THEIR END IN THE TOWER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 161, 2 April 1919, Page 5

THEIR END IN THE TOWER

ANONYMOUS SPIES

LIGHT ON THE ENEMY'S FURTIVE WAR

Whatever Germany may have anticipated ■ from her famous system of espionage during tho war, there can be no hesitation in saying that so far as England was concerned the results never fulfilled expectations.

"Spy mania" afflicts ovory nation in time of war, hut tho exaggerated rumours which spread like wildfire throughout England in tho latter end of Ull-t had little or no substance in fact. At that time Germany hardly realised the military importance of tho British Empire, and devoted the greater number of her spies, both male and female, lu the more pressing problem of France and Kussia.

"H" was the first spy of importance to be captured, His mission was that of endeavouring to ascertain tho disposition of our naval forces; hut in tho Naval Intelligence Department, ho met his match. "H" was tried by courtmartial—as laid down by international law—and was shot at the Tower of London in '1911. Whilst the last dread rites were being performed ''II" remained perfectly self-possessed and glanced round intelligently while the straps were being fastened. When all was complete he leant forward to the assistant provost marshal in charge of tho execution and said to him, "Perhaps you will not care to shako hands with a spy, but will you do so with a German officer?" "31" was tho next German spy to meet his (loath, although he did so at Brixton Prison by his own hand. A poor, cowardly, creature, 'his death by hanging saved the authorities the trouble of arranging his execution, which was to have taken placo a few days later. New. Methods, From the time of "Jl's" death Germauy became aware that spying on "s!wpid England" was not the simple process sho fondly imagined. After "M's" death more elaborate measures of espionage were devised, and.for that purpose the German Ministers in South America had instructions to arrange for Latin-American "uoutrals" to come to England and pick up what information they could. At the same time several German naval officers, who, it is thought, were disguised as seamen, managed to smuggis themselves into England and acteo as receivers for the information the neutrals were able to obtain. In the early part of 1915, when the flower of our Regular Army had practically ceased to exist and the Western front was being maimed by Territorial troops, Germany had great hopes of successfully invading.England before the. A'ew Annies wouid be ready. to take the field. But to do this it was necessary that tho British fleet should be out-mastered, and to obtain the information needful Germany iet loose numberless spies who infested our ports ami made things exceeding;}' uncomfortable for about six months.

yne of riie first to be captured was "K.," a tull, middle-aged, be-whiskered individual, who was arrested while posing as a waiter in a Blackpool hotel. Alter his trial and condemnation he was taken to Brixton Prison, and remained there until tne time came for his execution. ' Ho was taken to the Tower on June 22, 1915, and while on the way, accompanied by a party of military police to whom he was handcuffed, the taxicab conveying tlio party hroko down in Upper Thames Street, B.C. It was lunch time, and the street wascrowded with boys and men Hocking to their midday meal. The leading taxicab conveying the A.P.M. came back to the scene of the breakdown, and remained there until another cab had been procured. It was rather an anxious time for tho party sitting inside the disabled cab; no sooner had a passer-by caught sight of the military police with a civilian between them than the shout, "German spy" went ringing through Upper Thames Street An enormous crowd soon collected,- «id police ■assistance was necessary to keep tho curious onlookers back as the prisoner and his .escort changed cabs. A Coward's End. "K." was shot the following morning at daybreak-hi the miniature rifle-range at the Tower. Ho broke down badly throughout the night, and cried incessantly lor his wife and chiidrSn, all forgetful of the i evil he had done. But when led forth, .to tho scene of execution he recovered himself a littlo. Before being placed in 'Klio chair lie insisted on a solemn farce; nothing would satisfy him but that he must shake hands all round. He tiuuiked them'for the kindly treatment he had received while in prison, and went to his death, if not with courago, at least with a certain resignation A more unsavoury kind of German, agent was "T.," a Hussian, 25 years of age. Ho shared Casement's fate of being hanged, the only spy so executed. "T.'s" real crime was that of high trea-t-on, for as a Bussian he was guilty of betraying an ally, and suffered " the death of tho common felon. A dark little man of indifferent physique, lie was incarcerated in Wandsworth Prison from _ the' time of his arrest, and gave the impression of being a creature with very little of the savoir fnire, so essential to tho successful spy. Ho wns hanged in the prison at 8 a.m. on July 15, 1915, tho military authorities, with two stalwart se'rgeant-majors as representatives, acting as the instruments of justice.

. It was on July 30, 1915, that the Tower of London was the .scene of one of the grimmest dramas in the whole of the eventful history. On that morning two German spies, "B" and "C," were executed within 15 minutes of each other.

Both were representative of the typo more closely, associated with the spy likely to succeed in obtaining valuable information. The two men had been working in conjunction with each other, and it was thought to be in keening with the eternal fitness of things that they should dio in the same chair from the bullets of the same firing parly, in the rifle range whore' their predecessors had paid the last ponalty. "B' was ono of the Llost valuable spy captures wo made. A handsome-looking man of about 30 years of age, 6ft. high, he approached very nearly to the spy of fiction, in that he remained absolutely cool from the time of his arrest until his career ended. Taken to Wandsworth Prison to await trial, he caused the authorities much perturbation by his attempts at suicide. On one occasion he nearly succeeded in bleeding himself to death for forcing his arms through the window of his cell. The crash of the glass roused the jjuard; bleeding profusely, "B" was found standing in his cell, a large hole in the window testifying desperate efforts to escape justice. ,"B" took his condemnation at the subsequent court-martial very coolly. He gave no trouble afterwards, and went to his death on July 30 with a calmness which was perhaps not altogether assumed. A quarter of an hour lator "B's" accomplice, "C," was led forth under military escort, and was placed in tho chair, from which only a fow minutes previous the dead body of his fellowspy had been removed. "C" had treated his captors with the typioal arrogance of the Prussian oflioer from tho time of his arrest; he exuded insolence to the lost. Coming into the rifle range, he me smoking n cigarette, and unconcernedly puffed at it while the preparations for his execution went on. ' Ordered to seat himsolf in the fatal chair, he took a last puff at his cigarette, held it up in his fingers, and then, with a supreme gesture, as of indifference and contempt to everything tho earth might hold, throw it upon tho floor and gat in the chair without; a word. As the straps fastening his legs and arms to the chair were being buckled, his face momentarily twitched—that was all

Littlo further linn- was wasted by the military police in charge. The eyes of the condemned mini were lightly bandaged, his chest bared to (ho cold morning hit. The owlor to ,fire roug out, and with tho burst of flame from 0H1I; rifles one of Germany' 6 most trusted spies had terminated his earthly career. "B" and "C" . woro both aristocrats, well-educated men ablo to sneak manr languages, and of a typo to pass muster U any society. They, were thoroughly

nu fait with tho AVcst End of London, and their capture put an end to what might havo proved an exceedingly duugorous state of nifnirs. "C" in particului' constituted a gravo menace to tho country; ho had mixed with many woll-to-do people in London and undoubtedly acquired much important knowledge of our naval and military preparation, information, it may bo enid, which ho was unablo to' get through to Germany. Throughout the war Germany lias doubtless employed many curious-look-ing specimens of humanity, but it. is doubtless if any moro freakish typo was employed than "Z," executed un Sontembor 10, 1915. L

Caught in the Act. "Z" was an elderly man, probably about (iO years of.age, sft. lOin. in height, and so crosseyed that the glasses ho wore merely accenfualcd the disfigurement. A slow-speaking, curiously deliberate typt of man, ho probably gained a certain amount of information owing to his utter lack of rescinblaiuo to preconueived notions of a spy. He was caught in the act, and, like a wiso man, made no fuss. He took everything connocled with his court-martial and subsequent condemnation to death very much as a matter of course. While jn Wandsworth Prison ho caused tho authorities no trouble whatever, and on being taken to tho Tower of London the day before his execution merely exhibited a. certain amount of anxiety to know where he was going. "You will soon know," tho A P.M grimly told him.

I/ike all the other spies' executed at the Tower, "Z" spent his last, night on earth within its time-hallowed precincts. Led forth in tho dim grey of a. September morning, he listened unmoved to the reading of his sentence of death. He wore his glasses right up to the rime of the bandaging of his eyes. When the sergeant-major in charge' told him to remove them, he carefully took (hem off, glanced regretfully at them with his cross-eyes, and handed them over and weirt to his death with great composure. Quite one of the most picturesque personalities among the captured spies was "F," a dapper little Peruvian. A very chirpy individual, only sft. 4iu. in height, "F" came to England at the instigation of one of the German Ministers in South America, ostensibly as a commercial agent. When arrested he had in his possession a most elaborate set of false papers.

Smartly dressed, able to mix in good society, he nevertheless proved valueless to Germany, because none of his information got out of the country. He. was incarcerated in Wandsworth Prison, ami ttas taken to the Tower to be shot on the day following. September 11, 1915.' For reasons connected with certain of his accomplices, the sentence was not carried out for another seven days. However, at daybreak on September'l7, 1915, "F" paid tho supreme penalty, the miniature rifle range again being the seen.) of the execution. The littlo Peruvian went to his death with a fair show of indifference; he walked to the chair quite bravely, and asked the sergeantmajor, as a great favour, not to have his eyes bandaged nor to be strapped to the chair. However, his request was not acceded to . The Hireling. "F" provided rather a pathetic example of the man corrupted by German gold, To this day our authorities cannot imagine why no should hi'.ve sacrificed himself to Germany's despicable spy system other ihmi for the large sums of money Germany's South American Ministers were offering people willing to go to Unghnd and spy. "F" himself had no animosity against this country; ho acknowledged that he deserved his death.

Another very phlegmatic individual— a true Teuton-was "G," one of Germany's professional spies. He was a roan about 32 years cf age, about sft. Gin. in height, and of very smart ap•peiinance,- Thhi man frequented the West End of London a great deal, and was thought to have been the receiver of information obtained from female accomplices. Ho, too, spent the time pending his execution in Wandsworth Prison, from which he' was > taken on October IS, 1015. "X" was tho Assumed name of an extremely dangerous character, very well known about the West End of London, whore he wns arrested in a famous restaurant in compn.ny w-ih a female accomplice. "X" was a great dandy, and affected the mannerisms and haunts of the man about town. To this day his orstwhilo acquaintances, ef whom he had ninny, inquire about him, blissfully unaware that the man was a German spy. His forte was the acquisition of naval information, and for this purpose he employed women, one of whom ho was dining with at the time of his arrest. He acted with great bravado at the time, but, in company with the woman, was placed in confinement in Pentonville Prison. A 6pick-and-span man, 30 years of age, sft. Win. in height, with quite a distinguished air, "X" created a more than passing interest at his subsequent trial at the Old Bailey. He was sen■lenced to death, end his female accomplice to 10 years' penal servitude.