The Washington times., 1922-01-27
KERN SL life.
READS LIKE
0M A n CE.
Valet and Nationally Known
Crook Became Millionaire Pro-
moter and Society Man.

moter and Society Man.
Sudden revelations Of tho early
Anseyfcdn career Of Martin E. Kern,
promoter, banker, and newspaper
publisher, supply material for q
story that reads like dime novel.
Kern 10 the man to whom A.
Mitchell Palmer later a member of
Woodrow Wilson's cabinet, sold the
Bosch Magnetic Company. Kern got
Il for about $4,000, 900, although It
70 sold to haVe been north great
deal more.
Palmer sold the Bosch Conpay to
Kern after Francis p. Garpen, tOho
succeeded Palmer as Alien Property
Custodian, had reported:
II haze made a complete tnvesti-
CATION into the circumstances sur
rounding the sale of the Bosch Mag
nsto Company and the character Of
the purchaser"
Kern has served t,0o terms in Sing
Sing prison and one in the Black
wells Island Penitentiary. His sec
ond term, that began IN Sing Sing,
ended IN Auburn prison, to (Which he
scas transferred.
Since his release from Auburn
prison In 1905, Kern has had . re-
mariSable career. This career has
made him:
A bank president.
A member of the exclusive Union
League Club Of PhilaldeHphia, of
golf and country clubs near Allen
to1on, Pennsylvania.
A ne,OspGper proprietor.
A brewery gunner.
The associate of men Of national
prominence.
Trailed by Nemesis.
Z In late years his steps have been
logged by q relentless Nemesis. The
story of the investigation into Kern's
early career has the thrills of a melo-
drama. No one seemed to think of
connecting Martin Il. Kern, who had
the confidence OF men like A. Mitch
ell Palmer and Francis p. Caravan
with Edward Kern, r., alias Emil
Brown, alias Theodore E. Manners,
graduate Of Blackwells Island. Sing
Felix d. Unger, general manager
of the Standard Investigation Blu
reau, of 1400 Broadway, is the Ne
mesis who uncovered Kern's early
criminal record. He identified Kern,
promoter Of the Bethlehem Motors
Corporation, which had $1,800,0o0
smash, as the thieving valet whose
absconding, in 1901, with the $50 900
in diamonds belonging to his EN-.
ployer, Paul @. Thebaud. was a cele-
brated criminal case a generation
ago.
Felix d. Unger investigated Kern
on behalf of Harvey T. Andrews,
who claims q 4 per cent interest in
the Bosch Magnetic Company.
BY q strange coincidence, Rudolph
Unger, q New York city detective,
and brother Of Felix Unger. was
q keeper on Blackwell's Island and
had charge Of Kern when the pres
ent bank president. newspaper pub
fisher and promoter had his first
taste of American prison life. Ru-
dolph Unger wildly remembers Kern
and has identified one of his 1921
pictures as that Of his early prisoner.
Kern spent year on the island for
swindiing August Mayer Of 800,
which Mayer had given him as a
deposit" to get q position in Kern's
ssreal estate" office.
Hero II the Martin e. Kern Of
today:
President Of the Penn Counties
Trust Company, leading banking
institution Of Allentown, Pa.
Owner and publisher Of the Allen
town Chronicle and News, an evening
newspaper OF 10000 circulation.
Proprietor Of the Daufer-L ieberman
Brewing Company, Of Allentown.
Exclusive owner Of the capital stock
Of the great Bosch Magnetic Com
many, 100000 to $5,000,000 cor
poration, which makes IS per cent Of
the magnetos used in American
motor cars.
Crony and client Of A. Mitchell
Palmer, late alien property custodian
and Attorney General in the Cabinet
Of Woodrow Wilson.
The man concerning whom the fol-
lowing remarkable letter is on file
in the office Of the alien property
custodian in Washington, despite the
fact that the Hearst newspapers have