ALLEGED SPY.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 February 1916, Page 5

ALLEGED SPY.

ARRESTED IN WELLINGTON By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. A man, supposed to be a German, and suspected of being a spy, was arrested before the Manuka left to-night for Sydney. The man has been in" Wellington for some time, and suspicion was aroused by the pertinacity of his enquiries among the French reservists who are travelling in the Manuka as to the nature of the defences in the Pacific Islands. The military authorities were communicated with, and the man was placed under arrest. It is understood that when he tried to get away from the Dominion in the Manuka the Frenchmen got excited, and the German was handled roughly by them until he was rescued by the authorities.

STORY OF THE ARREST. EXCITED FRENCH RESERVISTS. , Wellington, Last Night. When the announcement was inaclo in the Anti-Gorman League's room this evening that a spy had been arrested there was great excitement among the members present. One of those who heard the news with interest was Madame Booufve, who subsequently related to a Now Zealand Times representative many details of importance. As,a Frenchwoman, she enjoyed facilities for obtaining information from the French reservists who have .just been visiting Wellington. "As soon as. I heard, of the arrest," she said, "I went straight down to tho steamer, Accompanied by Mr. J. Payne, M.P. There I interviewed the French reservists, and also spoke to tho police sergeant, and obtained from tho former tho following story:— '"This man was ono of the first persons to go aboard the Maitai when they | arrived by her last Sunday. He took pains to make himself most amiable to them, and accompanied them wherever they went. Incidentally he asked them all sorts of questions, and in a quiet way sought to discover as much as he could about them. It. was, however, noticed that he spoke French with a strong German accent,'and they became [suspicious of him aijd his apparent friendship. Still, th&y made no gign, and in a way led him on still further. To-night,* on tho' boat, when they were all together he said to them, 'Have you any naturalised Germans amongst you?' Thinking to put him to tho test, ono of the reservists replied, "Yes, I am a naturalised German.'' The reservist at once found his hand seized and wrung with effusion by this kindly friend. Thereupon several others announced [that they also were naturalised Germans, and every one of them was shaken by the hand and greeted most demonstratively. This, however, proved to be altogether too much for the reservists, whose anger had been steadily rising. They became Most excited and then there was trouble. They crowded in upon the man and began to beat him and kick him, till others on the ship had to intervene. Had he not been taken, away ho probably would have been 'thrown into the harbor, so angry were the reservists, but his removal saved him from harm.' " Madame Boeufve added that when she told the reservists later that she was vice-president of the Anti-German League, they said 'they were proud that a Frenchwoman held such a position. At her behest they joined in shouts of "Vivo La Franco,"'and "Down With the Kaiser," and she left them singing. "It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary."