SPIES AND THEIR WILES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 139, 21 September 1910, Page 4

SPIES AND THEIR WILES.

We have lately heard a good deal per cable about the persons who spy in foreign countries for the benefit of their own. Some Englishmen have been arrested and one German (described by Germany as "our harmless amateur") is a prisoner at large. The spy is generally looked on with extreme dislike, but in all cases to be successsful he must be a man of great courage, skill, coolness and knowledge. His work in time of peace is child's play to his work in time of war, and many of our great soldiers—including Kitchener, Roberts, Wood and Hamilton—have all been expert spies. The peace spy does not carry his life in his hands; the war spy does, and so the difficulties are enhanced. There is no Court of Appeal for the discovered spy in time of war. What particular use naval and military authorities put the information of peace spies to is of course never disclosed, but it may be surmised that it is carefully kept "in case." The story of the German "consumptive" who took letters from many eminent English people to the officer commanding at Gibraltar has its humorous side. He was received with open arms, for he was very ill indeed. He pleaded to be allowed to wander about the top of " the Rock" because the "air was so pure there," and subsequently he was permitted free access. He supplied to Germany complete sketch plans of everything he saw—and when Germany tackles "the Rock" maybe the "consumptive" would like to be there. This clever German previously attended French manoeuvres dressed as a major of French Chasseurs :\nd without consumption, and while a guest at headquarters gathered much information. He got away from the French camp disguised as a tir.ks.% He also poked about in a little boat at Toulon. The boat overturned ''accidentally," and the brave soldiers at the dockyard rescued him. While he was being carefully nursed he expanded his information. Now that South African affairs are in the public eye, the cleverness of a Dutch spy is worth recording. A patrol of Dragoons were'moving out of camp at daylight. As they skirted a hill an officer galloped up to the patrol. Be rode straight to the subaltern commanding the party, and addressed liim by name. "Bring your men this way, Mr. he said,- leading the men at: patrol at'a walk. The young, officer tolbwed the older one. Once round the: hill, the strange officer gave curt instructions and himself galloped furiously away. Only one man of that patrol rode out of the rifle fire the Dutch spy had led them into.