Evening star., 1922-06-19
8 INDICTED IN PLOT
To SHIP MACHINE
GUNS TO IRELAND
G. G. Rorke and F.B. 0chsen-
ritter of Washington Among
Men Held in Trenton.
By the Associated Press.

TRENTON, N. j.. June 19.-Col. Mar
cellus Fl. Thompson. vice president and
active head of the Auto Ordnance Com
pany of New York, has been indicted by
the federal grand jury here on a charge
OF conspiracy to ship arms to Ireland
in violation OF the neutrality laws. The
announcement was made today by AS
sistant United States District Attorney
Thomas V. Arrowsmth.
Indictments have also been returned
against the Auto-Ordnance Company
and seven other individuals on the same
charge, as the result of the seizure at
Hoboken last June of the Cosmopoli-
tan Line freighter East Side. in the coal
bunkers of which were found 4e5 ma
chine guns. The guns were alleged to
have been destined for use by the Sim
Fein in Ireland.
Washington Men In List
The other individuals indicted are:
Frank Williams. alias Lawrence De
Lacy. alias Lawrence Pierce, who Is al
legged to have paid for the shipment of
guns. and his brother. Fred Williams,
alias Edward De Lacy, who is alleged
to have been implicated in the purchase
Of the guns. Both are now believed to
be in Ireland.
George Gordon Rorke. a salesman of
Washington, who is alleged to have
placed an order for the guns with the
Auto Ordnance Company.
Frank j. Merkhng. secretary of the
Auto-Ordance Company.
Frank B. Ochsenriter Of New York
and Washington, who Is accused of
placing the frsts order for some of the
guns with the Auto Ordinance Com
pany.
John Culhane, a truckman of New
York, who Is alleged to have carted
the guns from the American Railway
Express Company In New York to his
storehouse in the Bronx for Frank
williams.
Mr. Brophy, whose first name is
unknown to the federal authorities,
shipment from Culhane's storehouse
to the East Side.
The guns were manufactured by the
Colt Patent Arms Company of Hart
ford. Conn. and are alleged to have
been sold by the Auto-Ordnance Com
pany. Their inventor Is said to be
Gen. John T. Thompson. father of Col.
Thompson. The latter is son-in-
law of Col. George Harvey. American
ambassador to Great Britain. There
was considerable mystery about the
guns after their seizure and an in
vestigation was started by the United
States Shipping Board and the De-
partment of Justice. Frank Williams
claimed ownership of the guns after
the seizure. He declared he had pur-
chased number of guns through the
AutO-Ordnance Company and stored
them in a warehouse. He said they
had been stolen from the warehouse
and asserted he did not know how
they got on the ship.
Rorke Out on $4,000 Bail.
Rorke later was arrested and was
released on $4,000 bail. He is said to
have admitted that he sold the guns
to a group of strange men.
The indictments were returned by
the January federal grand jury. which
concluded it's work in April. In
formation concerning the indictments
was withheld. 1t was indicated. be-
cause of the inability to reach some of
those indicted.
The technical indictment against
the men as body charged them with
"Conspiracy to set on foot and pro-
vide the means for military enterprise
TO be carried on against the territory
of foreign prince with whom the
United States was at peace.