Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-09-19
Fairmont Man Pleads Guilty In
Federal Court. q
]. HAMMOND MITCHELL
is GIVEN FINE or $25
Hedgesville Man cit Down Easy
For Wearing Uniform Of
Army Officer - Mennonites
Are Fined $1,000 Each.


One of the most interesting, an
we'll as puzzling, cases that has ap-
peared in the Federal Court here In
many years came up this morning.
when Paul w. LANCE, a prominent
naturalized and German-born citizen
of Fairmont, W. Va, entered a plea
of guilty to an indictment charging
him with seditious utterances aga.
inst the United States, and was nm
ed $4,000 and costs. which he ar
ranged to pay. He was the released.
He was represented in court by
State Senator w. s. Meredith.
After the plea Of guilty had been
filed. District Attorney Walker made
a statement to Judge Dayton con-
|oerning the Gaze, saying that no fsr
as could be ascertained, the re.
marks Of LANCE were more or less
i'm the nature Of intersections, and
not uttered with the purpose Of
hamperIng the United States In It's
war work, or from dlsloyal motives.
Owing to the nature OF the titteran-
ces of Lange, however, Judge Day
ton imposed heavy fine, but re-
lieved Lange of the odium of a jail
sentence.
Lang Is a prominent box manu-
facturer of Fairmont. and has been
active and jealous in every war nc.
tivity In his community. He Is a
member Of the county council Of de-
Tense, president Of the Rotary Club,
chairman of the smileage book COM
paign, and member OF the war saw
ings stamps, liberty loans, Y. M. G.
A., Red Cross and other war COM
mittees. In addition. he has purchas-
ed several thousand dollars worth
OF liberty bonds and war rawlings
stamps In all war activities IN his
community he has been an infuen-
tlal and apparently patriotic work
er.
But 1t appears that he has been a.
so champion of Germany against
charges made all over the world
against German soldiers and against
the course of the German govern
ment. There were seven witnesses
against him at the grand jury IN.
. Fl
yestigation, and these witnesses are
alleged to have testified that LANCE
defended Germany in her invasion
of Belgium. on the ground that Bel
GUM was then garrisoned by French
soldiers; that he defended the sink
ing of the Lusitanla. on the ground
that II was a mnnition ship carrying
war materials to Great Britain, and
should have been sunk; that he pub
lickly declared that the stories OF
German cruelty toward the Belgians
and French. and especially the char.
ges that French and Belgian women
had been rayished and children
murdered by German soldiers, were
not true; that he declared that Ger
man soldiers were as humane as
American soldiers, and had commit
ted no crimes that were not also
committed by Americans. etc.
The fact that LANCE is German
born, is pointed out as an explana-
ton for his defense Of the German
nation and the German soldiers in
the charges made against them, and
lit is further said that his utterances
were more in the nature of academic
arguments on an abstract question
of right or wrong, rather than as re-
marks calculated to hinder or inter
fere with the war activities of the
United States.
Federal officials conversant with
the facts, as well as friends OF
LANCE, are at loss to understand
his remarks, especially when viewed
fr1o~%;.coA an noUa DIV