Mata-Hari—Spy.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 15 December 1917, Page 3

Mata-Hari—Spy.

WHAT WILL HER MEMOIRS REVEAL. A short time ago news was received oi; the execution in Paris of Mata-Hari, the woman spy, who gave away the secret of the tanks to the enemy. Here is her story, written by the Paris correspondent of the 'World': "Eye-of-thc-Morning" is English for the Javanese pet name Mata-Hari —the stage name of Mm c Marguerite Gertrude Zelte Macleod, first known in Paris, and latterly all over Europe, as a dancer whose specialty was the representing of Far Eastern legends and fables according to terpsichoiean art. Only a few months ago—in the early spring—Mata-Hari appeared in a Paris music-hall, the Folios Bergere. It was her Jirst appearance on the French stage since the outbreak of the warj and in the last three years France's ideas of propriety on the stage and elsewhere have changed much. And so Mata-Hari was visited by the policc. She was told that, she must wear more clothing; likewise she must modify her gestures ad soft-pedal on the writ-lungs and squirmings that "interpreted" the various bits of Indian folklore she presented. Mata-llari quit then and there, and shook the dust of French -theatrical stages from her feet for ever. She went back to her luxurious apartments near the Bois de Bologne, and nothing was heard of her until lier arrest as a spy. "IN THE KNOW" ABOUT THE TANKS. One of the most important and spectacular events of the only allied offensive of 1916 was the appearancc in action of the newest engine of war—the so-called tank. As with any innovation, the success of the tank depended largely on the element of surprise attaching to its debut. Therefore, the strictest secrecy marked the planning, the construction, and the shipment of tanks to the Sommc, where tliey first went into action.

It took a good many months to construct the first fleet, and a good many weeks to train the first crews to stand the jerky, rolling, pitching, lumbering gait of the mobile forts. During that period the circle of people "in the know" increased, and Mata-Hari was one of those who heard about tlic curious laiulships. It is rumoured .that a deputy inadvertently gave her the first information about tanks. And the rumour is strengthened by the fact that Mata-I-lari had plenty of coal for her apartment during the fuel famine last winter. That in itself is proof enough to anybody of her intimacy with some high official, as few people short of deputies had influence enough to obtain a hundredweight of coal during the bitter mouths of January, February and March.

In any event, Mata-Hari learned vaguely of tanks early in 1916, when the Krupp guns of the Crown Prince were daily booming nearer and nearer to Verdun in that terriffic strugglo which was to mark the turning-point of the war. Mata-Hari also learned that the tanks were being constructed in England and would be shipped to France via certain ports—and she got the names of the ports, too. MATA-HARI LEAVES FOE HOLLAND. Then Mata-Hari decided she must return into her native country, Holland. For, with all her Japanese appellation, she was born near Rotterdam, although it is true she went to the Dutch East Indies when a tiny child. She gave as reason for going to Holland, the fact that she had married a Dutch army officer with a Scotch name—Captain Macleod —that they had been divorced, and she wished to arrange a settlement of their common property.

Her passports were made out, and safe conducts granted for a trip to Holland, via England, of course, as that is the only way to get into the low countries from the Allied side.

Mata-Hari went to England. But before she proceeded to . Holland, as Secret Service agents of the British and French Governments ascertained, she visited a certain English manufacturing city, where it so happened, the tanks were being constructed. Evidently Mata-Hari didn't find out much about the tanks there as not a man connected with their construction ever passed through the gates of the high brick wall which surrounded tile factory during the six months that the first "fleet" were building. The men were boarded, entertained, and employed there continually. Every letter they scut out or received was subjected to the most rigorous censorship. The dancer proceeded to Rotterdam. Investigation there has since proved that she had no "communal rights property" to settle with anyone, and further that Captain Macleod, of the Dutch Army, w.as known among his fellow-officers as pronouncedly pro-Ger-man. SEEN WITH A TANK OFFICER. Soon Mata-Hari returned to Paris. She was scon at the Cafe do Paris and at Maxim's and at Armenonville in the Bois with an English officer who wore on the lapel of his collar, as insignia denoting his branch of service, a little twisted brass dragon. Months later, when more of tkfcse badges were seen on British officers i)assing through Paris it becamc known that the dragon was the official insignia denoting service with the tanks.

Mata-Hari sported a new bauble soon after taking up with the Englishman— a jewelled replica of his gold insignia— her dragon had real emeralds for eyes, and a carrot-sliax>ed ruby for a tongue darting from its opened fangs. In May, 191G, a little more than a month before the Somme offensive opened and tanks were first used, MataHari appeared -before the police magistrate' of her district and' requested a safe conduct to visit a certain port in France. The reason she gave was that her fiancee, an English officer, was seriously wounded and in hospital there, lie had sent to lier to come to see him. The safe conduct was made out, and Mata-Hari arrived at a certain French port almost simultaneously with the iirst consignment of tanks shipped over from England. MATA-HARI AND THE TANKS. Now a tank of the early type was ::st't long, 12ft wide, and Oft high, and the caterpillar tractors rumbling under it and over it and around it made a terrible din, attracting the attention of people for great distances around. And because of the weight of the tanks they could not be moved by rail, but had to travel under their own power. It was impossible, therefore, to wdiolly hide the monsters from inhabitants of that particular French port, and from the townspeople in the villages through | which they, passed on the way to the ] Somme front . Of course, most of the travelling was done by night, and tarpaulins were always draped over the armed and armored behemoths. M'ata-llari remained in the French port'for a week. 'She strolled about the town at night, and explained to the hotel clerks that she could not sleep J without taking a certain amount of exercise before retiring, and that after being accustomed to gay life in Paris she was not tired until after midnight. It was on June 1, exactly a month 1 before Generals Haig and Foch began their drive astride the Somme, that