New-York tribune., 1918-05-15
Witness Unable to Locate
Warehouse Where They
Were Stored
Report Credited
BY State Official
Inquiry Into Luessing's Al.
legged Offer of Million
Guns Continues

German War Office had cached some
where in this country one million
sifies, one million bayonets, one billion
cartridges and thousands of machine
guns vas begun yesterday by Attor
ney Genera! Merton +. Lewis in the
Offices of the Attorney General here.
This amazing story, which has been
the subject of investigation by Secret
Service agents of the Russian, British
and American governments for nearly
three years, is now being looked into
in open session At the request of Ma
Jor Nicholas Biddlc, head of the
United States Army Intelligence Bu-
rcau.
The central figure in the hearing
yesterday was Gustav Luessing,
naturali&ed American of German ori-
gin, who, on the strength of his story
shat he was the agent for the owners
of the rifles, has held parlcys with
foreign diplomats, financial magnates
and other important personages-par-
leys that seldom fall to the lot of
small farmer who ekes OFT the scanty
living he gets from the soil by side
line of insurance
Luessing, with a typical German cast
of countenance, his ruddy complexion
heightened by a close cropped, gray
Ish blond mustache and thin iron
cray hair, listened with seeming un-
concern as witness after witness tes-
tilted that Luessing had said that he
could produce the million rifles and
all that went with them if the cash to
complete the sale were produced The
cash was never produced.
Prosecutor Credits Report
Assistant Attorney General Becker,
who conducted the examination. with
the aid of a lawyer for the United
states government who requested his
name not be used. said al the close of
yesterdays session that there were ex-
cellent reasons for believing that the
arms were in existence.
We purpose to subpoena every one
who is credited with knowing about
these rifles, guns and ammunition, and
examine tnem under OATH" said Mr..
Becker
Ore of those who will be subpenaed.
VII. Becker announced last night, would
be Mrs. Hugo Reisinger. The day after
the United States entered the war Sc
cret Service agents visited Mrs. Refs
myers home. in Fifth Avenue, opposite
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in
search OF a powerful wireless plant
which was reported in operation there
when Count Won Bernstorff, Captains
boy-Ed ard van Papen, Geheimrat AL
bert and other German spy masters
frequented the house. Mrs Reisinger
IS the daughter of the late Adolphus
Busch, the millionaire st. Louis brewer.
Two of her sisters are the wives of
Prusslan army officers, and her son.
Kurt. was treasurer of "The Father
land" before George Sylvester Viereck
changed lts name to "Niereck's
Weekly
About two months ago Mrs. Reisin-
ger was interrogated by agents of the
Department of Justice as to her asso
cations with Count Robert de Clair
mont, Nine. Nix and others of an al
legged spy ring rounded up by Federal
agents.
What Mrs. Reisinger may be able to
tel! Mr.. Becker refused to reveal.
Says He Saw Rifles
IL One witness. who was in the en-
ploy OF the Russian government for a
time, testified yesterday that he had
seen and examined three cases of the
rifles which Luessing is said to have
offered for sale. This witness, Francis
l.: Judd, mechanical and mining en-
gineer, of 224 West Fifty-second
Street. said he saw these rifles in an
East Side storehouse. They were all
Mauser rifles, as Luessing is reported
to have said
Colonel Kolontieff. of the Russian
government. asked me to complete the
sale on behalf of his government. said
Mr.. Judd. 81 went to AZ or SO Broad
way and there met an American Jew.
nave forgotten his name. He told
me Philadelphia banking house had
loaned money on the rifles and that
money must be produced before the
rifles would be delivered Together we
went to an East Side warehouse. On
the ground floor there was very old
eating gun, couple Of Colt machine
guns and a one-pounder. The rifles
We're on the second floor. They were
new. / was told that the cases piled
round the floor and elsewhere in the
building contained $4,000 rifles"
Fails to Locate Warehouse
Mr.. Judd said he made a report in
writing to Colonel Kolontieff, and had
kept carbon copy. which he could
mot flnd. In company with an agent OF
the Army Intelligence he left the stand
to find the warehouse. A three hours
search proved fruitless
Edgar A. Holmes. a builder. of AZ
west Seventytirst Street, testified thai
ne mad written to Dr. Thomas Darling
ton, former Health Commissioner. tha,
ne would sell to him and his associates
100000 rifles at $78 each, DR.. Darling
..on .on was then associated with Ivar
Narodny IN company which sought t<
get munition contracts from the Rus
sian government. Mr.. Holmes said tina,
ne made the offer on the strength q,
representations made by William II
FORD, Luessing's attorney. He said tha,
another, James H. Corssley. told hin
ne saw 2So,O0o of the rides and tha,
'ney were marked "Krupp Essen"
Luessing, who told him he kn"u, ~.
owners of the rifles, but was bomnd no,
TO reveal them. ''~
II firmly believe" said Mr.. Holmes
that the rifles were shipped to thi.
country to be used in the event Of Ger
many's success in Europe for the pur
pose Of Germanizing the United States
Mr. Ford, Luessing's attorney. wa,
one OF the early witnesses called. Lues.
sing released him from all obligations
Luessing, he said, told him he hsl the
100000 rifles and 1000, ,000, 900 cart
dirges. or, rather. was empowered Ia
act by the owners Of the munitions "a
self Luessing never revealed the
pwrprs' names hp said as hn ca;A 4 :