New-York tribune., 1918-09-20
Cash to Buy "The Wash
ington Times" Given by
Roundabout Route
Hearst Associates
Figure in Payment
Money Really a Gift to
Editor, u. S. Officials
Declare

A. Mitchell Palmer, Allen property
Custodian, yesterday made public a
mass of documents showing that sew
eral German American brewers ad-
vanced S375,ooO to Arthur Brisbane,
Hearst's man, to purchase "The Wash
ington Times
The documents were made public
simultaneously in Washington by Mr..
Palmer and in this city by Francis P.
Garvan, managing director of the New
York Office and the head of the invest-
CATION bureau of the Alien Property
Custodian.
These documents consist Of letters
from Alexander Konta to two Ger
man spyma masters-Captain Hans Taus-
cher, the krupps's representative. in
dicted for plotting to blow up the Wei
land Canal with Captains Won Paper
and BoyEd. the German Military and
Naval attaches, and DR.. Bernhard Dern-
burg, sent here to spread Hun prop
aganda by the German Foreign Office.
Checks and notes covering the finan
cial deal between Brisbane and the
brewers, and letters which passed be-
tween the Alien Property Custodian
are also included.
Subsidy of Newspapers
The letters of Mr. Konta, a broker,
had to deal with the beginning of Ger
manys attempt to subsidize papers
here
The payment of the money to Bris-
bane was made through the Growing
Circulation Corporation, two of whose
directors are Hearst employees. The
money was transferred from the pock-
cts of the brewers to Brisbane in the
same manner resorted to by the Ger
man Foreign Office in transferring
money to Dr.. Edward A. Rumely to
purchase The Evening Mail,' in order
that the source of the money would be
camouAaged.
The money came from pool of brew
ers IN New York, Chicago, St. Paul,
Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Boston,
many of them being sources of the
money used by the German American
Alliance in spreading German propa-
ganda.
After the money was received by C.
'" Felgenspan, Newark brewer, he
deposited It IN special account. Then
ne drew cashiers checks on the Fed
erai Trust Company, and in turn got
personal check which he turned over
10 Arthur Brisbane Brisbane gave the
checks to the Growing Circulation Cor
poratlon, and it in turn transferred
mem to Mrs. Alice Brisbane Thursby
ofisDanes sister. Mrs. 'Thursby de-
posted the checks, but thereafter all
trace OF the checks was lost.
Names Carefully Concealed
AS stated at the Office of Mr.. Gar
'ah' who unearthed the transaction,
'"e receipt of Brisbane given to Feig-
e"span is the only proof that the
money ever reached Brisbane.s hands
AZ no time do the names of Arthur
Di'sDane or those of the contributors
u ohe fund appear on the checks.
me Growing Circulation Corpora
aon which figures in the transac
.'" according to the letter of the
,ien Property Custodian to Senator
ing mas but capital of $4,000. Two
i'S three directors, Mr.. Palmer said
a'' William A. De Ford and John P.
,'u'aeVant. The latter is counsel of
e nearst newspapers. and the former
avs IN similar capacity, as we'll as
PERSONAL counsel to William Randolph
nearst. Thomas +, McEntegart is the
third director.
Trail of Brewers Money
ne government officials. under dlrec-
80" OF Nh Gsrvan, have been nvesti
.a"he this transaction since earlv in
May They first ran ACROSS tbe trsu
- herman brewers money to Brisbane
"hen the Alien Property Custodian
se'1ed the Ehret estate. The finding of
." unexplained entry of $50, 900 in the
''oSs led to the summoning of Feipen-
Continued on puoe semen