The sun., 1918-12-14


Germanism. eNeither Senator Nelson
nor his colleague were willing to LET
anything stand between the COMMITTEES
and the publication Of every line OF
argument which Capt. Lester was
anxious to present.
Mr.. Hearst's employment Of Edward
Lyell Fox at the same time that writer
was employed by the German Govern
ment was discussed by Capt. Lester at
the earlier hearing Of the committee
to-day.
I'VE obtained confession from Fox,
not eliciting all the facts, but adding
materially to our store OF information, -
said Capt. Lester.
Fox's articles written for the New
York american and other newspapers
during 1915 and 1916, Capt. Lester
said, were the extreme limit OF propa-
gandist Journalism. They were writ
ten without regard for facts, at the d.
rection Of the German Government
own publications bureau.
FOX. Capt. Lester testified, was sent
to Germany in 1915 by the German
Embassy, ostensibly as a correspond
ent Of the wildman Newspaper and
ployed by the Correspondents Film
Company, which the witness said was
financed by the German Government.
The managers Of the Wildman syndi-
cate did not know OF Fox's connections
with the German Embassy, 50 far as
Capt. Lester knew.
He said Fox was attached to the
Hearst newspaper headquarters in
Germany, and in proof presented a let
ter from Bradford Merrill, publisher OF
the New York American. written June
20. 1915, to L. Norgrove Cox. who was
in charge of the transmission service
Of the Hearst. or International News
Service. on the Continent. located at
| The Hague. This letter introduced
Fox and asked that his dispatches
from Germany be forwarded promptly.
| Capt. Lester explained that opera
tons in Europe OF the Hearst service
to which he referred were stopped by
the British Government in October,
1916. He added that he thought the
day service OF this organization had
never been resumed.
Capt. Lester said that Marshall
Kelly, an employee Of William Ran
dolph Hearst in 1915, went to Balti-
more as representative OF DIR. Albert
and DR.. Bernard Dernburg for the pur-
pose Of negotiating the purchase of the
Baltimore Sum The mission was I'M
successful, the witness said. and later
Kelly became identified with the Chi
go Herald Examiner.
| In 1918. Capt. Lester said, Kelly was
! sent to Milwaukee to take charge OF
the Evening Wisconsin, recently pur-
chased by Arthur Brisbane.
Fox's articles appearing in the
| American April IS. 1s, % and 20. 1915.
| were offered In evidence by Capt. Les
| ter. The first charged the Cossack in
| vaders OF the Carpathian territory of
East Hungary with amputating the
hands and feet OF children and as
serted that eighteen little boys were
found helpless and freezing to death
by the Austrian relief.
Fox produced his original lead pencil
notes. Captain Lester said. but con-
| fessed he never beheld any OF these
| atrocities and that in his opinion they
never occurred. Fox said he was or
dered to write an article to counteract
the effect in the American public mind
OF the disclosures OF German atrocities
in Belgium and Northern Franco
that was all.
The freedom OF the German Empire
was accorded Fox. Capt Lester testiS
fed, and he was in close touch with
DR.. Won Bethmann- Hollweg and DR..
Zimmerman and claimed to know
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg we'll
He had many privileges denied other
correspondents.
Capt. Lester said Fox wrote many
articles from purest imagination, never
having visited the places which he
described wildly, but writing always
with q view to making heroes OF the
Germans and criminals of their enc
mics. The superior character OF the
personnel OF the German officers and
men, the kindly generous disposition
or the German people and the chivalry
OF the Germans were among the lines
of argument which Fox used In pro-
ducing his distorted news for Amer
lean consumption.
''Patria," the motion picture serial
prod iced by the International Film
Service Corporation. in which Mrs.
Vernon Castle was starred, - part
OF the exploitation of the Japanese
menace 10 America induced by the
German propagandists and developed
under the general plan which Fox
suggested.
This Aim" said Capt. Lester. was
seen by President Wilson. and at his
request ii was changed. 1t was pro-
duced at a cost OF $4,000 and ran
several weeks quite extensively in the
better motion picture houses of the
country.
Japanese names were changed TO
Mexican names. said Capt. Lester and
"MeXicans were made tho villains. al
though these Mexicans still wore Japa-
nese uniforms"
The play was suppressed in Canada,
he added. where It was considered a
piece Of pro-German propaganda.
To-day's Investigations concluded
with the exhibition OF the Golden
Book" volume of large dimensions
elegantly bound in maroon morocco.
with an exquisite color picture of the
Empress Augusta Victoria on the
cover Its otherwise blank pages were
to have been filled with autographs of
prominent Germans and German
Americans who had contributed to a
fund for the succoring of the families
OF the U-ooat sailors destroyed by the
Entente's defenders OF commerce.