LIFE OF THRILLS

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 132, 11 January 1939, Page 4

LIFE OF THRILLS

EUROPE’S GRATEST SPY CAPTAIN WRECKED SHIP LOVELY DANCER’S AVILES MANY LOVE ? AFFAIRS The young beautiful brunette danced in a cloud of gossamer veils in the little Constantinople cafe. She jvas Despina Nezie. She had been dancing jfor only a few weeks, but already army officers were flocking to watch her daring dances. fCapt. Paul Storcli came too. He was an attache at the French Embassy. He siioke twice to Despina-. The second time he asked her to marry him. The following night they eloped. That was the, beginning of the career of Europe’s greatest spy, a career which plunged nations into war, sent thousands of men to their deaths, plunged! Embassies into panic, and .caused a captain to wreck his ship for a smile. The last actor in the tragedy died not long ago in an American workhouse. Pie was captain Ivan Azeff, a Russian naval officer, who 'wrecked.

his ship and smashed his career fo. the sake of this dancing girl.' Love Affairs. As Storcli’s wife, Despina Jived in Paris after the scandal of their elopement had died down. She wanted money and before long was in touch with the French headquarters of German espionage." She made an apt- pupil and was soon having love affairs with French army officers who could give her useful information. Her husband grew suspicious. One night she arranged to be visited by an officer famous for his marksmanship. Her husband was going to the- opera. At the end of the first act lie received a message that his wife was in her boudoir with another man. Despiua had sent the message herself. Storcli raced home, burst into the boudoir and saw his wife in the officer’ s arms. He challenged him to a duel. And in the Bois de Boulogne next morning lie received a bullet in liis heart. Despina was free. Clue in' Cushion. Next year the Great AVar came. She staved' in Russia and her advice kept munitions from the Russian troops. One night an officer visited her apartment. They had been friends for over a month. She called to' him from her bathroom and asked him to wait a few moments.

He sat down and put a. cushion behind his head. It felt hard. He examined it. Something was hidden in-

side. He slit' open tlie cushion. Out tumbled a. slight manuscript book. As lie glanced through it he readied for his revolver. It contained notes about the situation of various Russian battalions.

When Despina returned he informed her she was the prisoner of the Tsar. She laughed, confessed she was a spy, but asked for one last kiss. As she kissed him she drove a dagger between his shoulder-blades. Four days later she was, in Holland. France had discovered her real character. They asked for her extradition. Russia also demanded she be sent back' toi them for trial. Despina was put on board a small Russian destroyer. * The captain was Ivan Azeff...

But the ship never arrived at its destination. Six months later Despina Nezie turned up at Puerto Rico, at the other side of the world. ’Before he died Azeff told the story. He had order's to sail up the Baltic to Petrograd. But Despina’s smile changed his mind. . He placed himself under her orders and headed lor Central America. Taught Mata Hari. After an epic journey across the Atlantic, he allowed her to land and drove his ship on the rock,s. Despina returned to Spain. There she met -Mata Hari and was ordered to teach her the finer tricks. Then Despina was expelled. This time she landed in America with a forged passport, and until the war ended worked there as the head of tlie German Espionage Bureau. She had vast sums to spend. She bathed every day in perfume, had cigarettes made with gold-leaf instead of paper, drank champagne instead of tea for breakfast. Yet she found time to organise sabotage which sent up 5,000,000 shells in smoke at Arlington and 1,500,000 rifles and 2,000,000,000 cartridges at Ekldvstone.

Five days before- the % Armistice in 1918 she stepped in front of a car in Fifth A venue, and was instantly killed.