New-York tribune., 1919-03-25
Charged Before Military
Court of Attempt 10 Sell
a Destructive Synthetic
Fuel to Great Britain
Demonstration at Trial
defendant Contends Oil
Firms Seek Formula;
Scientists Are Puzzled

Lowry Humes, counsel for Captain
Edwin C. Weisgerber, on trial before
General court-martial ct Governors
1s,snd. placed a saucer on the table
before the dignitied tribunal yesterday
,,tsrnoon. From a small bottle he
noursd quantity of almost colorless
;cn;d on the saucer and touched
r,atch to it. A steady yellow fame
dared up, burning till every drop of
tho LIQUID had been consumed.
Humes turned to DR.. Roger Adams,
sssistant professor of chemistry at the
University of Illinois. who was testify
;ng for the Government.
sWhat would you say if I told you
.bat LIQUID was 95 per cent water?"
Humes asked the witness.
Il would say you were not telling the
truth" Dr.. Adams responded.
Nevertheless, that is what 1T is
said the lawyer, and returned the
MYSTERIOUS bottle to his inside pocket.
Innocence Depends on Proof
The court martiaps finding as to
csntan Weisgerbers guilt or inno-
.snce of the most important one of the
fourteen counts brought against him
NAV DEPEND on his ability to prove that
he has found the secret of making
synthetic gasolene by uniting nineteen
uarts water with five parts chemicals.
It is charged that Captain Weisger
her who is an engineer officer, showed
adisloyalty to the United States and
sympathy with it's enemies" by trying
10 sell to the British government
synthetic fuel containing picric acid
which would destroy any internal COM
inh I
is also set forth that he urged the
adoption of an interchangeable stan
dardized pipe connection for oxygen
containers, pipes and regulators, which
would be dangerous to the lives of the
operators.
1t is further alleged that Weisgerber
stipulated that unless he and certain
friends in the army were made colonels
he would not give the United States
the benefit of his fuel inventions, and
that he spoke disparagingly of Captain
H. D. Truman, American Army officer,
who had previously served with the
British forces.
The matter of the synthetic fuel
was the only one touched upon at
Yesterdays session. The court martial
will resume hearing the case to-mor-
row morning at Ii o'clock.
The governments case is being
landed by Major Francis NJ. Bass,
of the judge advocates office, as
sisted by Major Elmer F. Blue and
Lieutenant R. E. Hanney, jr. Associ-
sted with Mr.. Humes in the defence
IS Judge D. w. Simms, of Lafayette,
Ind.
Colonel William S. Patten is presi
dentof the court martial, his colleagues
"a ~.
Colonel E. P. Brewer, Colonel Tread
well " Moore. Lieutenant Colonel 2
l. Hardin, Lieutenant Colonel Edward
R. Morris, Lieutenant Colonel ]. A.
Goodwin, Major Charles G. Dwyer and
Captain 0. A. Nesmith
Following plea of not guilty by
captain Weisgerber to all the counts
against him, the government called
Arthur H. Wyckehem- George, of the
British War Mission, to testify.
air Wyckeham- George told OF hav-
ing received last April memorandum
from the British Embassy asking him
to investigate the merits of synthetic
luel Weisgerber claimed he had in
vented. Welsgerber was then consult
ing engineer 20 a fuel oil company
~ pittsburgh. Over the objections
.. the judge advocate the defense had
"!cAehahl- George read into the record
report from A. McKenna, inspector
ior the British War Mission. of q test
nc made of Neisgerber's invention.
me report stated that Wcisgerber
sook i've gallon receptacle, almost
Aiied 1t with water from faucet, add
Cd ten other substances of about two
ounces each, that the resultant mixture
parned with a yellow, smokelcss flame
S1nout leaving any residue and that
quantity of it ran an automobile
Carrying passengers for three miles.
Wyckeham- George said he was not
s<ssHed with this report of the test
ma arranged for a conference in
Washington July l5, 1918, with Weis-
Sefoer, who had meanwhile received
al, commission in the American army
Inc upshot was that Weisge rber sub.
mltted threc-gallon sample of hi,
Invention, which he said was 95 pei
eent water, for analysis. At the sug.
5ssIlon Of yckeham- George, Majol
rsletor l-ehner OF the United States
~aemieai Warfare Service, took this
ssmpie. Lehner testified he turned il
sVer to DR.. Adams.
W Fer Cent GasoIene, Adams Says
Dr Adams testified it was analyzet
-Inaer MS direction in Washington anc
ss sso~h to be composed of x-tenths
ohe per cent picric acid and 90.t