uncovered in this country since the beginning of the war" Speaking slow 1y and deliberately, but with deep earnestness, MT. Knox began his ad- dress by saying;
 stGent1emen of this jury, appeal to you to establish it as a fact that 1o represents, can come into our coun- try and violate our laws in the in terests of any nation without feeling the lash of the law therefor"
 Fay Called it "A Good Joke,
 Dealing with Fay's testimony, MT Knox exclaimed, .sFay has said he thought it would be "a good joke to yention to the rudders of merchant ships. A good joke. God save the mark A joke in terms of mangled bodies. of misery, of death and woe.
 The only way Fay ever got out of E the German army was to do what he could with his inventive genius to stop the expartation of munitions from this country to the allies.
 Now gentlemen you and I may have our own opinions upon the ques- ton of exporting munitions. Our in- dividua1 opinions have nothing to do with the law The law is straight and plain. It makes it entirely legal to export nunitions to pelligerent na- ttons~ That our exports in fact, go to the allies and not Germany. is Ger many's weakness, her misfortune, not o4ir fault, and not our prejudice. It rests with you gentlemen to uph old the law as it is not as it might be.
 You have heard Fay tell you that von Papen and Boy-Ed said to him political conditions were not ripe for the use of his invention to blow up allied ships with his marine bomb