LITTLE PICTURES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16749, 2 January 1915, Page 12

LITTLE PICTURES.

VIVID FLASHES OF WAR.

BLUFF IN THE BALTIC. A thrilling story of how a strict adherence to international laws was successful in preventing the commander of a German warship from carrying a gaino of bluff too far was told by the crew of tho Norwegian barque Songdal, when she dropped anchor in Sydney Harbour.

Tlio Songdal ignored the instruction of tho German captain to follow him outside tho three miles limit of the Swedish coast, and after shadowing the barque for four days tho warship gave up its fruitless task. The Songdal left Hudiksvall on August 27 with a cargo of timber for Sydney. Ono morning, as tho barque was sailing along tlio southern coast of Sweden, a German cruiser camo in sight. Captain Isaksen worked his ship closer in to the land, in order that it might be quite clear that she was insido the territorial waters of a neutral country. But the cruiser swooped down on her at great speed until slio was within hailing distance. “ Who aro you?” was tho gruff question that was wafted across from the cruiser.

“The Songdal,” was Captain Isalcson’s reply. “We are a Norwegian ship.”

“ Where hound for?” “For Sydney,” he said, keeping the barque on her course. “Is that Sydney, Australia?” “ Yes,” ho replied.

Then the commander of tho German cruiser essayed a bluff. The next order lie gave was “ Follow’ mo. You are bound for an enemy’s port.” And tho cruiser swung round to load, tho way outsido the three-mile limit. As sho swung her stern guns moved to cover the Songdal. Had the Songdal followed her out of the territorial waters she w’ould have been at her mercy. But the bluff was called in _ spite of tho threatening muzzles of tho guns. .

With only tho moral backing of the knowledge that international law* was with him, and without allowing tho fact that there was nothing to prevent tlio German cruiser from carrying out its threat and removing ovidence of any breach of international law, Captain Isaksen ignored the order and sailed only the closer to the coast.

Tlio cruiser steamed parallel with tho Songdal, keeping just outsido tho threemile limit, and for four days and nights bocamo tho sailing ship’s shadow’. AC night searchlights were played constantly on the sailing ship, and all the time the cruiser waited like a hawk to pounce on tho Songdal should her captain make ono mistake and pass the three-milo limit. It was difficult sailing at any time, and in the dazzling rays of tho searchlights at night along a dangerous coast tho feat that Captain Isaksen accomplished was such as any master might he proud of. After it became apparent that the German would not risk an infringement of neutrality tlio tenseness relaxed, and many times on a favourable wind the barque rvent well towards the three-milo line, and would be quite close to the cruiser.

Tho latter would got inside the line sometimes, and hails would be exchanged. The greatest fear that Captain Isaksen had was that the wind might change and force him out to sea.

At last Copenhagen was approached, and then the German cruiser turned hack and the shadow of suspense was lifted.—(Sydney “Sun.”) _ II." INCIDENTS IN POLAND.

The special correspondent of the “ Russkoe Slovo ” sends to his journal an account of the operations around the fortress of Ivangorod, to the southeast of Warsaw, during the earlier struggle on the Vistula.

At the beginning of the war, he says, Colonel Schvarz, the well-known military engineer and hero of the siege of Port Arthur, was appointed commandant of tho fortress. The Germans well knew tho character of their adversary, as Colonel Schvarz’s hook on tho siege of Port Arthur serves as a manual for the German military engineers. After their check at. lvnngorod the Germans spread a report that among the prisoners thoy captured were a hundred Japanese, and that they also took soveral pieces of heavy artillery. The fact is that tho Germans did not capture a. single gun during the fighting around lvnngorod, and as for the Japanese, there was not ono in the neighbourhood. Tho Russian artillery worked splendidly. On one occasion at night a battery approached within two miles of tho German trenches, and succeeded in concealing itself verv well. They could not, however, seo the enemy. Then a soldier, taking with him a telephone attached to a wire on a reel, went for a distance of nearly two miles through tho forest, and then, reaching the opon country, dragged himself along the ground until lie was within a hundred yards of the enemy. In full view of tho Gormans he stood bolt upright, and the enemy, observing him in the moonlight, and recognising him as a Russian, fired at least ten shots at him. He fell at tho first shot, mado a convulsive movement, and. lay quite still. At that moment the Russian guns opened fire. Their aim was remarkably accurate; not a single shell missed. The terrible fire produced cries of horror in tho German trenches. As a matter of fact, tho brave Russian was not dead, nor even wounded, and nil tho time was telephoning to his battery some two miles in the rear. Finally, the Germans were compelled to abandon their position. The hero of this exploit has been decorated with the Cross of St George. Another incident of the fighting around lvnngorod was a splendid night attack. The weather was very bad and cold. . The Russians had to march several miles through marshy ground, and for two days, ate nothing but dry bread, as it was impossible to get the field kitchens through tho heavy ground. It was ouly with groat difficulty also that tho 'artillery was able to follow the infantry. At last tho Russians reached tlieir positions in complete darkness. Suddenly they wero discovered by the beam from a German searchlight, and immediately afterwards a hail of bullets fell upon the Russians. The latter also had a searchlight with them, but tho difficulty was how to instal it with its dynamo in the marshy ground. Concealing themselves carefully, a convoy, with forty-six horses, proceeded to a spot near the railway, and there set up the searchlight, with tho dynamo some distance further away. The Russians waited for the beam of the German searchlight to reappear, and then, so to speak, “ opened fire.’* Tho two beams crossed, tho Russian carefully following tho track of the German, and, as the former was the moro powerful, the Germans were unable to discover anything. Finally, tho German light was extinguished,'and tho Russians wero able to find its position: it. was mounted on the little tower of a’Catholic church.

HI. THE DEATH OF CARL LODY

For some years past the British Post Officer, acting in conjunction with Scotland Yard, had been on the watch for correspondence of a suspicious nature between England and Germany. Tho

fact that the assumed names of the two chief officers of the German Secret Service (Steinhauer and Stammer), to "'horn German spies in Englnad sent their reports, were blown to the British authorities rendered it a simple matter to keep in touch with this correspondence, and with the replies sent by Steinhauer and Stammer to their agents in England. All of these letters were opened by Post Office officials and their contents copied. Letters had passed between Lody and Stammer when Lody had been on a visit to England before the outbreak of the war, and therefore Lody was known to tho British authorities as a German spy. When tho war broke out and the despatch of mails between England and Germany censed, the British Post Office directed its attention to correspondence of a suspicious character addressed to Scandinavian, Danish and Dutch towns. It was soon ascertained that Adolf Bouchard at Stockholm was the agent of tho German Secret Sendee, to whom information from England was being sent. When Lody began sending reports to Bouchard he was tracked down by tho police and arrested. At the courtmartial counsel for the prosecution paid a tribute to Lody as a “ skilled and trained observer,” and to the accuracy of his information in his intercepted reports to Bouchard- These reports were read, at the court-martial, but much of the information they contained could not be made public, and tho Court was cleared from time to time when tho reports were road or discussed. Lody did succeed in getting tho following telegram to Stockholm, addressed to Adolf Beckhager, despatched by the Post Office a few days after his arrival at Edinburgh:— “ Alust cancel. Johnson very ill Inst four days. Shall leave shortly.” This innocent-looking message did not arouse suspicion, and at the time Beckhager was nob known as an agent of the German Secret Service.. It was admitted by Lody in the witness box that the telegram meant, “ British fleet arrived Firth of Forth, and will be leaving in four days.” The speech delivered by Mr Elliott, K.C., on behalf,of the prisoner, in accordance with the instructions, of his client, was a remarkably candid one. It was a dignified admission of guilt, an expression of a dignified determination on tho part of Ijody to face tho punishment of his acts. His counsel admitted that ho had been guilty of “war treason,” and contended that the law recognised there were degrees of punishment for the offence. Rather than try to wring from the court a decision'in his favour by legal quibbling or forensic skill, Lody desired him to say quite frankly that ho had como to England actuated by patriotic German motives, carrying his life in his hands, to fulfil the mandate of his superiors. Accused wished to 6tand before the court as -a man who believed it to be his highest and noblest duty to take upon himself that which admittedly he had done, and from the consequences of which he did not wish to shrink.

“If, upon all the circumstances of the case,” said Mr Elliott, “ you coine to the conclusion that there is no other penalty than the extreme penalty, all I have to 6ay is-that you are the tribunal which is properly and legally entitled to decide, and that you have power over the prisoner’s life and liberty, and that it is entirely a matter for you. I wish to make it as plain as the language of man can make it, that I am not hero in any sense to cringe for mercy. My client does not stand here ashamed for a moment for anything he has done. He sought on behalf of his country by what he regarded ns legitimate means to obtain information for tho country which sent him here. I, as his advocato, cannot take any other view in this connection than ‘that which ho instructs me to tako for him. On his behalf, therefore, I say, that if you think that the penalty for a brave man doing for 'his country what many men would, if there were no other means of showing their patriotism, do for this oountry, should bo fulfilled to tho last extremity, by all means come to that decision, and he will accept it liko a man.” Counsel concluded by saying on behalf of his client that whatever might bo his fate ho would know and admit that lie had received as full justice and as fair a trial as could be given in any similar case to any man.

Tho verdict of the Court and the fact that the sentence had been carried out were not made public until five days after Lody’s death. He met his dentil with courage and calmness. The night bofore his execution he was removed from Wellington Barracks to tho Tower in a taxi-cab, and placed in a guard room. At dawn ho was taken to the miniature rifle range at the Tower, which is used by the garrison, and was placed in a chair at the far end of tile range. A squad of eight men, under a sergeant and an officer, were present. His only request to the officer was to shake hands with him. When lie was asked if ho would have his eyes bandaged, he said it was not necessary. Several of the firing squad were far more agitated than the doomed man. At the word of command a volley rang out, and Lody sat lifeless in the chair.

IV. LONDON SCOTTISH CHARGE

Following the vivid accounts published of tho recent charge of tho London Scottish, it is interesting to road in the “Scotsman” the opinion of a wounded member of that famous regiment who is now lying in a military hospital. ■ In tho first wild moments of tho charge against great odds, tho solid bodies of German troops proved impenetrable. By sheer mass they drove back the fighting Scots, and the riflefiring at close quarters caused many casualties in tho kilted regiment. Tho first cliargo, whilst it wrought much liavoo in the ranks of the enemy, left him unbroken, and the large German columns swept back the Scottish for some distance. Many wounded London Scots lay in the path of the enemy, and at this stage of the struggle there wero per potrated deeds which. the wounded mart related with fierce indignation. 'Die Germans relentlessly bayoneted the wounded men who lay out of action. Tho London Scottish, as thoy steadied for the second rush, saw the enemy methodically and with,merciless purpose seek out tho wounded men and bayonet them. Tho rage which was surging in tho Territorials as they burst into the seoond charge found expression loss in tho vengeful yell of tho Scots than in the terrible execution which their bayonets did amongst those men whom they now regarded as murderers. To tlio great satisfaction of the attackers tho Germans stood up to the rush, using their rifles, but hardly ewer using the bayonet in tho melee.

“Tho instinct to get in with, the steel lias not come to the German yet,” remarked the wounded soldier who described tho cliargo. “ Thoy fire as often as they can; no aim at all; just low down, and anvwhore. We couldn't shift them at first, oo many were they. But tho raging ‘Scotties’ wero busy writing ‘ London Scottish—their mark ’ on tho brutes who can only use their bayonets on men lying alone and wounded. There was bayoneting in the mix-up, all right; it was wo who did it. And the account isn’t squared yet. “It will bo’found,” lio concluded, “that most of our fellows went down to bullet wounds. To say that the Germans charged with the bayonet is inaccurate. When wo got them moving our fellows fought like veritable fiends, and I reckon that little hit of tho German army paid something on acount for a lot of vile murderers.”