Norwich bulletin., 1921-05-10
MOTHER OF BERGDoLL
 OBTAINED s1e5, 900 IN GOLD

Washington, May s-The fact was es- tablished today through w. l.. Alexand- CT, a clerk in the treasury department, by the house committee Investigating the escape of Grover C. Bergdoll, that the mother of the draft dodger and a friend actually obtained S1o5,0O0 in gold from the treasury in the fall of 1919. But from there the trail was not uncovered by the committee to the buried pot in the mountains of Maryland.
 James Romig, formerly a police mag istrate of Philadelphia, and now awaiting sentence on conviction of conspiracy to aid Bergdoll in evading the draft, was the agent, Alexander said, through whom $45,0o0, the first batch of gold was obtained and carted away. On his second trip to Washington Romig was accom- panied by Mrs Emma G. Bergdoll, also awaiting sentence for conspiracy and to- gether they drove to Philadelphia with ss0,000 in gold tucked safely beneath their feet.
 When he made his first visit to- the treasury, Ronig found clerks unwilling to turn over even $20,00o on their own responsibility, and Alexander said he fumed and fretted about the corridors until his application was laid before R. c. Leffinwgell then an assistant secre- tary and approved. This amount was given in exchange for gold certificates, but once 1t had been placed within an automobile in the shadow of the treas- ury building. Romig went back for more. There was some delay, according to the witness, clerks refusing. to make a sec ond exchange on the one order; but in the end Ronig got it.
 There was no embargo at that time on the withdrawal of government gold, but the policy of the department. as ex- plained by Alexander. was to keen it in T 6t,- stacles in the way of people seeking it.
 Three weeks after his first visit Romig returned with Mrs. Bergdoll It was brought out that at the very moment the woman was at the treasury big pos 1 ters were displayed everywhere offer | ing a reward for the capture of Berg l doll, the deserter.
 l Romig, satisfied with the results of l his first trip. pushed a bundle of bills, l almost as big as boy, through the l picket window, and after some delay, 1 Alexander said, and with the approval of thetreasurer, struggled down the corri- | dors with more gold than a stevedore could life-sso GOO, mostly eagles. l What became of the treasure after the 1 Romig- -Bergdoll party left Washington was not brought out at the six hour | session today. The off-hand views was 1 expressed by Alexander that Treasurer Folk, who had discussed the withdraw | al as the biggest. certainly in their rec | election agreed that Romig and the wo- man were foreigners who feared the American government might be over l thrown and hence were eager to hoard 1 their fortune.
 Counsed for Bergdoll already had told | the committee they had checked on the tale of the gold and were convinced it had been taken from the treasury and buried, and that they were impressed with the sincerity of the deserter that ht l wanted to recover 1t.
 l The gold chapter was related just aft i CT Major General March, chief of staff
 of the army, had given his views on the subject of getting Bergdoll back iron Germany to serve his live year sentence
 and had declared that diplomatic move. were under way to get him. Bergdou wa: described as ''bad specimen of desert
 CT" by the general, who frankly stated that he would not have apologized hat
 Americans succeeded in their efforts t kidnap him on German soil,
 Other witnesses during the day wert
 Edward S. Bailey, law partner of Sam
 uel T. Ansell, former acting judge advo
 Bergdoli, and Col. Julius A. Penn, as
 sistant to Major General Harris, adju
 tant general of the army
 MT. Bailey in concluding his testimon,
 reiterated that Former Judge John "
 westcott of New Jersey, discussed plan
 for the expedition to the mountains, prio
 to the escape. Judge Westcott had testi
 ned that he knew nothing of any so
 called buried treasure until he read it il
 the newspapers after Bergdoll had elud
 ed his military guard at Philadelphia
 year ago.
 Colonel Penn declared he had suggest 7 ed to the commandant of the disciplinar
 barracks at Governor's leland that
 commissioned officer be placed in charg
 of the guard accompanying BergdolI t
 the mountains and that the suggestio practically amounted to an order" Whe Ansell applied to General Harris for su ] thority to permit Bergdoll to make tn search, Colonel Penn said, the adjutar
 general said it was "a reasonable re f quest by reasonable lawyer" and tn l witness added that it so appeared to hiI . at the time.
 , General March declared that whe r General Harris brought up the Ansen rt g quest he only glanced at it, and that = was approved by the latter who ha
 full authority in such matters. But whe word reached him of the escape. the mi
 itary machinery was set in motion a
 once in the effort to capaure the convic