The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-07
NEUTRALITY CASES
NOW ON TRIAL
Two Officials Of Imperial German Con-
sulate General in San Francisco
Were Involved in Trial at
San Francisco.

San Francisco, Cal, Jan. Trial of
the so-called Sacramento neutrality cases
which began here to-day, involved two
officials of the imperial German consulate
general in San Francisco dozen other
individuals and three corporations under
indictments returned in 1916 and 1917.
A blanket Indictment returned July 7,
1917, charged conspiracy to violate the
neutrality of the United States in 1914
and 1915 through an attempt to make
San Francisco a base of supply for Ger
man feet then operating in the South
Pacific ocean, and conspiracy TO obtain
false clearance for various ships needed
to carry out the plan. The case centered
about the steamship Sacramento, which
was alleged to have delivered a general
cargo To the German feet after it was
captured" off the coast of Chile: the
steamship Mazatlan, which was alleged
to have delivered coal to the German
cruiser Leipzig at Guaymas, Mexico;. the
steamship Olson and Mahoney, which
was denied clearance papers here, and the
steamships Maverick and Annie Larsen,
which were alleged TO have been used in
an attempt 10 send arms and munitions
to reyomtionists in India.
The principal defendants are:
Baron Eckhard II. Won Setback, former
German vice consul general at San Fran.
cisco.
Henry Kaufman, former chancellor of
the imperial German consulate general
here
Hans Tauscher, husband Of Johanna
Gadski, the singer, as agent for the pur-
chase of the Annie Larsen's cargo
Franz Won Papen, formerly naval At
tache Of the imperial German consulate
general at New York
Robert Capelle, former Pacific coast
general agent for the, North German
Lloyd Steamship company
Frederick Jebsen, captain and owner Of
the Mazatlan, never apprehended and va
riously reported as Killed, as aboard
submarine, and az safe in Germany.
]. L. Bley, customhouse broker.
T. A. Anderson, captain Of the Sacra.
mento.
RH. Swayne and John G. Hoyt of the
firm of Swayne & Hoyt, ship brokers.
Philip r. Thayer, president of the
Northern & Southern Steamship Co.
DIR. Simon Reimer, said TO have been a
German naval officer.
c, d. Bunker & Co, customhouse brok-
ers.
The Northern & Southern Steamship
company.
Capelle, Won Setback, Kaufman and
Bley were convicted here of conspiracy TO
overthrow British rule in India Tausch-
er and Won Papen are said to be in Ger
many.
The Sacramento, then a German mer-
chant ship known as the Alexandria, was
interncd at this port when the war began
in 1914. She was taken over and re-
named the Sacramento by the Northern
& Southern Steamship company, which,
1t was alleged, was organized for that
purpose by Swayne & Hoyt and others.
A cargo, including beer, sauerkraut and
other foodstuffs and ship supplies, was
purchased through c. D. Bunker & Co.,
and the vessel was cleared from this port
for Valparaiso, Chile, in October, 1914.
When she arrived at her destination she
was as empty as a drum.
Soon after the Sacramento left San
Francisco, it was said, a German officer,
stowaway, appeared and assumed prac.
tical direction of the ship, used the wire
less and co.ope:ated in the capture" of
the vessel by the German feet This
feet included a dozen cruisers, among
them the Leipzig, Baden, Santa Isabel,
Scharnhorst, NurnbeTg and Gneisenau,
most of which were subsequently sunk
by British warships.