GERMAN TRAITORS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8158, 16 July 1906, Page 4

GERMAN TRAITORS.

The sensational espionage trial in the Supreme Court of the Empire at Leipzig has revealed the widespread sale of German naval secrets to several other Powers, chiefly the United States of America, and also to France ard Russia. Three Germans —Senfftleben, Lucke, and Conrad—appeared in the dock to answer the charge of treason, committed on repeated occasions in 1904 and 1905. It appears from the public prosecutor's indictment that Konrad was an engineer who was able to procure naval secrete from the dockyards and other works, and sold them to his accomplices, who in turn sold them to the secret service agents of foreign Powers. A great sensation was caused by the prosecutor's assertion that Senfftlebcn hud sold a most important naval secret—namely, the details of a special kind of submarine mine adopted for the use ef the German navy—to the American Minii-le.' at Brunei*. The sule of naval secrets took place to representatives of the American Government on half a dozen other occasions. Frcucli i-ecret service agents paid £2OO fur details of the submarine mine. It does not transpire wiiat the American Mmistir paid. Scufftlebeu was sentenced In four years' penal servitude and Konrad to three years'. Lucke was acquitted.