New-York tribune., 1918-08-29
Becker Reveals Contents of
Every, Very Con6den-
tial" Notes
Food for the Germans
Former "Mail" Publisher
Would Have Deprived AL
lies of Merchant Fleet

When DR.. Rumely, former publisher
of "The Evening Mall" was not busy
attending to the affairs Of that publica-
tion for his German masters, he was
engaged in gigantic scheme to form
a shipping syndicate to furnish sup
plies to the Central Powers, and to pre-
vent the Allies from purchasing ships
from neutrals, according to the state
ment given out yesterday by Deputy
Attorney General Alfred l.. Beckel,
who made public the testimony Of
Miss Elizabeth Rosenberg, who was
employed as stenographer by
Rumely.
According to the testimony Of the
young woman, DR.. Rumely dictated to
her in November, 1916, the prospectus
of scheme to gain control Of the mel
chant fleets Of neutral countries ad-
jacent to Germany and ship on these
vessels supplies which would be re-
shipped to the Central Powers. These
plans were submitted to q number Of
American fnanciers, whose names are
not known to the authorities.
Miss Rosenberg said that she had
been in the employ of the German Uni
versity League for some time and had
left it to visit relatives in the South.
On her return she was requested by
Otto Merkcl, one of the leading spirits
in the organization, to take stenograph-
ic notes of speeches to be made at the
Waldorf Astoria under the auspices Uf
the league. She accepted the work.
Rumely Gets Copies
Later DR.. Rumely asked for copies
of these speeches to be used in "The
Mail" She said that, acting under in
structions from DR.. Merkel, she had
given Rumely the speeches.
"Did these speeches seek to justify
the sinking Of the Lusitania?" asked
Mr.. Becker.
eyes," the stenographer replied.
"The general tone of the speeches was
to justify the sinking Of the Lusitania
on legal grounds and by legal subter-
fugc."
Soon after that, according to the wit
ness. DR.. Rumely asked her if she
would take some dictation which was
Every, very CONFIDENTIAL" She accept
ed the work after making an agree
ment to return to Rumely her notes, so
she would have nothing in her posses
sion to show what she had written.
The dictation was taken at Rumely' s
home, at 103d Street and Riverside
Drive, and later the transcription and
notes We're delivered to room in the
Hotel Manhattan to DR.. Rumely.
Scheme for Merchant Fleet
The thing he asked me to writs
about was a general scheme to create
al large merchant fleet" said Miss Ro.
senberg. "The fleet was to carry fooc
and other supplies to neutral countries
which was to be sent from there tt
Germany. The statement was not ad
dressed to any one, but was in the
form of general prospectus.
"1he idea was that every ship con
trolled by the syndicate would be one
less for the Allies and at the sam,
time would furnish food and supple:
to the Central Powers"
Miss Rosenberg said she could no
recall the names of any Of the mer
interested in the scheme, but addee
that she was under the impression tha
the German University League was be
hind the move and that DR.! Bernhar,
Dernburg, DR.. Heinrich Albert and DR.
Karl Fuehr were the real originator
of the scheme. From conversations sh,
overheard, Miss Rosenberg said, sh,
thought the plans were made at 112
Broadway and at as Broadway, wher,
Fuehr had his office,