The sun., 1918-05-02
SEEK GERMAN
IN MEANS CASE
Charged Now That Kaiser
Agent Killed Mrs. King
by Mistake.
SPY PLOT DISCLOSED
Say Slayer Sought to Prevent
Defendant From Aiding
L. s. Government.
PLOT DISCLOSED
Special Despatch to THE SuS.

CONCORD. y. -. May I.---Otto Schu.
mann. an interned enemy alien. is being
sought on a warrant issued to-day as
the slayer OF Mrs. Maude A. Robinson
King, wealthy New York widow. who
was mysteriously shot and killed here
last August. and OF whose murder Gas
ton Bullock Means. Mrs. Kings financial
agent and one time commercial repre-
sentative Of the Kaiser's Government.
was acquitted III December after one
Of the most spectacular trials in the
criminal history OF North Carolina.
The charge that an agent of the Ger
man Government killed Mrs. King while
seeking to take Means's life was made
by NJ. ~. Caldwell. Prosecuting Attor-
ney OF Concord, who was one of Means's
lawyers at the trial. According to an
affidavit submitted by Mr.. Caldwell,
Schumann. whose present whereabouts
are not known to the local authorities.
followed Means here from New York
and trailed him in and near Concord.
On the night Of the killing, Caldwell
said. Schumann followed Mrs. King and
Means, who were in an automobile, to
Blackwelder Spring. where the murder
was committed. Schumann. Caldwell al
!eges. rode a motorcycle and is declared
70 have been seen leaving the vicinity
of the spring Immediately after two un-
named witnesses heard a shot.
Means Resented Charge.
, At his trial Means made much o. his
alleged connections with the German
Government. but the insinuation OF the
prosecution that he had been involved
in activities directed against American
neutrality was bitterly denounced. and
the accused man testified that he was
dismissed from the German service be-
, cause he had insisted upon his right
to report 10 the American authorities
any information that might come into
his possession showing violations or
! American neutrality by German or
other spies
| Now the allegation is made that it
was Means and not his wealthy bene-
| factor who was marked for death TO
prevent him from giving to the Ameri-
| can authorities information regarding
, the methods Germany had employed to
set copper and rubber from the United
! States before this country entered the
! war.
J While Means sought TO prove that he
/ was the victim OF a giant conspiracy to
ruin him because he had prevented
others from robb!ng Mrs. King OF the
fortune she obtained from the estate OF
( her aged husband. James c. King.
! millionaire lumberman OF Chicago. the
| prosecutions case against him was bu!lt
argsly upon the dissipation OF that es-
tate after It came under the manage
ment OF Means.
Employed ~ Detective.
! Means met MIS-. King when. as de-
, tective In the employ OF William j.
Burns, ne was assigned to aid her reia-
| tives in getting the wealthy widow out
! of the clutches Of a band OF blackmailers
| who had been Systematically extracting
large sums Of money from her. Huge
sums were lost in cotton speculation
under a partnership Means testified was
| formed by himself. his father-in-law,
William r. Patterson. and Mrs. King.
It was Mrs. Kings money that was lost
+, in these transactions.
Mrs. King lived here a a luxuriously
furnished apartment at llo3 Park ave-
nue.. Just after he undertook manage
ment OF her affairs Means moved from a
cheap apart in Harlem to one in the
same building as Mrs. King and ntted
Il up almost as luxuriously as hers Mrs,
Maize Melvin. Mrs, Kings sister, also
had an apartment in the same building,
and although her aged mother. OF whom
those in the Means group spoke as old
Seyenty-six" because Of her age. testi-
Ned against him. Mrs Melvin stood by
Means and sat In the Means family
group in the courtroom all the time he
was on trial. She stayed at Means's
fathers home from the day her sister
was slain until after the trial.
John T. Dooling, Assistant District Al
torney Of this city. was the most &C.
tive figure IN the prosecution OF Means
and many Des threats were made that
he would be Fun out Of Concord. 1t was
Mr.. Dooling who made the raid on
Means's Park avenue apartment here
t,,st after Mrs. King was killed and
seized the great mass OF papers showing
the involved condition Of Mrs. Kings
estate. upon which the prosecution OF
Means was principally based
Those papers showed also that Means
when working for Burns had been con-
nected with Investigations for the Ger
man Government at time when the
German Government was seeking to OBJ
tain information about British AND
other allied transactions here At hii
trial Means testified that he gave mucf
information TO the Federal authorities
and that he had informed II. Snowder
Marshall, then United States District
Attorney here, that the Parliament
RuiIding In Canada was to be DESTROYED
ia also said he had given Information
49,. u,,ro. of German activities, which