Evening star., 1936-03-01
SABOTAGE CASES..
REOPEN|NG Asked
u. S. Seeks to Present New
Evidence on Black Tom .
and KingsIand. ,
BY the Associated Press.

On the basis Of new evidence-in-
volving mysterious afldaWt-the
United States will launch before the
German-Ameriean Mixed Claimi
Commission on May IL an attempt
to reopen the famous Black Tom and
Kingsland World War sabotage"
cases.
The commission was revealed lasi
night to have set the mid-May date
for hearing arguments on the Amer
ican petition to lift the lid once more
on the explosion cases, involving
claims totaling $40.000,0 900.
At that time, representatives of thi,
Government will seek to put forward
what was authoritatively described as
evidence centering upon an afidavit
made by James Larkin. Irish labor
leader.
If the commission-consisting OF
Chandler p. Anderson, American
agent; Cictor L. F. H. Huecking, Ger
man agent, and Justice Owen j. Rob-
erts Of the Supreme Court, umpire
rules favorably to the United States,
the sabotage" cases will be reopened
for submission of the new evidence.
Germans Win Twice.
If the commission rules against
the American petition, the cases will
have been decided for the third time
in favor of Germany and the Mixed
Claims Commission thus would
virtually end its 14-year task of ad-
Indicating claims against Germany
growing out of the World War.
During that time it has handled
20,400 cases and made awards to
American claimants totaling $274 000,-
600. Of which $13s, ,00o, 900 has been
paid.
All but l53 alleged sabotage" cases
have been settled. Their settlement
hinges on the final award in the
Black Tom and Kingsland cases.
The afhdavit made by Larkin, who
was deported from New York in 1922
and is now secretary of the Irish Work
ers' Union in Dublin, already has been
filed with the Mixed Claims Commits
sion. Its details. however. have not
been made public officially.
Claims knowledge Of Spies.
Indications have been given in in
formed quarters, however, that Larkin
has made q sworn statement that he
has personal knowledge o the activ-
tiles of German spies and agents, link
ing them with the disasters in which
four were killed, many injured, and
800 carloads Of ammunition and vast
amount of property destroyed.
The Lehigh Valley Railroads rail-
way-water terminal at Black Tom,
near Jersey City, N. j., was destroyed
by an explosion July 80 1917, and the
Kingsland, N. j., ammunition plant
Of the Canadian Car and Foundry Co.
was blown up January II, 1916.
Larkin Is alleged to have sworn that
he overheard German spies plotting
the explosions in a German restaurant
IN New York City, and was offered a
Job assisting them in exploding a barge
alongside the terminal at Black Tom.
Several prominent Germans are al
legged to have been implicated.
First Settled in 1882.
The Black Tom K'ngsland cases
were first settled in December, 1882,
when the Mixed Claims Commission,
sitting at The Hague in Holland,
handed down decision in favor Of
Germany.
The United States was granted a re-
hearing to introduce newly discovered
evidence when Theodore Wozniak, at
whose bench in the Kingsland plant
it was alleged the disastrous fire
started. was found after 12-year
search.
Justice Roberts, as umpire, handed
down a decision in December, 1888. in
which he again held against the United
States, asserting he was unable to find
that Wozniak was a German agent. or
that the fire had started from an act
of Wozniak.
Some Of the secret spy messages. in
cluding one scribbled code across a
printed page in invisible ink, by which
1t was sought to prove German com.
plicity in the explosions. were held by
Justice Roberts to be mot authentic" I"