Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-05-21
WITNESSES TELL
Of GERMAN GUNS
STORED IN j. 5.
New York Prosecutor Told of
Revolt Plot.
TO FOLLOW HUN VICTORY?
Million Rifles, Many Cannon and
Large Amount of Ammunition Re-
ported Stored at Forty
Places.

New York, May 15.-RepOrts that
thousands or rifles had been secretly
imported from the Krupp works at
Essen in order to "Germanize" the
United States were related at the in
quiry conducted by State Attorney
General Lewis into rumors of hoard
ing of arms by German interests in
the United States.
100000 Guns Sent.
Edgar A. Holmes of this city, a wit
ness, credited the reports to a man
named James III. Crossley. Holmes,
as broker, tried to buy the rifles,
but was unsuccessful he said. During
the negotiations, he said, CrOssley told
him that some 100000 rifles had been
imported from Essen by way of the
Hoboken docks of two German steam
ship companies and were to be used
in the United States if the Germans
were successful in reaching the Eng
fish channel ports.
Mr.. Holmes identified copy of
letter written by himself offering to
sell 100000 Mausers and 100000
cartridges. The letter, dated June 9,
was addressed to DR.. Thomas Darling
ton of New York, former health COM
missioner.
In Touch With U. s. Officials.
Holmes testified he had never seen
the articles, but had talked with an
engineer named Francis L. Judd, who
said he had seen boxes containing $780,
900 rifles. Two months ago, Holmes
said, the United States tried to buy
them, but they were not produced
Holmes had been in touch with United
States officials throughout the negotia-
tons, he said.
Gustave Lussing was named by
Holmes as the man who was said by
various Intermediates to be able to
deliver the goods. Judd told Holmes
the rifles had been in an East side
warehouse in New York and had been
removed but were within an autOmo-
bile ride of an hour and a half from
Broadway.
Told of Guns by Russian.
Charles H. Murray, q hotel owner of
Washington, D. c., testified he had
heard of the existence of the rifles
through a Russian agent, Ivan Norod-
ny, who claimed they had been taken
to an upstate New York farm and that
he had shot one of them himself.
NOrOdny said Lussing had a farm at
Woodbury. Falls and that a party of
German officers, including Capt. Hans
Tauscher had visited it after dining
at the German club in New York. |
Through Norodny, Murray met Lussing
and was shown an itemized statement
of the quantity of rifles hidden as fol-
lows: 100000 Mauser guns, 100000
600 cartridges, 100000 carbines, 1000
rounds cartridges, 100000 rifles and
60 machine guns.
Guns Stored in Forty Places.
Lussing, according to the witness,
said they were Stored in 40 places in
the United States. Robert T. Tucker,
n tanner of Charleston, S. c., testified
of hearing of the rifles through his ac-
Quaintance with Russians in business.
Judd told Tucker, he said, he had seen
cannon and rifles at a warehouse in
Brooklyn. According to the witness
New York lawyer finally told him
the rifles had been sold
Il am thoroughly convinced that
those rifles are in this country and
that Lussing knows where they are"
said Tucker at the close of his exam
ination.
William Fl. Ford, attorney for Lus-
sing. testified that he did not believe
the rifles existed now because Lussing
had received no answer from his prin-
cipalS in regard to an offer for the
rifles made in behalf of the United
States government by Maj. Nicholas
Biddle of the army intelligence bureau
two months ago.
Lussing had never told who his prin-
cipals were, Ford said, and he had
concluded the owners were "Philadel-
phia parties" and that the rifles were
in that city.
Il had always believed these guns
existed said Ford, but never heard
until this hearing that they had been
smuggled from Germany. 1 had always
supposed they were made by Ameri-
cans"
Ford testified that he and Lussing
expected to divide 100000 profits on
the sale of $7S000,000 worth of rifles
and cartridges. The lawyer added that
his client had farm in New Jersey
and had been interested in monorail
and coke oven projects.
YANK FELLS 9TH HUN PLANE