Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-01-09
VILLA BULLETS
PURCHASED WITH
GERMAN MONEY
Documentary Evidence Pro-
duced That F, A. Somnsr-
field, Now Interned, Paid
Bandits Munition Bills.


Washington, Jan. S.-Documentary
evidence intended to show that $780,
coo worth Of munitions shipped in
1915 to agents of Francisco Villa, the
Mexican bandit leader, were paid for
by f. a. Sommerfeld. now informed as
an enemy alien. was presented today
to the senate committee investigating
German propaganda by>Maj. f. Low
rey Humes. who is conducting the in
quiry.
The munitions We're bought from
the Western Cartridge company at
Alton. ILL.,, according to the evidence,
and were paid for through the Mis-
sissippi Valley Trust company of st.
Louis. from funds transferred from
the Guaranty Trust company of New
YORK city. The first shipments were
sent to Louis Goxiola of FL Paso, Tex,
who, was alleged, dealt with the BAN
dts brother, Hipolito villa, but later
the shipments We're consigned direct
to the later. according to the evil
dence,
Money Not Traced.
Major Humes told the committee
he had been unable to trace the
source of the funds which the Guar
anty Trust company sent to the st.
Louis bank. Sommerfeld, he said,
lived in n hotel in New York city and
transacted his business with the st.
Louis bank largely by mail and tele-
graph. Major Humes introduced
documents showing payments to the
cartridge company and also letters
from the Guaranty Trust company to
the ST. Louis bank directing that
sums be credited in the latter bank
to Sommerfeld's account.
Todays testimony dealt also with
loans to the German government
through New York financial houses,
some of which dealt with banks in
Germany. Capt. George B. Lester of
the military intelligence bureau. pro-
duced evidence showing that the total
German loans negotiated from early
in 1915, when Albert began 'lis prop
uganda work. W almost to the time
the United States entered the war,
amounted to $34,050,600. This was
offset in losses amounting 70 approx
imately $33.777,0 900, covering cargaes
on ships sunk or captured by the
British. 3i
Loans Made on Notes.
More than s15, 100000 OF the loans
were made on German treasury notes
but two of the loans were on ship
ments of cotton. According to the
deponents, the Chase National bank
lent 100000 with cotton as secur-
ity, and the Southern Products COM
pany was a party to the loan.
Another loan, it was said, was in
the form of q credit for $1,S00,000
from the Equitable Trust company of
New York to finance cotton ship
ments with two German banks and
Tidemann & Co. of Fort Worth. Tex,
as parties to the loan. The ship car
rylng the cotton was seized by the
British and the cargo sold, the pro-
ceeds being transmitted back to the
United States.
The committee today also heard
CASTOR Il. Means of Concord, n. c.,
who at one time was employed by
Captain Boy-Ed, former German
naval attache here. Means denied
any disloyalty to the United States
He said he left Boy-Eds employ in
the fall of 1916. and that whenever
he heard any reports on German
activities detrimental to the United
States he reported them to the proper
authorities.
At the request of Means the COM
mittee went into executive session to
hear his testimony concerning the
location of some papers of Boy Ed
which, he said, the government might
desire. After a two-hour executive
session Chairman Oyerman announce
ed that the committee had concluded
that the papers were not important to
the present investigation.