, 1921-08-29

hnihcAatc9 htcr tho uolu-up and
escape OF h intended victim. LoIlier.
made a semiconfession in the Lara
nile county Jail hero Saturday norm
ing, but the fact was suppressed pend
Ing the arrest OF Pfunder. alias Hans
Martin at Bushnell. Mob. so miles east
of Cheyenne, late in the day. and Until
Pfunder late Saturday night mad yield
ed to Interrogation here and had made
n fun. confession OF the affair.
Plumbers confession. n dlsjointed
narrative expressed in very broken
English. Is so illogical and improb-
able that 1t suggests the rarnblings of
n ~lunatic's phantom haunted fancy.
but is believed by officers who heard
It made to be the truth. 1t covers a
vast range of geography and psy-
chology and involves hatreds engen-
dered during and as a result OF the
world war.
Pfunder. German born and intensely
German in sentiment. entered the
United States surreptitiously. via
Mexico. October 20, 1920, and by stages
made his way northward. via Denver
and Cheyenne. at each of which he
spent several weeks. to Bushnell. Neb..
where Kusel. swiss born but Germany
In sympathy n with a bitter grudgc
against h United States. conducted
a little tailoring establishment. They
had c~orresponded during the war, how
1t is not clear, and Kusci had sent
Pfunder. then employed in a dye fac
|, tory in Baden. $500 to defray his ex-
penses In coming to the United States
where. according to their plans, they
were to act as spies for Germany.
The plan failed-why will be revealed
later-and Pfunder did not Join Kusel
until long after the war was over, but
they still were bound by mutual ami.
mostly against the United States gov
eminent. Pfunder because il had been
so instrumental In crushing his faith
eriand n Kusel because. as a result
OF his proGerman activities during
hostilities, and while he was a resident
OF Sterling. Colo. It had confiscated
his property and for a time Detained
him as an enemy allen.
At Bushnell. which Pfunder reached
about a month ago. he and Kusel en-
couraged each the hatred for America
of the other. and eventually there was
born in their twisted inteliigences a
plot TO make war against 1t. n at
the same time themselves profit. by
robbing banks, which institutions
Pfunder at least believed to be con-
Quoted by the government. Securing
a small automobile. said to have been
purchased from O'Mara Green OF Dem
yer. they equipped themselves with
arms-a shotgun, rifle, automatic pis-
toll n revolver-explosives and camp
ing equipment and last Thursday set
out for Wyoming. bent on locating a
bank so situated that robbery of It.
and subsequent escape. wouid be feas-
ible. They found what they believed
to be a likely bank at C~hugwater. 100
miles from Bushnell. and h follow
ing day attempted a robbery. with
results heretofore related.
Pfunder. d~isjointedly related. after
the escape from Chugwater. leaving
his partner wounded in the street. hid
in an eighty-acre willow thicket near
the town until late Friday night. Soon
after entering the thicket he discarded
his overalis and threw away a file and
a key TO the Kusei shop at Bushnell.
The willow jungle quickly was sur
rounded and was guarded thereafter
but some time after midnight Pfunder
managed to creep forth u~ndetected.
He realized the uselessness OF attempt
ing to regain the automobile which
he and Kusel had parked on the out
skirts OF Chugwater. so got set out
toward cayenne on loot. He a walk
ed 20 miles when. at 10 o'clock Sat
urday morning. he vas picked up by
a motor tourist and brought 10 Chey-
enne. From here. he related. he
walked fifteen miles toward Bushnell,
then was given a lift by another mo-
torist. and at about s.15 Saturday
afternoon reached Bushnell. He be-
lieved himself safe from pursuit. but
was determined to press on eastward
as soon as he could change his CLOTH
ing. battle his biistered feet and ob-
tain food at the Kusel shop, which he
entered after using a key concealed
outside the place He had been in
the shop only n quarter OF an hour
when there was the sound of a key in
swung open and officers walked in
and notified him he was under ar
the lock Of the front door. the door
rest. Later ther brought him to
Cheyenne, hero in the presence of
KuseI he was informed OF the man
ner in which he had been traced ard
thereafter made his confession.
The key he had thrown away in
the Chugwater thicket was Plumbers
undoing. It was found by Sheriff
Homer Payne OF Platte county. An
Identical key was found in Kusel's
Continued on Page Four.)