The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-09-04
Army Officers Testify At Inquest
That informed German Cor
responded With Nurse
lFlLE CONTAINING NAMES
OF WRITER'S DISAPPEARS


Berg, hate operating nursc at Queens 81
Hospital month ago, were brought
out at the continuation Of the inquest,
yesterday afternoon. These points are:
That LIoutononI Portuich, an
interncd o1Iccr from the 0erman
gunbont Oeior received and sent
communications TO q nurse at
Quecn's Hospital who was en-
cointo, regarding F1ch condition.
That . number Of letters were
sent from tho German intern camp
1t SchodcId Barfqcl<s addressed
70 Miss Florence Berg.
That the record Of such CORE
spondonce Is unaccountably miss
ing from the military files.
Following the examination Of sew.
eral witnesses, the inquest was again
continued until next Thursday after
noon at two O'Clock.
Former Censor Is Heard '
First Of the witnesses to be called
yesterday was Capt. g. B. Glover, Thir,
ty-seeond Infantry, who acted as cen
sor Of correspondence at the German
Intern camp.
Witness testified that to his certain
knowledge Lieutenant Portwieh, an Of
| fcer at The intern camp, had received
| d letter from nurse AZ Queen = Hos
pital and that he, Portwich, had re-
! piled to IL.
Questioned as to the substance and
purport Of the letters, witness stated
that the woman had written that she
was terrified az the thought Of her con
dition. She didn't blame the officer
for her condition more than she blamed
herself She said in the letter that
she feared that she would be unable
to continue her work at Queen 5 Hos.
pital, much longer. She added that
she particularly worried at night and
that she only wished that she could
talk with her correspondent instead Of
writing, as she missed him 80 much
Appeared To Take 0ffense
Witness testified that Lieutenant
Portwich had replied TO the woman 4
letter and had referred to something
| in the letter at which he had evident
~ taken offense He wrote that as
she seemed to be displeased at some
thing he had done and evidently want
ed to be freed from some compact, he
was prepared to release her from the
! compact in question.
j Lieutenant Portwich, said the wit
ness, was an officer Of the German gun,
boat Geier. Witness referred to let
ter written by Portwich TO a man
friend in town, in which he stated he
had had a hard time in getting out
\ Of an affair with woman but had
finally adjusted matters and expected
to hear no more Of the incident. These
letters were written last April.
Records Strangely Missing
Captain Glover testified that when
the matter Of Miss Befg's death FIRST
attracted newspaper comment, he look
ed up records Of correspondence sent
out from the prison. camp, thinking that
he might be able to supply some infor'
nation in connection with the military
Investigation of the case which was I'm
4 der way. A record was kept of letters
mailed and received, giving the names
of the writers. The part Of the record
which related to Lieutenant Portwich,.
correspondence, was missing. The rec
ords of correspondence were kept day
by day, and were put in an envelope
and, later, fled away.
Name Is Not Recalled
Capt, Ernst Sedlacek, Ninth Field
4 Artillery, testified that he was officia
censor of the intern camp at Scho6elS
Barracks, until May Is. He tool
charge of the censorship Of the cam
when Captain Glover was transferred
+ 10 other duty. He had searched for tn,
missing correspondence records, bu'
had been unable TO find them. Thu
records, he said, were kept in tent
and we're accessible to members of fhl
guard. Also they might easily hav,
been blown away. Lieutenant Port
witch, he remembered eorrespondes
4 with several ladies, but he did not re
member Miss Berg's name appearing
lin any Of the correspondence.
Lieut. A. ). Schleissef, who also acte,
as censor Of mail at the intern camp
for a period, testified that Lieutenan
Portwich received mail from severa
ladies in Honolulu. He could not recall
Miss Berg's name appearing in any o
the correspondence,
Many Letters TO Miss Berg
:. Sgt. Clifford Bingham, Headquartef
! Company, Thirty-second Infantry, test
fed that he was chief clerk at the in
tern camp from February to May II
Il He recailed great many envelope
leaving the intern camp, addressed \
Miss Florence Berg There were .
many of them that the fact impresse
itself on his memory, He had superin
tendence Of correspondence at the pris
on camp. The letters addressed ;
; Miss Berg came from the officers sec
ltion OF the camp.
1 Sgt John J. Higgins, Fourth Caviar,
! testified that he had charge Of the col
} respondence records Of the intern cam
! prior 20 turning them over 10 Capital
Sedlaeek lie reralled the name Q
4 Miss Berg sppearing on envelopes q
/. ing out Of the camp, and remembere
4 that at least two letters were so az
y dressed. Wien he turned the record
d over TO Captain Sedlacek, they wei
complete.
) Shortly before four o'clock the Il
0 vcstigation adjourned till next Thur
day afternoon at two o'clock.