Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-22

parried. "You know that all persons
implicated will be arrested"
or the armed guards who were duped
at the Bergdoll home Major Hunt said,
"Tbey may or may not be court mar
tailed. Everything depends on the re-
suit Of our investigation. =,
"Bergdoll left New York on the 3
o'clock train Thursday morning. lie
was on q special mission and made the
trip on competent authority.
"It was for the good Of the service.
He was not supposed to stop at Phil
adelphia. but the instructions to his
guards were such that II anything un.
foreseen occurred the noncommissioned
officers we're to act to the best OF their
judgment.
Bergdoli yanishes
From a slight report IL appears that
engine trouble developed with the gov
ernment car into which Bergdoll was
placed on the arrival of the train at
the North Philadelphia station.
ut was decideu 70 60 to Bergdoll's
home on account Of this trouble. The
guards did not let Bergdoll out of their
sight all Thursday night while he slept.
"As I understand it. call came for
BnTRuOlI Ou tnt ttitphUht ytct''""s
He went into an adjoining room, out
OF sight of the guards. to answer the
call. The guards could hear his voice
although they could not see him.
Suddenly the conversation over the
rushed into the room where Bergdoll
had been talking. he had vanished"
Major Hart was asked IL he believed
Mrs. Bergdoll had made the telephone
call.
"I don't know" he said. Both
Mrs. Bergdoll and Mr.. Gibboney were
absent from the Bergdoll residence when
the prisoner escaped.
Zone thing is certain, he said, "the
two guards did their duty. / think they
did their full duty and something was
slipped over on them
Visited by Counsel Every Day
Harry weinberger, East Side lawyer
who defended Bergdoll during his trial
By court martial, visited Grover in his
cell every day last week.
This was divulged today by Colonel
Charles G. Cresson, who served as judge
advocate of the deserter's military trial.
ANY one with any sense can see that
Berpdoll's escape was frame up
Colonel Cresson said, with apparent
disgust at the clumsy manner In which
the government was duped.
"Bergdoll, by this time he con
tinued, fprobably has passports and IL
an some ship bound for foreign port
I don't know what Weinberger saw
Reredoll about. but he visited him a,
the Fort Jay barracks every day las
week.
From his tone, it was apparent thai
Colonel Cresson linked the visits o
| Weipberger with the smooth manner il
which details Of the escape were ac'
complished.
Colonel Cresson made it quite plaiI
that responsibility for the safekeepin,
of the deserter was without his juris
diction. The case passed out of hi
hands, he said, at the conclusion Of tn,
court martial.
"Bergdol by this act has violated
both the fifty eighth and ninety sixth
articles of war by deserting and escap
| ing while a prisoner. 1t is his seconc
wartime desertiop, and a court martin
will have entire jurisdiction over him a.
general prisoner IL he is recaptured
By his escape Bergdoll will forfeit al
rights and liberties given for good be
havior.'
Mr.. Gibboney today emphaticall,
denied that the visit to the Bergdol
home was due to his persuasion ant
that orders had been issued agains
such visit.
| II heard Of no such orders, he said
''The only reason we went to Bergdoll'
home was because that was the iogica
place to 60 while some necessary repair
were being made to the machine. w
planned to start our trip yesterday af
ternoon."
He refused to discuss the matter o
the buried treasure.
Later, when asked explicitly whethe
the order had specified that Bergdol
was not to be taken to his home. h
said: ~ refuse to answer, because
do not care to get into a controvers
with Major Hunt, who made the state
ment."
When pressed to answer question
about the buried treasure, he said: "
am the Bergdolls' attorney, and ] an
not obliged to get into controversial
with any one, and | refuse to comment
I have in the past got into controversies
but | will not do so again.
Mr.. Gibboncy remained in his othc
all day, except for few minutes whe
he went to a lunchroom nearby at noon