The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-07-09
Bills Against Former Ger
man COnsuls and Wealthy
California Men
HAS BEARING ON
EASEMENT AFFAIR
Hindu Laborers Paid Large Sums of
Money to Take Part in a Scheme for
Promoting Revolution Against Brit
ish Government in India.

san FRANCISCO. July 9-Indictments
charging conspiracy to promote revolu-
ton against British rule in India were
returned here Sunday against IS men To-
Gated in various sections of America and
from abroad, and ranging from million
aires and diplomats to Hindu laborers,
with San Francisco as the base OF opera
tions in this country The true bills were
presented to Federal Judge W. w Nor
row by the federal grand jury after
many weeks investigation
Former German consns in Chicago,
Honolulu, Shanghai, Manila and San Fran
CISCO together with members of their
stats and former attaches of the German
embassy at Washington are among those
indicted In addition many prominent San
Francisco business men and scores of
tEindus are included Their names will
not be made public until arrests are made
Telegiaphlc warrants prepared by
United States ATTORNEY John w Preston
were sent broadcast to federal agents, and
It was expected that many arrests in vari
pus parts Of the country would be made
The government charges that the con
conspiracy dated from the outbreak of the
war IN l9li was organized IN Berlin and
tiuapced with German gold
Papers seized in the Offices nf Wolf Won
lgol, secretary Of Capt Franz Won Papen,
gave the government proof of German
plots to ioment uprisings in India and
Ireland it was learned at New York last
night The information thus obtained. 1t
was said, also had an important bearing
upon the arrest of Sir Roger Easement
Federal officials at New York were reti-
cent regarding the character of the in
formation involving Sir Roger Easement
which was obtained through the seized
papers Nothing could be learned OF this
| phase Of the conspiracy except that the
evidence was important.
The Won lge papers brought about the
arrest and indictment Of DR. Ernest Sc
| kurna. a Prussian chemist, and two Hindu
students at Columbia university, thandra
| hakldhelty and il J. ,Iupta. on charge
| of setting ON foot IN this country Il mill
1 tary enterprise against a friendly nation.
Confronted with letter seized in his
house in New York city bearing the ad
dress OF the foreign office IN Berlin, Chalk
Idberty stated he had attended confer
cncc with high German officials in tn,
4 NiihcImstrassc Both tIndus admitted
/ they had received large payments of mon
| cy from German agents. Sckunna and thu
! lindus are under heavy bail awaltin,
trial. The Indictment charged the three
men with dIspatching a Chinaman to Chin;
to buy war munit IONS which were to b.
sent secretly to Hindu revolutlonists il
India
on lgcFs papers revealed alsn, it wa
said, that while Capt Won Papen wac il
Jauau in 1918 Lp IA i'll ROO SIMS of mon
cy to Gupta to foment trouble in India
and that Chakraherty had been supple,
with funds during his visit to Berlin Aft
CT the arrests IN New York city, tn
seized papers were sent to san FTancisc
federal authorities for use in prosecutin
the majority of the plotters who wer
SAID TO have had their headquarters o
, the Pacific coast