New-York tribune., 1921-02-09
Somebody Lies,
Says Kahn of
Bergdoll Case
''Rotten,'' He Adds, on Find.
ing Improbabilities in
Army Report OH Escape
Of Rich Draft Dodger
Doubts Gibboney Died
Says One Man Gould Not
Handle $l05,OO i'm Gold.
Weighing $50 Pounds
From The Trtbune's Washington Bureau

'rom ihe Ift6hne's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8.-Preliminary
examination of the papers of the Gro
yer Y. Bergdo.l case, brought to-day
from Chairman Julius Kahn of the
House Committee on Military Affairs
the declaration that "this case is rot
ten"
Mr.. Kahn announced that his COM
| mlttee's attempt to sift to the bottom
the facts surrounding the Bergdoll es-
cape will begin on Thursday morning,
when United States District Attorney
| McAvoy, Of Philadelphia, who prose-
outed Bergdol.'s mother and others
after his arrest as a draft dodger, will
appear before the committee.
The many things connected with the
report of the Inspector Generals de-
partment of the Army on the case "are
not within the area of probability" was
one Of Mr.. Kahn's deductions. To this
he added; Somebody is lying, and the
truth ought to be unravelled if it be
at all humanity eossible to do so.'
One of the improbabilities suggested
by Representative Kahn is the death
of D. Clarence Gibboney, one of Berg
dolls attorneys. Mr.. Gibboney was re-
ported to have been drowned last sum-
mer with several other men, but Mr..
Kahn said to-day that there is nothing
which proves that.
Tanglc of Misstatements
"The whole case is involved in such
tangle of misstatements that begin
| to doubt everything that we have be-
fore us" Mr.. Kahn declared.
"My exam ination OF the papers is
only partly completed and has revealed
what in my judgment is terrible state
| of affairs.
81 have gone over the report of the
Inspector Generals Department of the
army, which was enc of the first pre-
pared. Mr.. McAvoy has it and used
the facts in it in the presentation Of
his case, which resulted in conviction.
at is time that the whole matter was
siftcd to the very bottom and the re-
! sponsibility fixed and those involved
| he'd accountable"
Right in the first page Of the In
spector Generals report there g con-
tanned a COPY of letter between for
mer Judge Advocate General Ansell
and D. Clarence Gibboney, which indi-
! CaCeQ JnaC 1T was malHLalNeQ GhaC
Bergdoll went alone to a spot near
Hagerstown, Md, and buried d metal
container coptaining either 100000 or
| $105,000 in gold.
Points Out Weight of Gold
"Now, come from country where
gold has long been in use, and no one
man, especially a man of Bergdoll's
build, could handle metallic container
with that amount Of gold inclosed. The
sum of 100000 in gold, the Treasury
! Department tells me. weighs 368 pounds.
If there was $105,000 it would weigh
386 pounds, and a metallic container
large enough to hold the money would
weigh at least twenty pounds.
81, for one, and members of the COM
mittee are curious ABOUT the body of
Mr.. Gibboney What want to know
is definite information relative to it's
disposition. Has any one ever seen it,
or where it was buried? What became
posed to have been drowned at the
same time? 1t is impossible in that
country to preserve body very long
and it is fact that decay starts very
quickly. Bpt do we know that it is
the body of Gibboney that is buried
there
"That Mrs. Bergdoll is financing her
son and his companion across the sea
is most interesting and astonishing
point to consider. That the War De-
partment and the Department of Jus
tice have been in apparent conflict
over the case and that blunders were
made in the plan to apprehend Berg
DOLL also are we'll worth considerinQ,'