The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-05-08
CHARGES AGAINST
GEORGE ROEN|Tz
GROWING DARKER
Man Had Been Reinstated In
Government EmpIoyWhen
Il Caught BY Army
STATUS AFFECTS NATURE
or HIS ALLEGED oFFENSE
Huber Declares Evidence Against
|, the Accused German-Ameri- d,
can Is Overwhelming

Held in the territorial prison In de.
fault of twenty-five thousand dollars
bail, George Roenitz, formerly chief
clerk Of the Pearl Harbor naval sta.
ton awaits hearing on charges sccus-
sing him of espionage on behalf Of the
enemy.
The complaint now lies in the Office
of United States District Attorney 8.
G. Huber drawn up to cover number
of specifications. A new factor has
been injected into the Roenitz case
which may complicate it very seriously
for the accused man.
II was announced yesterday by Mr..
Huber that Roenitz at the time Of his
arrest was actually an employe of the
United States naval stanton, and not,
as the accused himself, believed, sus.
pended because of the war.
The acts of which Roenitz is accused,
when committed by an officer or EN-
ploye of the government carries ten
fold penalty. Under certain conditions
he would be subject to trial by naval
court martial, in which case conviction
may result in the penalty Of death.
The technicalities which may be in.
jected into the trial Of Roenitz by his
peculiar status have been anticipated
in advance by charging him under two
heads, on the basis of his act being
that an employe of the government,
and on the basis of an act by an out.
sider The defeat Of one charge on
technicalities will still leave the others
to be heard.
81 do not feel able at this time to
give out any Of the details Of the case
against RoenitZ," stated Mr.. Huber
yesterday afternoon. III believe after
looking over the evidence that IL will
sustain most Of the charges. The evi.
denee was gathered entirely by the
military" {,E ~.
Facts made public by, Mr.. Huber
yesterday put an entirely new complex
ip4 ION the case of the young German
etb9 for number Of years was, n con !,
tiuentihl civilian enplc5e of the naval
station. 100 n
Most important of these was the fact
that Roenitz upon being suspended by
Captain George r. Clark, commandment
of the naval station at the severance
of diplomatic relations with Germany
appealed to Washington, for reinstate.
ment and that he was SO reinstated
without his knowledge.
As reported in The Advertiser yes.
terday morning, he was suspended i'm.
mediately upon his arrival from the
Coast on a transport and that follow
ing that act, he went back 10 the
Coast on the Great Northern TO later
renppear here on the following trans.
port and continue with il to the Orient.
Within this period he filed protest
In washington over the action of Cap
tain Clark. While he was on his way
to the Orient his protest was fayorably
acted upon by the navy department,
and he was reinstated. Notice Of his
reinstatement was mailed to him but
never reached him. sE.F-.' o.
1t now appears, from Mr.. Huber 5
statement, that Roenitz worked his
way from San Francisco to the Orient
as waiter in the steward depart.
ment and did not make the first leg of
the trip as a passenger as previously
published. He told his fellow workers
on board the ship of his troubles and
said that he was on his way to the
Orient to lay in a stock of goods with
which he was to open store in Homo
lulu. .". -
He reached the Orient and appar.
emily laid in this stock for large
quantity of laces and other goods which
we're discharged from the ship upon
which he arrived and which were in his
name and are now in the hands of the
United States customs officials.
On completing his business In the
Orient, he again shipped on a govern.
ment vessel in the same capacity as
before, stating that he wished TO save
as much money as he could. He con.
tinued most of the way to Honolulu In
this capacity but shortly before arrival
he was placed under arrest and was
landed, not as a modest merchant, but
as a prisoner.
What information was gathered by
the military while this voyage was in
progress and whether or not the man
has been under official surveillance all
Of the time previously are things which
will have to come out in the trial If at
all. T." "-...'I - ..ar t.'.tr
The statutory penalty for taking
photos, plans or any similar records, IL
committed by an outsider is punishable
by fine and Imprisonment not more
than a year, but if the same act is
committed by an employee within the
defense works of the government
which are in question, the imprison,
ment is raised to ten years. .'s 3d..
Both cases are covered within the
same statute, and it is this statute un.
der which Roenitz is charged. w"