Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-14
VEX|NG WITNESS
. IS MRS. BERGDOLL
lShe Talks Much to Probing
Committee and Tells Next
to Nothing
BURIED GOLD, SHE SAYS

Rainbow chasers and others whose
bump Of crcdulity is developed far more
than their bump of sagacity today may
sharpen up their spades, look for OLD
divining rods and cast their eyes
toward the Bergdoll home ut Fifty
second street and Wypncwood avenue
and the Bergdoll farm at Broomall.
The famous pot Of gold,' which
Grover Bcrgdoll left his military prison
ostensibly to find, n proceeding which
landed him in Germany, is In or near
Philadelphia.
The S105,000 which has figured so
conspicuously in the Bcrgdoll scandal
was not buried by the fugitive Stacker,
but by his mother. Mrs. Emma Z.
Bcrgdoll, and is still in its earthly hiding
place.
At least, that is what Mrs. Bergdoll
told the congressional investigation
committee at Washington yesterday.
Nor could she be swervcd from her
story by patent expressions of disbe-
lief by her inquisitors.
Talks Freely
AS the expected "star" witness Of
the probe Mrs. Bergdoll proved an en-
tertaining but unenlightening witness.
Clasping a voluminous umbrella in her
hands and prcspiring visibly. Mrs.
Bcrgdoll in her broken English talked
freely to the committee. but said little.
She denied she had buried the S105,-
900 in gold in Maryland. and said she
knew nothing about tho pot of gold ex-
pedition when Grover Bergdoll went un-
der guard to Philadelphia from Fort
Jay, Governors Island, n. Y. She told
how she had taken the gold from the
Bergdoll kitchen, where IL had remained
one night unguarded, and buried 1t the
next morning near her home. =.
gold in the ground during the war and
It Increased in price" she said. "and
thought l would try It."
Mrs. Bergdoll said she spent in all
about $50, 900 for expenses. legal and
otherwise. connected with her sons
evasion Of the draft.
Spent $4,000 for Son
n. Clarence Gibboney, she said. was
paid $500 as retainer. and subse-
Uuently $4,000 as first payment on
Bcrgdoll obtained his release. He
brought Judge John w. Wcscott. OF
Hnddonfeld. \. j.. to see her. she tes-
titled, but her understanding was that
the latter was not engaged in the case.
There are thousands and thousands
Of slackcrs. yet I am the only mother
who is mentioned she put in. Judge
Wescott was very sympathetic. They
came to me and said they must treat
yUu the same as others.
Asked IL Judge Romig gave her nd
vice in the case, she said:
II don't use anybody's advice. the
Lord gave me my head, and I use my
own
When the committee asked for de-
tails of the withdrawal of the gold
from the Treasury, she affirmed the
story told by Romig of picking up a
boy near Baltimore who helped them
carry the gold out Of the Treasury
Building. She was asked If she had no
other protection than pistol.
Her Own Guard
81 M always my own guard she re-
torted.
Rcsuming her story about the en-
ploymPnt of counsel. she said she told
Mr.. Gibboncy he was mot good law
YER" but believed aftcrward he was
receiving advice from Judge Wescott.
A few weeks before her son left Fort
Jay, she said. Mr.. Gibboney told her
Grover would get furlough in the near
future.
When Bcrgdoll arrived in philadel-
phia on the pot-of- gold expedition. she
said the only money she gave him was
$40 "to go to show" The following
day. she said. she left her son to go to
her Twenty ninth street residence to
plant flowers. She said her son said he
would see her when she returned for
dinner.
Here Mrs. Bergdoll explained in some
detail that she planted vegetables and
flowers according to the moon. When
the moon was waning. she said she
planted vegetables which mature under
the ground such as potatoes and car
rots. but when the moon was increasing
she planted those which matured above
the ground.