OCR Text |
Show RIFLE STORAGE STORY DECLARED II MYTH Deputy State Attorney General Gen-eral Discredits Report of German Plot, NiSW YORK, May 22. Germany's reported re-ported importation and storage in this country of large numbers of Mauser rifles and quantities of ammunition was declared de-clared a myth by Deputy State Attorney General Becker at the conclusion of his inquiry today into rumors of the existence exis-tence of these munitions. He expressed the opinion that the stories, which federal fed-eral investigating agencies have been attempting at-tempting to run to earth for over two years, were an outgrowth of the German plot to overthrow British rule in India. This developed during the testimony of Henry Muck, former confidential agent of Captain Hans Tauscher, the erstwhile American representative of German munitions mu-nitions manufacturers. He said that in 1814 a shipment of 7500 old model Springfield rifles, which he now believes were intended for reshipment to India, were stored in this city by the German government. A few months ago, he declared, de-clared, they were sold by the enemy proper ty custodian to Francis Banner-man, Banner-man, a New York broker, as condemned ordnance and military paraphernalia. Muck, a naturalized citizen, appeared voluntarily at the hearing, stating 'that he desired to clear hjmseif of suspicion resulting from his former connection with Tauscher. He placed at the attorney general's gen-eral's disposal confidential correspondence and other records taken from the German Ger-man agent's files. These records constituted consti-tuted an important part of the testimony during the government's prosecution of those connected with the Indian uprising conspiracy. |