San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-23
Six Of Germany's Wealthiest
Business Men Go
on Trial.
DID NOT OBEY FRENCH
Five Years in Jail or Prop
erty Confiscation
Likely.
by WILLIAM +. NASH.
Special Cable to The San Antonio Light
and the Chicago Daily News.
ConyriRht 1893


Mayence, Jan. 2S.-On Wednesday
morning in the massive pretentious
courthouse of Mayence, which now shelf
crs the grand general headquarters Of
the French army on the Rhine, there
will be brought to trial before French
council of war, six of the most in
fluentiaI business magnates in Germany.
They represent practically all that is
left of wealth and power in the land
of Bismarck and Kaiser Wilhelm ii.
The accused are Fritz Thyssen, Spindler,
Wucstenhoffer, Tengelmann, Olfe and
Hester, besides whom as fellow prison.
ers may be mentioned DryOn Schlutius,
the financial commissioner in Dusseldorf
and DIR. Offenbacher, customs inspector
in Mayence.
Herr Spindler is representative of
the gigantic SHINES interests. Fritz
Thysscn is the second richest man in
Germany and has numerous friends IN
the United States. Herr Ole is a
typical German selemade man who
started as miner. We is compara-
lively young man who won the iron
cross of the first class for distinguished
services in the war. Wuestenhoffer is
more than 60 years old and is reputedly
in i'll health. His son is now in Meyance
asking that he be tried in place Of
his father.
Possess Large Capital
Together they represent the whole Of
the metallgurical industry in the Ruhr
valley. with capital estimated at many
billions of dollars. All have been lodged
in the city Jail here to await the court
scene.
DIR. Friedrich Grimm, the famous law
yer of Berlin. has been engaged as chief
counsel for the defense. Two French
lawyers. NJ. DeClereq of Nancy and NJ.
Flach of Paris. with the possible addi-
ton of n third man whose name has
not been made known, have consented
10 act rs Grimm's assistant. Le-
Clereq is now in Mayence and Flacb
is expected 70 arrive tomorrow.
Lively consultations are going on today
between them to work out the best plan
Of procedure. On the military side, Col.
Debigny will act as president of the
wnr council and Captain Badin, ac-
companied by other officers, as CHIEF
prosecuting attorney.
1t rs not expected that the trial
will last more than one day. 1t is al
most a foregOne conclusion that a SEN
tcnce of guilty will be passed on the
ccal barons, who are accused Of wiltull
disebedienoe to French military orders
under a state of sege. The penalty for
this. under French military law, is i'm
prisonment for five years or less with
fines.
Maximum Penalty Likely.
Most observers consider 1t probable
that the maximum penalty will be inn
posed. Some hint that such large fines
will be demanded that the industrialists
will have to give up shares in their
business concerns TO pay them, thus
giving the French permanent foothold
In the Ruhr' valley.
The arguments for the defense rest
on two main points:
The competence of the French courts
in a legal sense, and violation of in
ternational law. especially The Hague
convention signed by French and Bel
GUM, which stipulates that "requlsl-
tions in kind or service in case oil
war cannot be demanded from municip-
alcs or private citizens in such way
that it partakes Of the nature Of war
like operations against their own gov
eminent"
In n way Thysseu, and his COM
panions have come to be regarded as
martyrs. A delegation comprising rep
resentatives of every class in Mayence.
including communists, lodged protest
against the arrest Of these men at the
r. snIar