Salt Lake Tribune | 1915-12-01 | Page 4 | Aged Head of German Line Put on Stand

m nn qf j GERMAN LINE : POT 01 STUD Testimony of Dr. Karl : Buenz Shows Berlin Government Gov-ernment Aided Plans to Succor Warships. ;j NEW YORK. Nov. 30. The German ': ''.. govcrnraeut was revealed today-as the mainspring of the movement to suwor German cruisers at sea with coal ami : r Mipplies shipped on neutral vessels 'rom American ports early in the war. by testimony of Dr. Karl Buenz. munaizi'it: !;;; .m director of the Haniburg-Americau line. . ." Dr. Buenz took the wituess stand late - today in the trial of himself and oilier ;.:''3ine officials and employees for ion-y ion-y . ;f" spiracy to defraud the I'uited States. j Dr. Buenz, elderly and somewhat in-' in-' firm, was assisted to the witness hair ; soon after William Rand, dr., had con-. con-. eluded the opening address to the jury on behalf ot the defense. Previously : J f-ederal Judge Howe had heard protraft-- . .1 p (i arguments upon a motion by Mr. ',- Kand to dismiss the indictments. This, motion was denied and Dr. Buenz was , tne second witness for his own cause, jj the first being a local customs house "3 employee who identified certain clear- ance papers in the case. Sketches Career. ? Propped tip in the witness chair ad under the friendly guidance of counsel. ..-Dr. Buenz sketched his seventy : v. o-. o-. r -year career from his birth in (iermany. through tenaucv of various offices m ' his native land to his appointment to A the German consular service nearly thir- - i t.v years ago. He had served his couu---j try abroad in the United States. in - ' Mexico and in Haiti in the consular or diplomatic service until three vears ;",'o, -V when he was made directing head in this country of the Hamburg-American line's .affairs. Up to that time he had been . j schooled in diplomacy and law rather J; than seafaring, and was virtuallv with-A with-A out experience as a teamhip man. -r Tn the fall of 1013. Dr. Buenz t-s . i tiried. he received from the head office of the line in Hamburg a letter which j notifijed him that his superior officers - and the German government had signed j an-1 sealed an agreement, which would i J become operative in time of war of j which there was not then a whisper .','3 and that an abstract of this areemer:tj 1 would be sent shortly to The German 1 consul general in New York, where he S might see it. The letter then open-.' I J the salient points, which Tvpre. as re i called by Dr. Buenz, about as follows: :j That the Hamburg-American lin-' j would undertake to send coal and .-u:- I W ! plis to any German w ar-h i ps ne -ii u them ii; the Atlantic ocean, ,-hmild er-j er-j many engage in '.var and ?hn:ild th-re j Vp ftich warshis in the Atlantic at th.it j time. i Notice Received. That certain method of on.nn.iu--a- , tion would be n-r- by the hoive of ! i- . or" the line in Hamburg to advis- tr. ; line's official in New York Wiiere to ; send the suppiv sh;p. ; Id due time the a b-tract of tlii.-, agrre-A agrre-A incut with the German government -am.. . a to the German consul genera! here, h--i promised, was. examined by lr. Hne.rr' j and found to be as outlined in hi- i-t-j ter. There the matter reied until thf -3 ;;lst day of July. KH. On the morn-iug morn-iug of that day. when th; .-hadow ot j war rested over Europe. It. P.npnz . ceived a cablegram from Hambuig which rea d a i iout a - fol lowe, i "Are you prepared tn.carrv out -ir y a greemnt with the Gernia n - t u :.. ment?" To this he pnt word ba'-k over ;hc - wire ' ' Ye5-. ? ' And then , r'erd i ng that :' German ships were soon to bf v. fpt by allierV warships from the -r-a, itp ,J set in motion thp w.u - i nrv to ,ro- . ,l vide neutral vo-'U to 'arry hi- eargoe-;. eargoe-;. 'C of -oal and sup;die: to his com pat riol " ' afloat in the outh Atlantic. Tbu1, the defpn- cortt'-rnle. wa- fa-h ioned wha r t he A r'f-r-u n g't"'TnnuMi t ' 'J has termed a '-onM'irncv u, ol f f. ;Jtvj defraud the 'wf State-. !-. Hiirz. H i recti ng the a-t i i t i e- of the t h ;r-r o iier defenda nt a II hi- -n tcn'd j nat e-' e-' I in the line a alone to liianie if there . J' v.erp any blame, Mr. Kami toM the ,jurv A in hin open i ng a Jd : f- . an'! - en Dr. -! Bnen was s-iinplv following i, )!(-. f((. . paid: ! ') Therp wa one pro-.j-inn Miat r:;, , - ' j not follrcverl out. and rod " nn-. Money wa furni.-hed with v. hie'r. In ',; chartT and supply the dip-. p.iM .. ,J the men of ' h- Mm m I u rg A umt ' e:i u t line and the line it-elf ,ng ,,y.f1 n, fI their own funH'- and tli- : :; money t hem- r- ---, km, ,. j m: : t. woi.ld i'f repaid. WIipji th-r f'ili'l-ran f'ili'l-ran duiM rfi'Tc v.a ;l load ;-rv tor h'-ip ,'in-l uioticv lanu- h'Tc frnni (.r-rnianv. Denies Secrecy. Wp mai"p no .p.-iPt, ot t;.i-. W'p make no -fTPt ot t h p I ;i t t na r thi.-. moiic came orii n ;i 1 ! -.- horn the 'iprniftn L"'"' '-rtj men j . 1kti if ii 'orn it camp in larc ciian '. -i. V'. ith;n a day- v.- i .) , ; h re., rem i t ta n''f of .V , i; ea . - h t'riJiii '.iTiniiti , and the-, p d'pr.-it'-. I in .'pv. Vork hank.- to flu-'Tfoil flu-'Tfoil fif the linn. Nor do v.a- rnal.e a -pcret. ttf iljp fact that !)i- H;m:-bo H;m:-bo . , mcrica ji line a.M'-cl a bunt i-r i or t aptam P.o Kd. lie i- i he i .o pi. an naval atta-he -p t W:, linrjton. and ,,e ha. I in -.pipI iar-c ,,f IMOIK-". W'p ku or. riothinu . h;fp t of Hip 7."(". "'Ml t i:tl c,,ine I ,cr ma rr t o K n Imk am pl'l'. : In- ' n-rnia n f-.port.-r. vdio tpvt.t jf.,j that he re (' Pd t niu a ri. I w a - told it v, :i . for i aptaiji ;ov !al. Cut. v,.- do 'ont'-ni thai v. p coininite. no on bf.-.t'ul a.-t thn- .rel,mLr t .n..y Her ma n ship- at -ea. The yf) t-i niiieiit i liar'e. n- v. itii foni- lie-. It ehar-e- H,:i ,'. e M.. in .vi'.' in ;r.er- to the -lii,pp4 of -nppiie-; that lie, lu -latin,: lal .-,- the fle-l ina! i-m. nf t he car 'of-,; that -. p lied in -latino incoc r-fi'.v Hip eaiip.'v, and. Iniall . (hat bed ill l-.in- Hip Mi.ati..,, ..t : tie ca r-M.i-, It -) 111 pi v cha i ; -t In"-', t hip. i. ; it haK ik.i adduced one hit of p' nl.'iHT to pnn i- t hem. IT. fbie,i. appnrpiilU had liar 11 v tarte,) tr, l.-li ,i, ,i,rv v. Iipii a.lon:-n iiinil hour v a reached and I he ca-p v. r-iit o e,- till too-nrio-,-, n..rnji:'.