Evening star., 1939-09-27
Returned toU.S.
Got Gold Cache,
Bergdo|| Says
Droft Dodeer
Asserts He Retrieved
Hidden S 5000
By the Associated Press.


NEW YORK, Sept. 27.-Grover
Cleveland Bergdoll, World War draft
dodger, testified today that he re-
turned to the United States twice
from his self-imposed exile in Ger
many and recovered s105,00o in gold
he had hidden before his arrest.
Bergdoll went on trial before a
general court-martial today on
charges of desertion and escape
from military prison. The court
consists of 13 high-ranking Army
officers.
Bergdoll said his first trip back to
the United States was in 1929 when
he returned, by way of Montreal,
under the name of Joseph A. Mann,
hotel porter.
He entered the United States
through the Rouses Point. N. Y,
immigration station, stayed over
night in Trenton, N. j., and went
to Philadelphia the next day.
Went Back on Bremen.
He hid himself in the home of
his mother, Mrs. Emma Bergdoll,
on Wynnefleld avenue, he said, and
returned to Germany on the liner
Bremen in 1888.
When he left here to go back to
Germany Bergdoll said, he used the
name of Bennett Nash-the name
he used when he returned voluntar-
lily last May to surrender to the
military authorities
In October, 1885, Bergdoll testified,
he sailed from Southampton on
the Empress of Britain, again using
the name of Bennett Nash and
again came into the United States
by way of Rouses Point He was
here until October, 1898, he said.
He returned to Europe aboard
the German liner Europa.
Pot Of Gold Never Buried.
Bergdoll upset the widely pub
licized story of the pot of gold buried
in the Maryland hillside. 1t was
buried he said, in a closet in his
mothers home. He had hidden it,
he said. either in 1918 or in 1919,
and when he recovered it his mother
deposited it with the Philadelphia
banking firm of Weigand & Co.
Bergdoll had used a story of
buried gold to effect his escape
from Castle Williams, the military
prison on Governors Island, after
his conviction in the spring of 1920
on charge of desertion.
Military authorities believed him
when he said he had buried the
gold in an iron pot, and assigned
| two Army sergeants to guard him
while he went to Maryland to re.
cover it. They stopped in Philadel-
phia overnight and the next day
Bergdoll escaped.
Former Chauffeur Testifies.
Eugene ike" Stecher, Bergdolls
former chauffeur, testified today
they went to Canada and then to
England and Germany on false pass
ports, but said nothing of Bergdoll's
two trips back to this country
trips which had been rumored at
various times.
Stecher was the first witness called
after three motions by Harry Wein-
berger, civilian counsel for Berg
doll, had been denied All dealt
with technical phases of the case.
Stecher, now old and crippled,
hobbled into court on crutches.
Bergdoll's testimony was tempor-
arily interrupted when Weinberger
called a passenger agent of the
North German Lloyd Line to pro-
duce company records showing that
Bennett Nash" sailed from New
York aboard the Bremen on May
81, 1888, and occupied room 272.
Passed as Canadian.
Bergdoll testified the second time
he returned to the United States he
used the name of John Sparks
and told Canadian authorities he
was native of Winnipeg and want
ed to visit friends in New York for
six days.
When he left aboard the Bremen
in 1888, he said, he was not asked to
state his nationality or the date Of
his entrance into the United States.
He said he paid 10 cents to 60 on
,the pier as visitor and once there
purchased his passage.
The Army introduced a passport
application signed by Bergdoll on
October /, 1884, in Stuttgart, Ger
many. Bergdoll at that time swore
he had not been in the United
States since 1920.