ESPIONAGES

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 920, 13 September 1910, Page 5

ESPIONAGES

THE ARRESTED GERMAN.

By TetojrrftDh—Presa ABsoclatlon-CopyrieTit. London, September 11. Referring to the arrest of the German lieutenant Helm, arrested at Portsmouth on charges of espionage, the well-known German newspaper, the "Cologne Gazette," publishes a semi-official statement to the effect that. Helm obtained leave from tho German military authorities to go to England to learn the English language. His recent behaviour was duo to youthful inexperience; no question of espionage entered into the matter. He only took drawings of a disused fort; nevertheless, says -the paper, he alone will have to bear the consequences of his inadvertency.' Linz, a photographer at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, has been arrested ; on suspicion of supplying photographs of the fortifications and dockyards to a foreign Power, but was released when a search of his domicile proved fruitless. ■ SPIES AND THEIR WATS. _ Scarcely a year passes but the world, is reminded by sundry arrests and other unmistakable tokens of the zeal which the various nations display in prying into each other's military secrets. .According to all appearances, none of them, has been so successful in gratifying this thirst for knowledge as Germany. - A Guileless Invalid. Not many years ago there ■ appeared at Gibraltar, with many letters of introduction f-roin influential persons in Great Britain, a German individual whose appearance gave every indication that he was. in an advanced stage of tuberoulosis. The Governor and other officials of the. garrison - outdid themselves in hospitable • entertainment of the unfortunate stranger. ■ At first it was with considerable regret that they told him he might not be allowed to go ."to. the-top-of the rock," whither the amiable' visitor had expressed a desire to .'proceed "for the sake of the pure air." So insinuating and guileless, .however, did. the nice German prove that "eventually the rule forbidding foreigners to .walk about'the top of the rock, was relaxed in his favour. '■' Great regret was. expressed' when the lovable and unfortunate Teuton was obliged to Jcave the. garrison; still great-er-regret was expressed later when it was learned, that through him. the War' Office in Berlin had obtained some ex- , cellent plans and . photographs of the works and defences at Gibraltar; The French hot long thereafter also were enlightened as to the neat manner of the German spies. A.lieutenajitof the German army dogged the officials of the .French Ministry of War with such success that, when one left-his portfolio for a moment in the waiting-room of a railway station, the- lieutenant. was enabled to snatch.it up, junip: into, a cab, and the next, day to lay it before his home office. An Ingenious Device. ■_ Previously this enterprising German had attended certain French "manoeuvres, disguisied as a major of an artillery regiment. .; He managed' to obtain some extremely valuablo information, • overhead durrag I .a conversation .between officers in the: headquarters, tent; and, changinghis -disguise.to. represent himself as 'a pedlar; got safely away. This same.gen- ' tlenian. also daringly ponetrated into the navy dock yard at Toulon by.the simple expedient of upsetting his boat 'and swimming to the docks, where he was rescued , in' an apparently unconscious condition, but in, reality sufficiently alive to :'take-stock of all that was there'. ' ~ It;, took the .French.:. authorities-some time to identify this German as the man .who'had turned the ',' tricks";mentioned, and it is needless to add that, his use-' .fulness in France'is.at an end, and that should _he return thither tho French will make it pretty warm for him. . A spy, of. another Power gave the French a turn.,in ,1891.< Disguised as- a chocolate vendor, he'traced the'u'ndo'r-ETouiid'.-telegtaph-'systein of the French; He engaged; himself as coachman to the •Mmisteriof [.War, .and ;; in,that character accompanied the Minister in his tour of inspection of military Toads leading-to •the Alps; • On. another occasion he'escaped /detection''; at. Nancy by rushing into a furniture shop, and hiding'in a -w,ardrobe,' in which he persuaded.! the shopkeeper to dispatch- him' over the frontier;, . , ' -.- ■,-■' Women Spies; "-,. •-> ;It is said much'effective work-is done m'Europe by women spies; 'One of. the most dangerous of them was a woman employed as a charwoman at .the German Embassy in Paris. She would enter the Embassy premises every, morning at an early, hour* - ransack desks, coat , pockets and. waste baskets, handing over each day her spoil to an agent of the.secret information department of the French Government, who sorted the papers and found much of value' in them. For' many years this woman, pursued her profes. .sum. without arousing the least suspicion. '— .■;■-.'.'.

_ The most dangerous of female-spies IS > of course, the woman who possesses a formidable weapon of good looks. Such a- siren was a noted -Baroness' figuring in high social circles in Paris, who completely bewitched one of the War Ministers under MacMahon's presidency;'and, it is said, while the foolish old general was basking, in the lady's smiles in her-drajnng-room, her agents were rifling,his portfolio in another room, taking copious notes of all. its contents. Another beautiful'spy is reported .to have so infatuated, certain Russian staff officers that, at. her bidding,' they" actually sold to-.Austria plans of tion. These officers, as well' as Faranbff himself, paid for their infatuation withtheir lives. .-