The Barnwell people. (Barnwell, S.C.) 1884-1925, August 26, 1915, Image 2
A.
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INSIDE STORY OF LYNCHING OF
CONVICTED MURDERER
HE MADE NO CONFESSION
__ Second Attempt to Secure Victim
1 ■ ,
Succeed*—Pnseerby Is Held Up at
Pistol Point While Lynching Pro
ceeds—Prisonei' Was oNt Mistreat
ed by Mein tors of Mob Who Exe
cuted Him.
The murder of Leo M. Frank will
go unavenged by the law, nays a staff
correspondent of the New York
Times writing from Marietta, if it is
to be punished in the county where
it was committed. No Jury in Cobb
county would convict the murderers,
no grand Jury would indict them, no
official would undertake to prosecute
them.
This is not to say that Cobb coun
ty Is torrorixed, for it la not; it is to
say that the vast majority of its peo
ple, even those who deplore the
lynching as a violation of law, bo-
lleve that Frank got no more than
bis deserts, and that the mob simply
carried out the verdict of the law
after it had been arbitrarily set aside
by a governor who was a law part
ner of Frank’s lawyer.
The word mob does not seem de
scriptive, although it is correct, for
these men did not display the ordi
nary characteristics of a mob. There
was no outburst of rage, no dls
order; the whole thing was done with
order, method, and precision, and
with a military attention to details.
Lynching mobs are usually composed
of riff-raff, with a few leaders of a
higher order; but tills one consisted
of leading citizens in the community,
men prominent in busincsn and social
circles, and even in church.
Liquor played no part In it. as It
does in most lynchings. Tho lynch
ing had been planned for months,
and the plans of the conspirators
contemplated its carrying out on a
night several weeks ago, but the au
thoritles learned of it in some way
and it was postponed until last Mon
day a week.
Thdse leading citizens i re to-day
taking their leading p^rts In the
city's business and social affairs, with
no sign upon them of guilty con
science, for they havo none. Their
consciences approve them, and what
thny hear from their fellow citizens
wherever they go adds to tleir self-
approval. for the city approves them
Held to Have Vindicated Iaw.
They are regvrded not merely as
men who can plead Justification, but
as men who prevented a miscarriage
of Justice and saved the It.w from
being set aside and mocked by a m-n
who happened to fill tho governor's
•chair. There are in Marietta men
•who do not rpprovo their act bc-
•cause of the respect for tho forms of
law, but even these believe that the
spirit cf it wna set at naught by the
governor, and not one of these men
—who are fen-—would think of re
fusing to shako hands with one of
ths lynchers or Introducing him to;
his wife or revealing his identity to
nn officer of the law.
Elsewhere than in Marietta there
Is much of tho same sentiment, but
there is a division. There are, but
outside of Cobb county, men who
fear the growth of the mob spirit
after such a dramatic aud opectacu-
lar exhibition and who would like to
Lake measures to curb It. Many of
them are in Atlanta. Many even of
these bolievo Frank guilty and arc
concerned not with him but with tho
future of the state. They are con
sidering the taking of stepa to bring
about the punlshmer.t of hla slayers
for that reason alone, but they do not
know what steps to take.
Frank was carried...through four
counties by htr, captors and some of
those who would liko to have them
punished talk of having them in
dicted in some one of the three that
were traversed before Ccbb county
was reached. Lawyers of. promi
nence cay that under federal law they
could not be indicted anywhere but
in Cobb county for murder; in Bald
win county, where Frank was taken,
they could bo indicted for abduction,
but not murder, and in neither of
the remaining two counties could
they bo indicted for anything.
Nobody talka oeriously of the in
vestigation Gov. Harris is promising,
and there are very few who believe
there is the slightest chance of any
of the murderers being put to any
grave trouble, much less punished.
They are known to many of the citi
zens of Marietta, who would die
rather than reveal their knowledge
or even their suspicion.
Marietta in a Deadly Mood.
Marietta to-day is in a mood of
braced purpose and resolve. Every
stranger who comes into town is un
der .observation the moment he ar
rives. Its mood is one of determina
tion to protect the men who, in its
eyes, executed the law after it had
been trampled, on. It is resolved
that not a h ir of their tveads shall
be harmed. Detectives or other per
sons who Can not give a satisfactory
acebunt of themselves aro not want
ed in Marietta, and it would be os
well for them not to insist on know
ing why. Marietta once came within
an ace of- lynching Detectiv.. William
J Burns for his visit there in the
Interest of Frank,'YinJ Marietta then
was only angry- To-day Marietta is
in a mood.of high resolve.
' The killing of Leo Frank was car
ried out by these Marietta, people—
for they were from Marietta—in the
firm belief that they were execution-
era ot Justice, and every detail of
their •proceedings shows that they
were aetieg. H» theis own minds, as
Mch. <JroUM«e “ ** may •** m
where. Marietta sses notkiag fro
th# fact that, before haaf-
of the head ta-
Mt the eeateece
beet to be car
ried out and asked him formally if
he had aaythlng to aay.
Frank was carried 176 .miles In
order that he might be put to death
at Mary Phagac’s former home. This
was done In spite of the fact that
poaaes were upon tho track of the
abductors. It was not done from
any ferocious motive of Inflicting
unnecessary pain, as is shown by the
fact that Frank was not harmed in
any- wr.y before his death, but be
cause it seemed to their minds of a
piece with the Justice they conceived
themselves to be executing. The
whole affair was carried out methodi
cally and with a plodding following
out of prearranged details.
The murderers had not only plan
ned tho crime for months, but had
arranged its mechanispi scientifically;
and only ono of tho elements in it
went wrong.* That was the plan for
the Junction of two parties at Mil
ledgevillo at 10 o'clock, the hour for
which the abduction was planned
That clmply postponed tho kidnap
ping urftil midnight, and resulted in
the hanging of Frank in broad day
light instead of at a little rfter dawn
That slight alteration was the only
change made necessary by any hitch
in the arrangements.
Did Not Beg for His Ufe.
Leo Frank died bravely. He did
hot beg for his life; indeed, he did
not say anthlng except when ho was
spoken to, and then he answered col
lectedly. Hla bductors had little to
say to him,'as was in keeping with
the character they wero in their own
eyes—tho character of officers of
Justico, sternly and c lently executing
a sentence already d^ rood by a regu
lar tribunal.
How this delusion could have set
tled upon a whole community may
be hard to understand. But the ox-
tent to which it went may bo under
stood by the fact th;.t tie lynchers
would have with them no men of
lawless character or bad reputation.
The lawless and the violent mon of
Cobb county, those with a celebrity
as such, were not permuted to know
what was going on. and would not
have been permitted to participate.
After the hanging theso violent and
lawless elements, furious at having
been Ignored, tried to take their ven
geance on tbo dead body, and Geor
gia was saved from an added’ shame
by the courage and energy of one
man, Judge Nowtcn A. Morris.
This man is the horo of one of tho
most dramatic events in tho whole
strange history of the Frank cose.
The story of the wild scene around
Frank's body has not yot boen fully
told. It will be told here.
Judge Morris Is the man who saved
William J. Burns fiom lynching by
taking him out through a mob bent
upon having his life, convoying him
through tho midst of them and escap
ing with him in an automobile. His
motive, then, wra no concern for
Burns, but deep concern fo» the good
name of Georgia, and the s me mo
tive, no concern for Leo Frrjik. led
him to save his state from the dis
grace of a scone of Indian barbarity.
The men of substance and stand
ing, the house-fathers, the educated
men and church mombers. who plan
ned the death of Leo Frank, had in
tended to carry It out several weeks
ago. There was a leak of some kind,
no one ever knew exactly what.
There was no treachery In their
ranks, so far as anybody ever dis
covered, but something happened
which gave the authorities a hint,
and on the day planned there were
soldiers about the penitentiary.
_ Machinen From Other Places.
New plans had to be, made, and
Monday was fixed upon as the date.
The conspirators left Marietta at
about four o'clock in the afternoon.
They got thoir automobiles at differ
ent places. They did not go together.
They did not pick each other up on
the road. They wore not to heet or
to see each other until they met at
the rendezvous near the penitentiary.
The reason for not using Marietta
machines, as least any considerable
number of them, was that in an in
vestigation it would be immediately
assumed that the lynchers came from
Marietta, and the whereabouts of the
Marietta cars would bo the first sub
ject of inquiry. In fact, thero has
been such go inquiry, and the move
ments of practically every public
automobile in Marietta throughout
that night have been accounted for.
One chauffeur was thought to be un
able to account for his car, but he
finally produced a satisfactory record.
In this methodical scheme it was
arranged that the main party, which
consisted of twenty-five men, should
have nothin! to do with tho prelimi
naries, but should simply proceed to
the rendezvous and take charge of
the kidnapping. There was another
party, consisting of fifteen men, who
were to cut the wires and then join
the main party at the rendezvous.
For some reason which the New York
Times correspondent has been unable
to learn this party failed to carry
out the arrangements. It cut all the
wires but one, and then failed to get
to the rendezvous.
The fact that one wire was left un
cut has been accounted for on the
theory that the “Milledgeville party,”
as the lynchers call that division
which had the wire-cutting contract,
did not know that wire was in use.
It may be, instead,'that whatever It
was that prevented them from reach
ing the rendezvous prevented them
also from cutting that last wire. The
members of the ‘‘Milledgeville party
and the '^Marietta party” undoubt
edly know, but they have not told.
Not to be Balked This Time.
At any rate, the “Marietta party ’
waited for two hours for the “Mil
ledgeville party.” The reason for
meeting at ten o’clock was the same
as the reason for leaving at three and
four o'clock; it was designed to get
to Marietta by about four or five in
the morning, in order that Frank
should be hanged In the dawn, before
many people were stirring. The fail
ure of the “Milledgeville party’’ foil
ed that scheme, but did not in the
least Interfere with the cool and in
veterate determination of the lynch
ers. They had to hang him in broad
daylight, and hang him in broad day
light tbay did. -
When tba two hours were off the
dWlded to wait no longer,
oacladbd that the aeheme had
oat agala, as it had do** oa
and that the
cepted. Probably, they said, a posae,
“Milledgeville party*' had been inter-'
or even soldiers, might be then on
their track. Again, this did not In
terfere with their determination.
They were resolved that this time
Frank must die, whether the plan
had been discovered or not, and they
proceeded at once to the attack on
the penitentiary.
While the fear that officers of the
law might be on their track did not
interfere with : their execution of the
plan, it did'make them hurry a good
deal and tried tHeir nerves some
what. This is the reason why Frank
was rushed down the stairs so rough
ly that be could not always suppress
a groan, steady and silent as fie was
throughout; but he did not speak a
word, nor did they to him. They
made the 176 miles by 6 o’clock, or
very near it, but they were obliged to
take, circuitous routes to avoid the
towns and cities. For hours before
they ended their Journey, men were
hunting around for them, and one of
them was the Night Chief of Police of
Marietta, N. B. White.
How the News Get Out.
What had happened was that
through the one wire which the
“Milledgeville party” left uncut word
had gone to the outside world. At
3 o'clock in the morning Joslah Car
ter, Jr., the Marietta correspondent
of the Associated Press, was called
on tile telephone and told that Frank
had been kidnapped and probably
would be lynched and left on Mary
Phagan’s grave.
Carter called up Night Chief
White, and the two went out to the
cemetery; they found no corpse lying
on the grave and no sign of any visi
tors. Then they hunted around the
neighborhood, but found nothing,
and went back to town. All this
time the lynchers, rushing through
the night in their four automobiles,
were circling the towns nearby and
getting nearer and nearer.
Mary Phagan spent most of her
short life in a house on the last out-
skirt of Marietta. After you pass
the House you come to a patch of
woods, and the rest are woods and
country. There is a tree nearly op
posite the house, and, a little way
up, the road forks. Beyond is a
gin, owned by ex-Sheriff William
Frey. Frey* saw the automobiles go
by and turn up the road, and he
recognized Frank. It was daylight
then, and Frey decided to go Into
town and see what had happened.
He did not know It, but he could
have seen what had happened if he
had gone on a five-minute walk up
the road and turned! Into the woods.
It was broad daylight and everybody
was on the road who had any busi
ness there.
Warned Away With Revolver*.
Several men doing surveying work
on the railroad came up to the fork
In the road. The automobiles went
by them and stopped in front of the
patch of woods. The surveyora start
ed to go up the road to see what was
going on. A man came from the au
tomobiles with a revolver in his hand
and told them to move the other way
and to do H quickly. They did it
very rapidly.
It was a fairly populous road for
the open country, but it must be re
membered that it was practically in
the city of Marietta. Frey had seen
the machines, the surveyors had re
ceived that pressing invitation to
move quickly only a little distance
from his gin, and now there came
down the road a man named Chan
dler. He saw the automobiles stop;
In fact, he waa almost upon them,
though coming from the othlr direc
tion than that the surveyors had been
taking.
A man stepped fprward with a re
volver levelled at him and told him
to stand where he was and make no
move. Chandler became a statue.
As he stood there he saw Leo Frank
step down from one of the automo
biles and walk into the woods. There
was a man on each side Of him.
Nobody but the lynchers saw what
went on In the woods, and orfe of
them did not see it. He was the man
with the revolver, who stood guard
in the road.
The Tragedy in the Woods.
Throughout the entire trip Frank
had been silent and quiet. When he
went into the woods the lynchers
ranged .themselves around him, and
their leader said, formally and cold
ly, without any heat:
"Mr. Frank, we are now going to
do what the law said do—hang you
by the neck until you are dead. Do
you want to make any statement be
fore you die?’’ •
Jn telling this story it must be re
membered that we have not Frank’s
version, arid never will have it. We
have only the lynchers' word for it.
We can presumably rely on their
account as to what they said them
selves, and for Frank’s answers we
must take their report and analyze it
each for himself. Their story is,
then, that Frank answered calmly
^rith the one word: “No.”
The leader then said—and he
seems to have, done practically all the
little talking that was done by any
body that night, either at the peni
tentiary .or elsewhere, and this seems
to have been Jay agreement:
“We want lo know whether you
are guilty or innocent of killing little
Mary PTiagan." 1
To this, according to the lynchers’
story, Frank replied:
"I think more of my wife and my
mother thpn I do of my own life.”
. He did not ask permission to write
a letter, ha made no request of any
kind. He behaved throughout with
a calmness and diknity and an utter
lack of panic that was a striking a
thing, in its ,way, as the grave and
sombre executioner-like attitude of
his murderers. Whether be said what
the lynchers say he said; whether, if
he sSid it, he meant that* he would
not confess a crime to save his life,
or merely that he would not He to
save It; whether he-said more or less,
and whether he was rightly under
stood or misunderstood, no one will
ever kpow. ’ Whatever the truth,
what Leo Frank aaid then was the
last thing he ever said in thla Ufe.
No Cry for, Mercy,
There waa no err for mercy when
the lynchers produced a piece of
browa canvas, placed It around hla
waist sad tied It behind him. He waa
aa undershirt- and a tight shirt, and
*v
BRINGS JT FACTS
NEW YORK WORLD. PUBLISHES
SOME GERMAN DOCUMENTS
tba following para-
STARTLING DISCLOSURES
How. tijermfna. are Preventing the Al
lies From Getting War Materials—
Huge Propaganda to Alter Ameri
can' Public Opinion—Enormous
Factory Built by Germans.
(The Orangeburg Times and Demo
crat.)
In the publication of a series of
startling disclosures, fully pro
tected by the copyright laws of
this country. The New York World
is gradually unfolding one of the
most startling chapters in the his
tory of the war now raging. The
World has by some means un
known come into possession^ the
letters and reports of many Ger
man confidential agents and offi
cials In this country, which tend
to show that* there Is in operation
an enormous propaganda In tills
country In the Interests of Ger
many, that cash to turn public
favor to the side of Germany has
been freely suppUeu, and that
some of the facts have been at
least with the knowledge of the
accredited representatives of the
German governemnt, although
they have not yet been directly
implicated in the performance of
a ny of the acts themselves.
On Sunday The World began its
articles, and in that issue showed
that George Sylvester Viereck. editor
and publisher of Tho Fatherland, an
ardent pro-German paper in New
York, received and acknowledged the
payment of f250, and was expecting
to secure $1,500 more f r the month
of June.
It seems from the letter published
that the editor fully realized the na
ture of his transact on would not
bear the light of day r he “suggests
that the payments be made to my
personal friend and lawyer. Ely
Simpson, whose standing as my legal
adviser would exempt him from any
possible inquiry” Elsewhere in the
same letter he says: “I am sending
this letter by boy. as for obvious rea
sons I do not wish it to go through
the mails.’’
The letter from Viereck was ad
dressed to Dr. Albert, who The World
claims Is a representative of the Ger
man government. His answer which
was unsigned expressed the hope of
paying the amount requested in the
next week. '• It also talked of a flnan
cial control of the paper and an “un
derstanding regarding the course in
politics which you will pursue.”
Other memoranda are said to show
that the Austrian government placed
several thousand feet o' moving pic
tures to be displayed in the moving
picture houses of this country. The
Times snd Democrat several month*
ago received an offer of a picture en
titled “The Galician Drive,” and
which wa» made by the American
Correspondent Film Company, of
which M. B. .C’ausscn is president.
The World also charges that M. B.
Claussen wrote to Dr. Albert that be
had a thirty-day option for a con
trolling interest In the American
Press Association, a $1,600,000 cor
poration. located in New Rork and
with branch offices In seventeen
cities. The cost was expected to be
$900,000, and the idea was to estabr
lish a news service by means of tick
ers, whose patents are controlled by
the Presd* Association.
In a long and detailed report made
for Berlin the German ambassador
and Dr. Albert give a careful study
of the plan to estab 'sh a news bu
reau and a icctu'o bureau in this
country, with an estimate as to its
probable cost, ar.J a favorable rec
ommendation of the scheme. In the
was embroidered a name which look
ed more like “Lee” than Leo. Per-
liaps it was a pet name known to the
one who gave him, or embroidered
the garment.
He had been handcuffed, and they
had brought with them a brand-new
three-quarter-inch manila rope,
which they tied in a hangman s not,
so as to throw his head back and his
chin up. They swung him to that
three which came nearest to facing
Mary Phagan's house, and he hung
there, his body four feet from the
ground.
It was 7 o'clock. The cerpetery
was beginning to fill with people—
had been so filling for half an hour—.
for the news that had come to Carter
had been telephoned all over town
by persons whom he called up in
search of information, and everybody
who heard it was heading for Mary
Phagan’s grave. Meanwhile William
Frey, seeking to find out the mean
ing' of Frank’s strange automobile
| report orcurs
puph:
“The news sent out moat not
make the impression of being pat
oat for propaganda purposes. Al
though its principal Valne la baset
on its being pro-German, its suc
cess depends upon the aublety of
presentation.”
It Is also stated that the Foreign
office would hrve to lot the bureau
have a permit to telegraph daily by
wireless about 3,000 to 4,000 words.
The writer of the report goes on to
recommend the reaching of the rural
communities by furnishing news and
pictures to agencies which send elec-
trotyped plates of “boilerplate” to
small papers.
It Is charged, and a 1 tier support
ing the contention, is published
showing that thej-German chancellor
himself caused to be sent tq-Ambas-
sador Bernstorff a letter recommend
ing that the expenses of Edward
Lyeli Fox, a war correspondent, be
paid by the German Information Ser
vice, because of the fact’tttat''l|ie had
been “of great benefit to us by rea
son of his good dispatches.”
It is also charged that the German
governmnet or German in'erests had
an agent at work trying to buy The
New York Mail, and that another
agent advised the establishment of a
moving picture and lecture bureau,
by means of which such men as Con
gressmen Gardner and Hobson, Sen
ator Beveridge, Henry Reuterdahl
and Burr McIntosh might be used
without their knowledge in creating
interest la Americanism through the
exploitation of the dangers which
this country might face from Eng
land and Japan. x
According to The World, the
agents of Germany made many ef
forts to foment strikes in domestic
establishments manufacturing -muni
tions of war, with the connivance of
disloyal labor leaders and agitators.
It is said that recent strikes at the
works of the Standard Oil Company
at Bayonne, N. J., at the Remington
Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Com
pany. in Connecticut, at the Bliss
Torpedo Company In Brooklyn, and
in motor car concerns in Cleveland
and other places were caused by the
work of foreign agents, who were
Interested in hindering the fulfill
ment of contracts held by enemies
of their enemies. .
A letter Is published which ia said
to be one sent to the Military At
tache of the Imperial German Em
bassy. with an tnclosure. The letter
from C. Dencker estimates that $50,-
000 would be sufficient to call a
strike among the iron-workers In the
munitions plants at Detroit, Cleve
land and Cincinnati. The enclosure
from C. W. McLane breaches the sub
ject of possible negotiations between
.the embassy and himself for the pur
poses of reaching an agreement to
call a general strike of all auto
mobile workers, who “are very much
dissatisfied with the part they are
playing in the European war. and
that with the proper handling they
would present a mighty protest.”
Some of the dlsclesures centre
about the military attache of the
German embassy at Washington. Cap
tain von Pap eft. who took steps to
secure a virtual monopoly upon the
available supply of liquid chlorine,
which ia used largely in the new
method of killing the enemy by as
phyxiation. This captain makes a
most memorandum of his acltlvltles.
outlining a talk with a representa
tive of the Goldschmidt Detinning
Company, which is one of the three
companies In the United States which
manufactures the liquid chlorine in
large quantities.
Capt. von Papen says the Allies
have l>een carrying on negotiations
for three and five-year contracts for
all the available supply, especially
since the battle of Ypres. They were
operating through Dalbrun (Italian)
but according to von Papen the Gold
schmidt company would not sell
them any because of Its German ori
gin in ownership. Of the other two,
which were American concerns, the
Castner Chemical Company of Buf
falo, had closed contracts with
France, and is delivering fifty to sev
enty-five tons monthly.
The Electro Bleaching Gas Com
pany of the same place, had not up
to the time of (’apt. von Papen’s re
port sold any chlorine to the Allies
but the alluring prospects of the
great profits were becoming so great
that it.would not long restrain itself.
The captain suggests a plan for pre
venting this, but nothing of the na
ture of the suggestion is outlined in
the letter.
The New York paper claims to
have in its possession correspondence
which shows that the German chan
cellor and Ambassador von Bernstorff
received regular reports of the cru
sade against the shipments of arms
and jimmunition. This movement has
had various Jorms but so far has had
no result. In almost every element
of society these agents have appear
ed, says the paper, in the form of
labor agitators, peace propagandists,
lecturers, and in certain instances,
officials of the government have aid
ed the movement. In the South every
effort w'as made to stir up a feeling
against Great Britain on account of
her actions against cotton. Senator
Hitchcock and Congressman Buchan-
ride. had come into town, and there
he encountered Carter and White.Ian were supposed to be favorable to
The - moment they heard .his story
they saw that here was the clue to
thq failure to find the body at Mary
Phagan’s grave, and they went back
with him to the fork in the roads.
The automobiles had plainly come
that far, for Frey had seen them, and
they certainly had not gone much
farther, or Carter and White would’-
have seen them. They began beat
ing up the woods, and in a few min
utes came upon the body.
Not only was the news all over
town immediately, but it was flash
ing to all points of tho compass, afitV
all over that part of the state men
were climbing into automobiles and
dashing off for Marietta”-Ask for the
city itaelf, it turned o'ut in a body.
At the cars passed men jumped for
them and swung aboard. No man
who halted a machine waa asked
where he wanted to go; he waa taken
at top speed for the end of the tovp,
for the little patch of woods that be
gan thp open country. Just past Mary
Phagan't home. At tho end of the
Journey tho
the German idea. A report which
goes very fully into these details
contained this significant sentence:
“I must refrain from corqqlunigating
the above facts in my report to the
ambassador, as the matter could be
too easily compromised thereby. Per
haps you will find an opportunity to
inform Count von Bernstorff ver
bally.’!
TJie report, which is signed by P.
Reiswitz, tells of an intention to se
cure an option op the Wright aero-
pland plant, and thus by th& pur
chase of their patent rights prevent
the manufacture of aeroplanes for
the Allies. In the opinion of the
writer $50,000 would acquire such
control for a period of one year.
Financial agent Albert also receiv
ed reporta bearing upon the British
embargo and one of them suggested
the promotion of the movement re
cently started in Texas Jn favor of
influencing the administration M
Washington to cut off the export of
ammunition or of cotton. Recent ad-
that the
ted
upon, ia the opinion of The World.
After showing its its Issue of Mon
day and Sunday the above outline *
the German ^activities in effort"
create *61111111001 and prevent ini
livery of munitions ta the AlMes
World pn Tuesday mad(» public
the first time that Germany
has been secretly planping to 1
munitions, although pro’
against the shipment of such to the
enemy counties.”
Evidence included in the corre
spondence which The World shbvs
1 that the German government Is fin
ancing a plan to insure for itself the
output of at least one concern in this
country which manufactures shrap
nel casings, although the method of
delivery and shipment are not dis
closed. The memorandum of the
contract between the Bridgeport Pro
jectile Company, of Bridgeport,
Conn., which is owned by persons
unknown, and Hugo Schmidt, a rep
resentative of the German govern
ment. It was referred to and ap
proved by Dr. Albert, Capt. von
Ptfpen and N. R. Ltadjeim, by Carl
Heynan, who is said to be an agent
of the German government.
The Projectile Company waa ne
gotiating a contract for all the out
put of the Aetna smokeless powder
from December 23 and in May secur
ed offers of antimony. At no place
in the contract aro the parties re
ferred to by their real names, the
fictitious use of the letter A and B
serving as symbols for the principals.
One of the most significant para
graphs in the entire contract is the
statement that by the purchase of
all the powder available in the Unit
ed States up to January 1, 1916, all
the prospective contractors for com
plete shrapnel rounds who applied
to the Aetna for powder and were
advised by them that the Bridgeport
Projectile company was thejmly con
cern that had powder to furnish—
(tho-only other manufacturers—-tjje
du Pont company—having all
output contracted for into 1
have applied to the Bridgeport
jectile company for 1 ids on com
shrapnel rounds, and such req
have come from representatives o
the allied nations.”
This seems to show that the Rus
sian and English governments un
aware of the ownership of the
Bridgeport concern or of the control
over its output had made offers to
secure it and were planning to make
bona fide proposals. Mr. Heynon
said that when proposals were re
ceived from the governments a coun
cil of war would havj to be held to
discuss whether the company would,
accept orders without on Indemnity
clause for non-fulfillment, the evi
dent Inference being that the pur
chasers were to be left in the lurch.
Mr. Heynan also gives assurances
that the presses necessary In the
manufacture of such stuff had been
securely tied up aud that aa a result
the Allies had to contract for shrap
nel casings to be manufactured from
bar steel*, by boring Instead of forg
ing, which is said to be an unaatisfac-*
tory method. The factory buildings
of the Bridgeport Projectile com
pany are nearly completed and oper
ations will begin about September 16.
The nominal officerf of the concern
are Walter H. Knight, formerly of
New York, president; Carl Heynan,
formerly of New York, treasurer, aud
Carl Foster, counsel. Its Incorporat
ed capital was $2,000,000, paid in
last March.
Another interesting d at Is reveal
ed by the memorandum of the plans
of Dr. Hugo Schweitzer of New York.
ho Is frankly recognized as the
agent of the German government
and shows a plan to secure control of
$1,400,000 worth of phenol (carbolic
acid) from the factory of Thomas A.
Edison.
There is an agreement between Dr.
Schweitzer and the American OH and
Supply company and under the terms
of the contract the American com
pany turned over to the doctor its
contracts with Thomas A. Edison,
under which it was entitled to have
manufactured and delivered to It ot
912,000 pounds of phenol in daily
shipments of 6,000 pounds eacj
working day from July 1. 1915,
December 1, 1915, and 300,0^
pounds to be delivered between Jan
uary 1, 1916, and March 31, 1916,
or 4,000 pounds each working day.
One hundred thousand dollars v4as
deposited in a New York bank to pro
tect the American Oil and Supply
company, which ‘ further agreed to
transfer to Dr.- Schweitzer under the
same terms any additional quantities
of phenol which thty . might obtain
from any source. The date of the
agreement is June 22, 1915.
The Dr. Schweitzer mentioned
the president of an association wjnch
was organized recently In New/Fork
for the purpose of establishing a
paper in New York which wbuld be
“honestly neutral.” /
The documents also shoW that Ger
man agents wero employed to Insti
gate troubles for the purpose pf hold
ing up allied war slApments, that
$50,000 was suggested as a suitable
fund to cause a tie-up in the automo
bile business, and, that; several labor
leaders were selling ou* their inter
ests who offered them money.
Efforts to buy up all the available
chlorine, gunpowder, and certain ma
chinery necessary for making shells
are shown to have met with good suc
cess, and it is asserted that so com
pletely were the allied representa
tives in ignorance of the owpership
of a huge projectile company that the
Russian and British ftgnts actually
talked business with representatives
of the German capitalized plant.
-Over a million dollars worth of
phenol, which the Edison company
was under contract to deliver t<y the
American Oil and Supply company,
must now be delivered to a German
agent who has bought out the Inter
est of the oil company (n the ripntr
and stands subrogated to their
to demand delivery.
, . *
Confessed Ten Murders
Ten men were killed by William
McGriff, a negro handed at Moultrie.
Oa., Ttruraday. according to a con
fession he made on the gallows. He
was executed for the murder of W
8. Washington, a wealthy nival
atorea factor, near Monltrie Jnly u.
1111. On the same day be killed two
Dan “