THE WAR SMUGGLERS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2687, 5 February 1916, Page 12

THE WAR SMUGGLERS

INGENIOUS TRICKING

RUNNING THE GAUNTLET OF ALERT SUSPICION

The European war has afforded many instances of German slimness, but never has it been so marked as in their attempts to smuggle contraband into Germany. Iu these tactics they have certainly had experience. During the South African War we discovered Germany sending guns as "pianos" to the neutral territory of Delagoa Bay. These guns »t-re certainly intended for Boer "use. In most cases neutral countries seem to have been the innocent victims of this practice, and hardly one lias escaped. At the outbreak of the war tlio German boat Bayerri sailed into Naples, Ilnrbour aiid -was interned by the Italians; When Italy declared war,, its cargo of "wheat" was seized, and fotind to con-sist-of 5000 tons of war material, inchiding aeroplanes and machine-guns, which were promptly confiscated. The Rumanian Government discovered they were being duped by double walled railway wagons, the cavities of which were filled with •contraband intended for Turkish consumption. Barrels of "Munich Beer," securely packed in ice, were opened and found to contain ammunition. This made the authorities suspicious, and when large consignments of huge building blocks of concrete passed through Rumania on their way from Germany to Constantinople, they were examined and found to be hollow receptacles for howitzer shell cases. At Brique, in Switzerland; an Italian trunk, ostensibly packed with fruit, _ burst whilst being shunted, , and disclosed American-made machine-guns on their, way to Germany. Greece next came'in for a share of attention, and a schooner known to bo carrying "presents" to Arab chiefs was stopped by the French destroyer Mosquito, and relieved of £12,000 in gold and an enormous quantity of ammunition.

"Ink-Erasers" and "Sausages." Germany's treachery in opening fire from Red Cross wagons is well known, but she has other ideas for . the secret removal of guns. A- Belgian officer, visiting his relatives in England, told tho writer of German travellers carrying parts of guns in their harmless-looking valises. . They readied tlio German lines by circuitous routes. Most extraordinary ruses aro being adopted by Germany to procuro rubber, of which she is in great need. Some very amusing facts concerning' these came to light in the recent trial of six German agents before the Federal Grand Jury of America. The Customs officials of New York City, with the aid of X-rays,' discovered rubber in barrels of resin and cotton waste. Another package marked. "Stationery" was found to;contain an "ink-eraser" largo enough to make a pair of motor-tyres. One very amusing incident was the discovery of jars containing pickled .rubber sausagos. A similar plot was betrayed by a letter , which fell into the hands of the censor.

An important case recently came be-, fore Sir Samuel Evans, President of the Prize Court: ft dealt with four Danish vessels, carrying cases of crude rubber, Which Were falsely labelled ' "gum." In the day-speech for the defenco it was contended 'that gum and rubber wero. interchangeable terms for tlie same article, but this' was not allowed. During the case the Solicitor's General-read a cryptic cablegram to a German firm, which ran, "Can large quantities' violin strings be exported from States?" An unfruitful discussion followed as to what "violin strings" referred. , -This was most likoly copper wire,'- as attempts, have been mado to smuggle this through Italy. Over twenty-Eve' tons were discovered hidden under some vegetables in a railway truck in the International Station at Chiasso. It -was sent tliero by an ■Italian chemist-.'from Turin. . The Italian - Customs officials confiscated over a thousand tons of leather which was also being dispatched from Milan, under the giiise of vegetables. British' tin-plate firms were, some time ago, forbidden, to export their wares to the Scandinavian countries, as it was stated in Parliament that tin food boxes and canisters were being bought in great quantities by Krupp's and made into bombs.. . . One of the most lucrative employments during the, Napoleonic wars_ was guinea smuggling. The golden guineas of England fetched a. high price across the Channel. This nefarious nursuit seems to have revived, and Mr. R. M'Neill asked Mr. M'Kenna, in the Commons, if he" was aware that Boulogne is-infested by 'German agents engaged in collecting gold coins. Hencoforth there is. to be a closer supervision of Channel passencers who are to, change their money in England. Recently a repatriated German .woman was discovered, leaving this country with' over £40 in the hollow heels of her shoes, .whilst her .companion had £235 about her person and luggage. •

Adventures of a Foot-Warmer. 'A most interesting account of wartime smuggling is given by Dr. A. Tacquin, Physician-in-Ordinary to the King of the Belgians, and formerly head of the Belgian Red Cross Hospital in the Royal Palaco at Brussels, in his memorable "German Atrocities on Record," published as a supplement to the "Field." He was faced with the difficulty of getting his notes and photographs through' invaded Belgium ( to England. After describing his attempts to procure a passport, he says: "My gravest' problem was to y get my documents and material into the smallest possible compass. Doublebottomed portmanteaux seemed too well known._ 1 tried the same game with a milkpail, with a box of surgical instruments, with hollow walking-sticks. ?Jo good. At last I hit upon the idea of using one of those foot-warmers that are used with hot water inside for railway carriages. I got a tin one, about 60_ centimetres long by 12 centimetres thick, hlied it with my papers and films, and placed in the centre a -tube containing about two litres of water, so tSat it might sound as if the whole foot•.rarmer was full of water. Then I soldered up . the- outside and started for the Dutch frontier from Brussels. It wa* freezing, so none of the German guards was surprised to see my innocent-look-ing foot-warmer; but some of ihoDutcli hotel servants thought it was a. bomb, and- pne railway porter thought it was so heavy that he wanted to empty out the water. And at Folkestone a Customhouse officer wanted to fee whether it was filled with whisky! I poured a little water out of my concealed tube and satisfied him; and so I got safely to England with the satisfaction of having brought safely with me my own -little contribution to the mass of ovidence condemning the Huns for their barbarities in my own country."

Ruses of spies. Many devices arc used lo safeguard dispatches at the front, and in extreme causes the bearers have been Vnowa to eat tlicm rather than let them fall into the hands of the enemy. They are often sowii into the clothing and boots of dis-patch-riders, or hidden in the pncumatic tires of their machines. . Spies are faced with the same difficulties, and here tlio ingenious female comes along and sews the plans into her corsets or wraps them round her slim body. The ruses adopted by spies and prisoners of war in order to.pass through the guards are many, and , varied. At. the beginning of the war two Germans attempted to cross the Russian frontier concealed in sacks at the bottom of a

I vegetable barrow. They had passed the sentry when a Cossack ran his lanco nit-o a "sack of potatoes,' 'and an agonised yell betrayed the presence of the spy. On tlio Western front all piled up loads of hay are carefully proded with bayonets in order to make sure there aro 110 spies concealed beneath. To squeezo a man over 6ft. tall into a small packing-case, •measuring only 3ft. square, may seem an impossibility, yet it was managed by a German spy wlio tried to escape from Gravcsend last December.

Even the All-Highest War Lord himself is not exempt from this war-time smuggling.. It is said he travels about ill a train which, chamelcon-like, changes its colour. At first it was a pale blue colour to distinguish it from the common troop trains. However, a train resembling it was bombarded by our airmen, and now the precaution jjs taken to repaint the Kaiser's train before every long journey.—"Weekly Telegraph."