The sun., 1916-08-26
UNDERGROUND WAY
TO GERMANY SEEN
p;,rn Tells L. s. Officials Of
Tcutons Being Struggled
to F'nthcrland.
NY SCANDlNANIAN LINE
NThomp>on and Cffclman.
"MaiI Carriers" in TOmbs-
Large Plot Suspected.

Ir,c.tisation by the Custom House
.nu.hortics. the Post Office department
90 th, ncn,rtment OF Justice of the
,c,iyttic. VI Hans Edward Thompson
And rrrd tnc man OF both sides OF the
ular,i, led to the disclosure yesterday
cha, Tho ,wo men are not only officially
hel,,yet TO- have engaged in smuggling
cue,f, valued at $4,000 and handling
mail ON an underground route" for
u;yo schmidt. American representative
NJ Inc pcutschc Bank and other in1u-
,n,lal Germans here but also in getting
men across to the fatherland without
Interference from the British blockade.
Testimony given Thursday before Sur
,eyor o, thc Port Rush by Anton Born.
waiter in a waterfront cafe. gave
details Of the passenger trafhc and also
brought in the name OF an agent OF the
Ans,ro.IIungarian Embassy. This man
was spoken Of by the waiter as kubelka,
and the customs and Department Of
Justice Investigators recount more than
one ~ his exploits in the secret SER
vice line.
Ri,rn's story. as told to Rush. was
that he used to take packages. which he
believed contained letters. to the store
keeper Of a Scandiravian-American liner
.he name OF which was either the United
states or the Oscar II. Biorn said
the s,orekceper's name Is Bernsl. The
witness was paid s. for taking the
packages aboard the liner. he testified.
When he tukrned them over to the
sorekecpcr. he said. he didn't know what
arrangement had been made. but evil
IDENTIFY the plan had been worked out in
advance. for the steamship employee
was ready TO receive them without uues-
ton. The use of "A signal expedited
the work. said the waiter. Born had
only TO hold up the index finger OF his
right hand and look mysterious and the
Trick was done.
Two Prospective Passengers.
Another chapter of Biorn's testimony
vas devoted TO the rcdoubtable kubelka.
In April OF last year. said Biorn. Urel-
nan told him to meet him in the White
hal! Cafe, near the Battery. At the time
appointed u;felman was tuere with an
other man. When Biorn appea red there
was a little i~ncorseQuential talk. and
then Unelman announced TO the waiter
that there were two other men outside
who were going TO be shipped over to
Germany. Later the two men were
hrousht into the cafe.
When asked who talked to Unelman
sbout the two prospective passengers
oiorn said ~"Iiubelka.' but was unable TO
cNe the customs men his first name or
any description OF him. The name was
more ul less familiar TO the ustom men.
Al the ireetirr; in the Whitehall cafe
tTe'man arranged to have Biorn meet
KuheU<i 81; another cafe. in Flatbush
avenue. Brooklyn. iSubelka. the testi-
non! ran. agreed to this. but Biorn did
ut -. nAsln la ax-A, HAD .,,-, - .,
connect VITA the Austro-Hun9arian
fecrt again. Cffelman told Blorn in the
Whitehall rendezvous that he had some
'ns' foy him 10 take TO the Scandinavian
\merican liner. once more Biorn was
unable 10 recall the name OF the ship
The waiter also was 10 escort the two
unidentified Germans aboard the ship.
Next day. Bioin said. he went to Ho,
hoken with the letters and met the "tw,
German fellows He took his packag.
aboard and handed II over to the under
ground agent and discussed the deliver,
o. the two passengers. A dispute fol
lowed. and Biorn retreated without get
zinc his men aboard, but next day he wac
successful.
The waiter had nothing TO say abou
passports - this case. but IL was as
serted by one OF the agents of the De
ndrtrnent Of Justice yesterday tina docu
men,s did not figure. because the Ger
mans who used this secret route to tn,
'itherland just slowed themselves ava,
and 80 cluded the boarding officers o
the British navy.
Mail for the "System."
Worn also told Surveyor Rush abou
Thompson and Cffelman going aboar,
me H"llig Olav and talking with a bar
tender employed on that steamer. Tn
witness insisted that the bartender ha,
> box OF jewelry and that he. the wit
ness, had been instructed r. get thi
ashore. Born said he believed that tn
bartender also had mail to turn over L
the system"
Thompson, who lives in 81 West 1914
street., is a native or Iceland and a nat
urallzed American. He is so years ole
lie and the other prisoner. Ufelmar
VINO Is OF Swedish nationality II VIII
mas been landing agent for the Scandi
haHhn-American Line. were aSraigne
Yesterday afternoon before Commits
s'ner Houghton in the Federal Build
HS only the smuggling case was dis
'u,'ed a. this hearing.
A. the request ~ Mark Alter, coull {
4 TOY both defendants. the case was put o
nh'0 September y. Alter said that h
was not prepared to go on and that h
Houfht an associate counsel should b
l employed. The reason he gave for hay
! re another lawyer was that somethin
4 was likely to happen" within the neA
10" dals which would prevent the pris
"hcr' from having Identical interest.
anu ms was taken to mean thai one {
me couple IS going to become a wi,nes
i'r INC Government. Thompson. who
"'d IN 500" bail, and Unelmau. VIII
under $1,000 bonds, went to ii
Tonhs.
J"nn I. Walker, Assistant mite
e,''eS District Attorney, who has chars
INC case for the Government, cor
,er'Hf later in the day with Custom
mSlc'tor Murphy and Deputy Surveyor
h''1hic"Irz and Norwood and spcrii
"u'O's nun the Department of Justic
'"c' h" called in witnesses. includin
scans 'r men, but the outcome ~ tn
'N'sai.pu Was not made public. TT
H"rl"s '"!i 10y the witnesses were take
uo"h "\ = stenographer.
''"N"rUment's Aim.
WHAT III" Government is trying