The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-03
INDICTS RUMELY
ON TWO COUNTS
In MAIL CASE
Grand Jury Presents Kauf-
mann Also in Conspiracy
and Perjury Bills.
BOTH DENY TEUTON faint
Lawyer Says He Saved Sielcken
100000 and Doctor Talks
of "Lynching Campaign"

Or Edward A. Rumely, formerly pub
Usher OF the Evening Mail, and s. Wal
ter Kaufman OF Hays, Kaufman
Lindheim. special counsel of the Ger
man Government before the United
States became a belligerent, were in
dicted by a Federal Grand Jury yester-
day. The charges are an outcome Of
the purchase OF the Evening Mdh by
Rumely in May. 1915.
Two indictments were handed UP
against each defendant They are ac-
cused OF having conspired to conceal the
ownership of the Evening Mail which
the Government alleges is the property
OF the German Government and of COM
hitting perjury In carrying out the con-
spiracy. The perjury charge Is based
on reports to A. Mitchell Palmer, Alien
Property Custodian. in which the al
legged interest OF the German Govern
ment In the newspaper was concealed. =.
Following the announcement Of the,
indictments statements were issued by
both DR.. Rumely and Mr.. Kaufman.
These statements form the first answer
that has been made by any OF those
against whom charges have been made
by Alfred l.. Becker, Deputy State At
torney-General, as a result of his In
vestisation of the Evening MGil phase
OF pro-German propaganda.
DR.. Rumely declared that he has been
not only a loyal American, but that he
even further has urged the vigorous
prosecution of the war against Germany.
DIR. Rumely's statement was largely an
attack on Mr.. Becker. who. he says,
conducted lynching campaign through
the newspapers to further his own ambi-
ton as a candidate for the Republican
nomination for Attorney General.
Rumeiy Tells of His Arrest.
After narrating the facts connected
with the beginning Of the Governments
investigation of the Evening Mail, DR..
Rumely said:
I'm the late afternoon of July I was
called to Mr.. Beckers office to explain
a statement was kept waiting until
o'clock In the evening, when I was ar
rested. was hurried off to Jail and was
told II was too late to get bail until the
next day.
LAS I left Mr.. Becker's office the
newspaper reporters were already as
sembled. The written charges with
Photographic copies of various docu-
ments and other material for an elabo-
rate press campaign had air been pre-
pared and were then released by him
to the newspapers and my guilt was set
forth as an established fact
Every day during the following two
weeks Mr.. Becker conducted a lNAch-
ing campaign in the newspapers Such
a. this country has probably never be-
fore witnessed. BY suggestion and in
nuendo every kind Of baseless charge
nv
nected with almost every kind Of dis
loyal activity without the least founda-
ton in fact. Stories connecting me with
'slush funds ranging from Ave to 1--WE
hundred millions Of dollars were circu-
lated, the amounts varying with each
edition of Mr.. Becker's press statements
TT is an outrage for a public official
whose duty charges him with the or
derby administration Of justice to abuse
his power by conducting a systematic
campaign to convict a man before the
bar of public opinion in advance of his
trial. Mr.. Becker did this, then an
nounced his candidacy for the office Of
Attorney-General. and the newspapers
have featured these activities of his in
connection with his campaign for votes
in the primaries
insists "Mnil" Was Patriotic.
was owned by the Imperial German
Government Is absurd. II was mine
absolutely mine-and was subject to my
sole editorial control. No man who will
investigate the editorial and news pages
of that paper can challenge the patriot
ism which 1t reflected and the agrees
sive support which it gave since our en-
try into the war to our national war
policies
ton to our country's prosecution OF the
war and to attempt to clothe with sin
lister significance in a newspaper cam
paign certain OF my sympathies when
this country was neutral is unjust and
contrary to our American spirit of fair
play
Mr. Kaufman In his statement ex-
planned for the defendants the trans
action through which control of the
Evening Mail passed to DR.. Rumely.
Kaufmann's firm held the stock pur-
chased from II. l.. Stoddard and the
former owners Of the Evening Mail by
Rumely. The firm also held notes ag-
gregating $1,3oo,7O0 which Rumely gave
for the money with which he bought and
maintained the newspaper. The notes
were made payable to Herman Sielcken,
a naturallzed citizen. who had returned
10 Germany to die within a few months.
The stock was held In theory for Siel-
cken. The Government charges that II
was held in reality for the German nj
Government, which had advanced
Rumely the funds covered by his notes.
Mr.. Kaufman said that his firm first
became connected with the Evening Mail
transfer after the negotiations for the
sale had been completed with Crayath
d Henderson as attorneys for DR..
Rumely. He says ne was told that
Rumely had obtained the purchase
money from Herman Sielcken
DIR. Albert Supplies Some Funds,
Lawyer Kaufman admits that the
money lent through his firm to Rumely
after he had purchased the newspaper
to meet its periodical deficits came from
Or. Heinrich Albert. commercial attache
OF tho German Embassy. He asserts.
however, that he believed this money
had been sent by Sielcken from Ger
many.
lie asserts that he visited Sielcken.
who died October S. 1917, in the sum
Iner of 1915 in Baden Baden and that
Sielcken confirmed statements that II
was he who was advancing money for
the Evening Mail. This statement chal-
lenges the Governments case in an es
sential feature. 1t Is alleged by Mr..
Becker that Slelckens name was used
throughout these transactions withouts
his knowled'se TO cover ownership by
the German Government SieIcken.
though technically an alien under the
trading with the enemy act, was n nat
uralized American citizen.
Mr., Kaufman CNDla aims tho oivi,,