DENOUNCED BY LOVER

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 140, 9 December 1911, Page 10 (Supplement)

DENOUNCED BY LOVER

STRAXOE SENTENCE OX A WOMAN. Berlin, October 13. The Supreme Court of the Empire at Leipzig to-day sentenced the Frenchwomen Mile. P.eneo Thirion, who was arrested in April last on a charge of ■attempted espionage, to six months' imprisonment, although she was innocent of the charge brought against her. Mile. Thirion has lived for the last live years in Germany, and at the end of hist year appeared in Cologne as a teacher of languages. .She quickly made herself popular in society in the provincial town, and was a particular favorite with ollicers of the garrison. In April hi-t she was denounced as a spy by her sweetheart, a (iennan lieutenant, who had purposely ingratiated himself in her affections with the object of worming out her secrets. She was thereupon charged with attempting to secure mobilisation plans of the (lerman Army Corps for the purpose of transmitting the informal ion to the French War Office.

After being four months in prison she was yesterday brought before the Supreme Court, who heard the case behind clo-cd doors. To-day. in delivering sentence, the Court said it had been proved dial the accused was not a French spy. but a respectable teacher of languages, with (be best credentials, and her arrest as a spy was the outcome of a misunderstanding. Nevertheless, she must be sentenced under paragraph 4!) a. of the Imperial code because she once declared herself ready to undertake espionage, although this declaration was not made seriously. The sentence of six months includes" four months already spent in prison.