The sun., 1918-09-02
Becker Says Marcus Braun
Continued to Pose as Maya
zines Owner.
GOT STOCK BACK FREE
Efforts of German Ambassa.
dor to Obtain Chain Of
Papers Disclosed.

purchased the control Of Fair Play just
before thatSnagazine went out of exist
cnce. according to a statement issued
yesterday by Deputy Attorney-General
Alfred Becker. After the paper passed
into the hands of the Ambassador. Mr..
Becker adds. Marcus Braun, former
special immigration inspector under the
Roosevelt Administration, and the
founder of the publication, continued to
pose as its owner.
Mr. Becker backs up his assertion with
excerpts taken from the testimony given
by Braun In the course OF the Attorney
Generals propaganda inquest and with
Photographic duplicates of letters which
passed between Braun and Won Bern
storff and between Braun and Joseph
=. Bryan. a former associate of George
Sylvester Viereck in the publication of
the Fdtherldnd. Bryan Is alleged to
have acted as Won Bernstorff's agent in
the purchase of the paper.
Another letter exhibited by Mr.. Becker
was written by Braun to jeremiah A.
OLeary, now awaiting trial for treason,
and tends to show the friendship be-
tween the two.
In still another letter alleged to have
been penned by Braun to Mrs Valli
Kroch OF Berlin on February 16. 1915.
Braun predicted an early end OF the war
on terms that would be eminently salts
factory to Germany. and declared his
intention OF leaving for Germany on the
first U-boat that sailed from New York
harbor.
Braun, according to Mr.. Lewiss state
ment. was born in Hungary. but became
a naturalized citizen OF the United
States tweuty-six years ago. He has
been active in Republican politics in this
city and was formerly president OF tho
Hungarian Republican Club. He carried
the bank account OF the Fair Play Pub
fishing Company in the Transatlantic
Trust Company, which has been taken
over by A. Mitchell Palmer, the Custo-
dian OF Alien Enemy Property. Mr..
Braun lives at 404 Riverside Drive and
maintains an office at 94s Broadway
"In the case Of the publication OF
Fair Play" says Mr.. Becker IN his
statement. Braun tells rather re-
markable story. He states that in
March. 1916. he was struggling against
financial difficulties that he was ap-
preached by Joseph p. Bryan. former
associate OF George Sylvester Niereck
in the publication of the FdtherIdnd.
and that Bryan suggested that a new
corporation be formed. He assured
Braun that he need not worry about
finances any longer. that he would see
to- 1t that sufficient money would be
forthcoming.
Method OF COncealment.
The new corporation was formed
with a nominal capital Of $260,oo0. the
name OF which was Fair Play Printing
and Publishing Company. Immediately
after the Incorporation Bryan turned
over to Braun checks OF Count Won
Bernstorff to the extent Of $4,000 or
$4,000. which really represented the
total actual capital OF the company. In
order TO conceal the fact that the paper
was entirely owned and controlled by
Won Bernstorff the stock was issued to
the order OF Archibald S. White, who
held it subject to the orders of the
Count.
Thereafter Won Bernstorff arranged
with DR.. II. +. Albert TO put Braun in
possession of funds to the extent OF
$4,000 TO enable Braun to 'repurchase
the stock from the German Ambassador
obviously for the purpose of cancelling
the latter's interest In the publication"
The "repurchase" of the paper. Mr.
Becker adds. was considered advisable
by Count Won Bernstorff because OF the
sensational disclosures brought about
through the publication of DR.. II. F.
Albert's papers.
In his testimony before the Deputy
Attorney General Braun told of his in
PRODUCTION to Won Bernstorff through
Bryan, after the paper had changed
hands. After the publication OF the AL
bert letters. he said, he went to Won
Bernstorff and told the latter that he
would like to get his stock back. To this
appeal he said Won Bernstein replied:
We'll. you know this is not my money
that l have spent on this stock: you
had better go and see DIR. Albert. He
Is the financial man."
Paid Nothing for stock.
when went to see DR.. Albert" con-
tinued the witness. he told me that
some arrangement was to be made by
which they could cover up those &C
counts so as TO make the books agree,
because they had TO give an account of
everything, he said. He said that they
would give me the money to buy the
stock back, so as to show 1t on their
books and on my books, and then was
to give the money back. In other words,
I paid nothing for the stock"
Then :he $1,000 that Bernstorff orig
inally invested was a sort OF bonus given
to Fair Play for its operating expenses.
was 1t not Braun was asked.
That Is correct" replied the witness.
Braun also told OF four or FIVE confer
ences which he had with Won Bernstorfr
at the Ritz-Carlton, where the Ambas-
sador lived. With regard to the preced-
ing visit from Bryan he said:
He came TO me with copy OF my
paper in hand and he said that riding in
the subway he saw a gentleman reading
that paper and that the name struck
him as so wonderfully good that he
asked the gentleman where he could get
IL and after purchasing a copy came to
me with the proposition. He said that
he had been connected with the National
Cash Register Company at Dayton, Ohio,
where ! could inquire about him. and
more recently with the Fdtherldnd and
with George sylvester Viereck"
Archibald S. White, who. Mr.. Becker
alleges. held the $4,000 worth Of stock
purchased by Won Bernstorff subject TO
the latters orders, also testified at the
hearings, He Is a resident of Cleveland
and president OF the Cleveland Salt
Company and the Union Gas and Elec-
trio Company of Cincinnati and has a
stock brokerage office at 20 Pine street
this city. He said that he was intro
duced by his wife TO Won Bernstorfr in
1913 or 1914. Mrs. White, he explained,
had met the Count in Munich.
DO you recall any reasons that Count
Won Bernstorsf gave why you should use
your name In connection with this stock
transaction he was asked.
mo" replied the witness nor do 7
remember whether | asked hin, for an,,