The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-05-12
SERGEANT TELLS EVENTS PRIOR ID
 BERGDOLL FLIGHT
Declares He Never Heard of Buried Pot of Goldl Until Long After Prisoner
 Had Fled
By Associated Press

W aShlngton, May u.--An GtNnS Hrst- hand account of the escape. of Grover Cleveland Bergdoll the Philadelphia draft dodger, Sergt. John O'Hare, who was in command of the escort which started out with Bergdoll from Cover nor's Island for the mountains of Mary land told the House Investigating com mittee today that he had never heard word about the buried pot of gold until long after the prisoner had fled.
 O'Hare was positive in the assertion that when he started out for the noun teins the only instruction he received from Col John E. Hunt, his superior of- icer, was to proceed with the prisoner to Hagerstown, Md, get some money from Philadelphia and return to the barracks.
 There were no written orders except to stop off at North Philadelphia, meet the late ID. Clarence Gibboney, Bergdoll's lawyer, and thereafter be guided by what Gibboney said, the witness declared with some emphasis in relating his part in the whole affair. O'Hare declared he wanted to HdnQCuII HIS pi lSOiiSis puN @iihS Hunt refused 1t was by Gibboneys or der. he said, that the party halted at Philadelphia, went for long automobile ride, with Bergdoll at the wheel, visited burlesque show and stopped at the Bergdoll home, from which the prisoner escaped.
 TELLS OF FLIGHT
 The sergeant told how Bergdoll, who had evaded the draft for couple or years, was sent from the island in the full uniform of enlisted man, with hat cord, indicating that he belonged to the infantry branch of the service; how he had sat in the train from New fork to Philadelphia without uttering word and chewing tobacco all the while. Step by step he told of the various moves up to the moment when Bergdoll walked into a bathroom to answer the telephone He was never seen after that, and to this day, the sergeant said, he does not know how he got out Except for that sin gle moment he declared, the prisoner was never out of his sight.
 No amount of cross-examinatipn could budge the witness from his statement that he was in entire ignorance of any plans to go out and dig up the buried gold. the object for which the prisoner was released in custody of OHare and York, another sergeant,
 Mrs Emma c. Bergdoll. mother of the draft evader, and James Romig the man who was sent to Washington to get Sloo,- GOO in gold fro mthe treasury, wtre around the Bergdoll home all the time the party was there, O'Hare said
 When not shooting pool or reciting Shakespeare. Grover, he added, was walking about perfectly at ease, and as cool as a little white stone in brook where a trout might play.
 MOTHER EXCITED
 When Mrs. Bergdoll learned that her son had gone, she was greatly excited, said O'Hare, putting her hands above her head as she walked about getting supper"
 The woman and Romig, he added, tried to persuade him not to worry, assuring him that Bergdoll would be back a1ter while. As the guards were oeing en- tertained bottle of gin mysteriousiy ap- peared in the poolroom, Q Hare testliea, but he did not touch it, as he nao not taken a drink in 2l years fork, now ever, drank some of 1t, but was "arneu by O'Hare to let it alone.
 Tears filled the eyes of the littie ser geant as he told the2committee of his re- turn to the island empty handed, with barely enough money to pay his fare hand of his plea that he be permitted to go over to Brooklyn to tell his wife or his misfortune before being locked up. He was tried later by court-martial ana acquitted. | O,uare was not subjected to griillng except by one member of the committee in an effort to bring out that he did nov understand the brief given him py Colonel Hunt .
 Representative Johnson. democrat, or Kentucky, in concluding the examination of Colonel Hunt, reiterated that he would st+e,,nt to show that Hunt was white washed bv a court-marshal for failing to take adequate precautions for the safety of the prisoner. Former Judge John w. Wescott Of New Jersey. who has denied the testimony or Samuel T. Ansell, that he was consulting oornsal and Ron1ng, the gold messenger and general boss around the Bergdoii home on the day of the escape, will tes- t:fy tomorrow.