The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-03-11
BERNSTORFF
GOT BIG FUND
The Propagandists Handled
$SS7,770 Meant for Ger
man War Sufferers
100000 TURNED
OVER TO DERNBURG
Only 100000 Is Known to
Have Gone for War Relief
Payments to Be Traced

Washington, March ll.-.-Funds collec
ed by the National German Americas a
lance for war sufferers in Germany wcr
sent to Count Won Bernstorff and ma
have been used by him in part. so far a
the officials OF that organization can sa,
for propaganda and other activities, cor
Quoted by the German government !
the United States. This was the out
standing feature in the hearing yester
day by subcommittee of the Senat
judiciary committee investigating tn
ramiflca,ions of the vast operations o
the alliance.
This, perhaps the most significant de
,clcpmcnt in the investigation, whicl
has been in progress for many weeks
came as a result of an explanation OF
the treasurer of the alliance, John Tjarks
Of Baltimore, and the suspicion aroused
by endorsement ON the cancelled checks
The revelation was wholly unexpected
and il came so late in the day that the
committee did not 60 as fully into the
documents presented as it will later.
Mr.. Tiarks testified as TO the finances
a the alliance, but the committee devot-
ed itself only to close scrutiny of the
collections made for the relief of soldiers
widows and orphans in Germany. The
accounts showed that the alliance had
collected $sS7,770 in this country up to
March, 1917, and all except SlSS.94 of
this amount had been turned over to
either the German or Austro- Hungarian
ambassadors here for transmission to
their respective countries for use in as
sisting the soldiers and orphans and for
German Red Cross purposes.
Tjarks testified that the organization
had no evidence that more than 100000
of the $4,000 sent to Count Bernstorff
had actually been received by the organ
izations in Germany. A half-dozen let
tiers from the respective organizations in
Germany, acknowledging the receipt of
amounts totaling 100000 were placed
in evidence. Mr.. Tiarks then produced
his cancelled checks to show how every
item had been expended. II was the pro-
duction of these checks, together with
their endorsements and the admission Of
the witness that the alliance lacked ac-
tual evidence that the entire fund had
reached Germany that stirred the com
mittee to the view that perhaps the
money given into the hands of Count |
Bernstorff had been used to conduct the |
which was responsible for |
destruction OF munition plants and of |
American property in the United States I
before war was declared by this country |
gainst Germany.
Checks totaling more than 100000 |
sent by the alliance to Ambassador Won |
Bernstorff were turned over to DIR. Ber-
nard Dernburg, the reputed German Red
Gross agent in the United States. The
Isttef was the recognized leader of the
German propa9andists in this country
until he became so pronounced in his
German views after the sinking of the
l.usitania, when this government caused
il to be intimated to the German am
that his presence in this coun-
Try was objectionable. Checks amount
ng to $4,000 received by Count Won
'ernstorff were forwarded to DIR, Dern-
purg These Cancelled checks show the in
lorsement first of payee, Count Won
'ernstorf and second of DIR. B. Dern-
,urg, and went through the bank of
<uhn, Loeb & Co. and the National Bank
# Commerce.
Other checks were signed by Count Won
'ernstorfi and deposited in different
ranks.
While the witness produced receipts
rom Count Won Bernstortf for all the
hecks sent him, he declared he had no
violence that the money had gone to ,
Germany for the purposes for which it
ras collected. 1t was brought out that
he alliance only had evidence that $780,
o. had reached Germany, and there was {
!" evidence that part of the S3l3,0o0 I
transmitted by Count Won Bernstorff to .
,r. Dernburg was included in the $780, +
90. =
In effect the only legal evidence of I
be receipt in Germany of the money is (
No letter from Germany acknowledging Y
he receipt of slightly more than $780, r
o. 5
This leaves unaccounted for more than il
100000, which might have gone to Ger.
ANY OF formed part of the enormous {
fund expended by the Ger a
ian agents here. e
WAS any of this money used by Dr. s
ernburg or anybody else for propagan- o
|, purposes" asked Senator Wolcott of b
&c witness. Is
# do not know he replied. o
III it was, was it misapplied?" he was l.
hcd. l.
1T certainly was: we collected for the q
ell Cross and other purposes, such as =
ar prisoners and German orphans re- u
led the witness. G.
This concluded the inquiry into this y
,asc of the activities of the alliance. u
he committee subpoenaed all tire docu I,
ents bearing upon the checks and viii
II experts to determine whether the y,
oney received by DIR. Dernburg reached =,
The bank officials. including ~
;ihn, Loeb & Co, will be asked to assist !
c committee in tracing the $4,000 -
dorscd by Count Won BernstoriT to the ~
edit OF DIR. DerRburg. Efforts will he -
ade To determine also whether the re- -
ainder OF the 100000 turned over to -
to