Show HUN GOLD COLD BUYS SHIPS CARRYING AMERICAN FLAG 1 Milwaukee aukee 1 Citi tl reli Acts Un t del cler Berlins Berlin's Orders to j. j Deceive U. U Sten S. S I Xe ten New York Sept Sent 4 On 4 On the ground lound loundo o of German ownership tho the American Trans Atlantic company compan which until Its Us ships w wore ro commandeered b by the shipping board hoard lat last Octo October er operated oper a fleet of ot eleven elc steamships flying tho the Stars and Stripes linn has beer beep 1 taken over o 1 tj- tj the alien n Property custodian lan Richard G O. O a tho the thom m n l orn head hend of ot time tha t e concern ter cr three years sears deceived ed the tha American government govern govern- government ment mont with truly Prussian l arrogance according to Francis P. P Garvan investigator investigator lI es ligator for tor the custodian Mr Garvan Gar raid aid Wagner deceived d British and French trench prize cou courts rt for or t throe h roo years yearn as ns asto asto to the tho real o of the property Mr Garvan Gar who mado made public a summary summary sum sum- mary of or Wagner s activities said ld the ships were bought with German gold old and anI the company compan was or organized can I zed d eight months 11 after the ut outbreak reak of or hostilities hostilities hostilities ties with funds which Count von Berni Bern Dern- i caused to be transmitted hero for Wagner's Wagners n ner benefit Wagner n ner under the examination of ofIr Mr Ir Garvan GaT protested the ships were Am American owned but hut finally confessed that the backing of or this thin venture to keep keell German Gorman commerce on tho hl high h scar peas camo came from om German shipping In- In ts c r r s Ii c SlI Suspicions i n w were scone u entertained le t i c rb ors by th this Is government O f from Crom the thc time tine that t Wagner Wag wag- ner ger sought to have ha his el eleven elen en ships then flying neutral flags flaSs transferred to Am American registry At the time the ships of ot the company were commandeered commandeered com com- b by the th shipping board a as were oth other I ships flying the American flag Jag tho the na navy department It Is known refu refused d to deliver to the commanders confidential Instructions notions and other naval naval na na- na- na val al secrets because they the were not American citizens Tho rho American Atlantic Trans company declined to remove e the thc commanders and the tho nav navy department It Is said was obliged to place place- laco a naval officer aboard each ship from rom whom the alien skipper received reCCI his sailing Calling directions f Wagner's Wagners ships were reported at various arlous times to have o been supplying German n raiders with provisions pro and to o have nave conveyed German gold from the united sited States for use In ii South AmerIca Amer Amer- ica but these charges Wagner Indignantly Indig Indig- denied always alwa's protesting his hist t Americanism t L In citing these reports Mr Garvan I recalled that Wagner Was had published a halt half page c advertisement ad offering n a u. u re reward reward re- re ward of ot to an any one who could produce evidence e that his ships had been supplying German raiders and at another J time offered to any anyone one who wo would I prove ro e the American TransAtlantic Trans Trans- Atlantic com company pan was German owned Three of or Wagners Wagner's ships were seized h by the British and one b by the French during 1915 and in the prize courts testimony testimony tes tes- Indicating German backing for the American Trans Atlantic company compan Was secure secured i These Thess seizures said ld Mr Ir Garvan Gar were were made the basis of oC a master ef effort erfort er- er fort of ot Bernstorff's Bernstorf's German In the United States Resort wa was i had to e cr every device to arou arouse e hatred I ill feeling In this countr country a against I Great drent Britain Under the direction of ot oton yon ton on the agitation assumed wide nation proportions Wagner Ya n r Insisted the ships were ere purchased purchased pur pur- chased with wIth American monc money and claimed that the American Investors In the company compan were ere entitled to protection pro pro- tt and left lett nothing undone to take Advantage antage of or this agitation against the thEl British German Germany Is h VIed aJner agner coming on from Milwaukee I I where ho he was born under the name of ot six fifty lx years rs ago the son of ot a n German father w went nt to Germany German In D December 1911 and visited vis vis- Hugo wealthy wealth German ship owner and nd coal operator Then he went ent to Copenhagen where he saw Albert Jensen his cousin mana manager er of or ofa a a. coal concern oWn owned 11 b by Stinnes He Ire made an au arrangement with Jensen to purchase a fleet of or neutral merchant vessels vessel Jensen to provide pro the mone money and Wagner agner to return to America and have havo them placed under American registry reg reg- through h 3 an n American company compan which he would organize While In Germany he tried to bu buy an nn uncompleted uncompleted uncompleted tank steamer there and induced Ambassador Gerard to cable the United Unit Unit- ed Pd States commissioner of navigation allon as to ills his attitude toward placing the ship shIll under American re registry On his return Wagner t. t ner organized the American Trans Atlantic At company with a fac face c capitalization of or 2 with the the expectation of getting from Jensen J Jensen was dilatory dilator Mr f- f Garvan Garvan's statement says and md at this this' point Count Counton von on Bernstorff V n- n on the scene and an through h hI his Intervention by wireless s to o Berlin tho which Y Wagner ner thought s was ne necessary to organize the American Trans Atlantic company compan was sent pent to Now ew York where the company compan had Its Ita principal offices Jensen It developed eloped way war cau caught ht by I the D Danish government O attempting to smuggle le cooper into Germany and was sent to jail for tor sixty days Theodore J Lahr ahr Rotterdam a agent nt of or then took over the bu ship buying ln scheme and J nd ships shins worth t then h n w. w were re transferred to toYa Ya Wagners ners ner's company without any an- mone money being paid out b by him Reciting 1 successful efforts i- i t have the ship ships placed under tinder Amer met Iran ican registry Mr tr Garvan char charged d Ya Wagner nEr practiced 11 deceptions on the comm commissioner o of na navigation I Wagner r a mfr got ot Into a 1 controversy ers with the commissioner of oC navigation n and with truly Prussian arrogance at- at fn r l tI purl HI 11 P him said ald Mr Jh- h Garvan an To carr carry out tho tIo deception the tho sum of or looped to the United t the tho he loop from States Slates through various banking concerns con con- cerns so KO 10 It would appear that real re American J money had been Invested Inthe inthe in the tho American Trans-Atlantic Trans company com com- pany n Cornered In his examination x said paid Mr Garvan annan Wagner ncr finally broko down und curd nd confessed d that his story ston about the tho raising o of this money mone h by tho the sale of or stock to investors Inventors and the sale salo of or his personal securities wa was untrue un un- true true- merican Nantes Needed Efforts of or V Wagner to to- obtain real American an names c on his hi directors and stockholders lists Hals were also described by b Mr Ir Gar Garvan On One American rn whom ho tried to persuade to take worth of stock tock without cost was as l 1 Kd- Kd d- d ward B n. of ot Chicago Elcock re refused reused re- re used fused to have ha anything to do with tho the company compan An n effort on tho the part of A Wagner aJner agner to toha ha have his ships given a clean mil bill of or health even en after the thc United Stales declared d war was waa died cited Mr 11 Garvan Gar quoted a t. t re resolution which ho he said s Wagner ner induced Representative o Carey of Wisconsin to Introduce In Con Congress In InIn May In 1917 in 17 setting forth the American Amer Amel ican icon ownership of the nH J American rican TransAtlantic TransAtlantic Trans- Trans Altan Atlantic tic company a and nd calling upon the tho secretory secretary of or state to report what steps had been heen taken to protect Its Ita and anti interference Inter- Inter ships from the tho ll aggression I ference of any tu foreign n government So cither at al S sea I or at ot any foreign port while engaged In Ic legitimate trade Of tho the eleven en ships purchased by lice tho company on ono oils was sunk three were ero cro seized cd by y tho the British sh and one h by the French and Ix lx Ix w were re requisitioned ll bythe bythe by bythe the United States shipping hoard board |