FRANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 February 1918, Page 5

FRANCE.

THE ENEMIES' TERMS. VIGOROUS PROSECUTION OF THE WAR, DECIDED UPON 1 BY ALLIED COUNCIL Alia, sad N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. Received Feb. 4, 7M) p.m. London, Feb. 3. •I lie Press Bureau reports that the Supreme War Council at Versailles carefully considered the speeches of Counts Hertling and Czeram, hut, was unable to find in them any approximation to the moderate conditions laid down by the Allies, ■ This conviction is deepened by the contrast between the idealistics of the Central Powers at Brest Litov.sk and the plana of conquest aud spoliation now openly disclosed. . The Supreme War Council therefore decide that our immediate task is the vigorous prosecution of the war until, a change in thu enemy temper justifies' the hope of peace on terms that do not involve the abandonment of freedom and justice in the face of aggressive and unrepentant militarism. The council secured a eomnlete agreement on all questions both of policy measures ana the execution thereof. MUNITIONS FACTORY EXPLOSION Received Feb. 4, 9.35 p.m. : Paris, Feb. 4. At an explosion In a munitions factory at Moulinß ten were killed and many injured. BOLO'S COURT-MARTIAL. STARTLING REVELATIONS EXPECTED.' A TREACHEROUS POLITICIAN Received Feb. 4, 11 p.m Pari*, Feb 4

8010 Pasha's court-martial opens today. There is the most intense public interest. It is expected that important facts which have not hitherto been published will be revealed, especially the name of the French politician who is alleged to have been in communication with Count Bernstorff.

BOLO PASHA. PRINCE OF RASCALS. It is believed that Paul 8010 Pasha, who now is held by the French authorities as a master spy of Germany, will, in order to save himself, reveal the names of his accomplices and the details of their machinations. The possibility of siich a happening lias, it io eaid, caused such consternation amongst those who assisted him in the attempt 'o betray 'France, that an effort was made to kill liim in his cell. The r/riter of the folio,ving article, Paublo Eglisias, lis. a veteran Spanish journalist who, for many years represented a string of Spanish, French, Italian and Greek newspapers in various sections of the IJear Bail and AfricanAll France is stunned and is to-day, asking herself: "Who can this BolePasha be?" Y'hy was this man o2 an Oriental title and Oriental sounding name permitted to move about in Paris, making visits to Switzerland, Italy and Amcricr,' with such ease when it has been forbidden to many other Frenchmen of unimpeachable character? Who is 8010 Pasha?

A ladies' hairdresser, crook, embezzler, convict, lobster merchant, sacramental wine merchant, a keeper of a questionable house, a forced traveller run out of Mersina, Asia Minor, Turkey, for keeping a house of ill-fame, the prime mover of many other shady transactions wherever he went, an intimate friend of the ex-Khedive of Egypt when he wlis still in power, and an intimate of the ex-Khedive's Grand Vizier. This is his, earlier unacknowledged pedigree. His own very recent account of his life, ac-. cording to the Tout Paris, can bo summarised in a few lines. "8010 Pasha, Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, Officer of the Academy, Officer of Agricultural Merit, Grand Cross and Foreign Order, Commander of Foreign Orders, Officer of three Foreign Orders,17, Rue de Phalsbough—telephone Wagrang 8334—second Wednesdays, and Villa "Velleda, Biarritz This is the second stage or period of his eventful life, which he has lived' since his return from his forced exile, and after marrying a wealtliy Bordeaux widow.

Tlk? third period of his life lias been spent mostly, since the war, in frequent visits to Switzerland and once to America. All France is certain that liis fourth period will be a short one. 8010 is at present very ill and there is a whisper that there is a "Hidden hand" in Paris that made 8010 ill and would have at once, destroyed him had it not been for the timely interference' of the authorities. He would have been "done away with" like Alnyirayda, another recent French traitor'who immed-. iately "committed suicide" when h'is guilt was found out. I HIDDEN HANI) REACHES OPT FOR ITS CREATURES. In Paris stories are being told —stories that would have been published in the newspapers in peace days; stories which are facts —that there are "Hidden Hands" in France, in America, in Italy, nnd in Switzerland that would spend millions of francs to do away with 8010 Pasha. | The authorities are strictly guarding him, not because they are afraid that lie might make his escape, but they are afraid that the "IHiddcn Hand" will lake his life before France learns the names of every one of his accomplices. 8010 is carefully guarded, his health is being restored and every means is being taken to restore him to his normal mind. When 8010 gets better he will lie requested to tell iiis own story Will France offer immunity to 8010 with the understanding that he tells the whole truth and gives the names of hi* accomplices? Will 8010 ;onsent to give such information? 8010 is man of small principles ajid smaller courage, and 8010 loves "life," so the accepted belief in Paris is that he will yield and save his very miserable neck and the greatest scandals will follow that will I stun the entire world. Although during the last three years 'Bolo Pasha has been entertaining both

|in Piiris and Biarritz, the highest perin. France, spending money lavishly and tfearing the button of the Legion of Honor, the truth is that !ie never received thut honor and was never entitled to claim it, but no' one. ever questioned his right to wear it.. Was there a "Hidden Hand?" Now let me return to Bolo's earlier life. Paul 8010 is nearly fifty years of age, hut looks more like thirty-five. He is a. brother of a, distinguished Parisian prelate, whose congregation is composed 'of ultra-fashionable Parisian society, and against whose honor there has never been the slightest whisper. On visiting his sick brother in the prison At. 8010 wept and uttered these words 'before a crowd which had gathered: "If he is guilty of treason against France I pray for his soul, but may God's punishment be meted to his body." BOLO LEARNS NAUGHT OF A YEAR IN PRISON. He was born in Marseilles and is the son of a poor notary. Early in youth lie showed great ability and would' have become renowned in any legitimate profession or undertaking hud big tendencies been honorable, but his mind was crooked and nothing but shady transactions and the easier means of getting rich appealed to. him. • In 188S he organised a number of Paris restaurant owners into an association to import v lobsters, and cleared for himself nearly 100.000 francs, but disaster for his clients. However, this did not land him in prison. But in the following year he founded a fraudulent wine agency, which' handled sacramental wine The scheme was to take brders from prelates, bill them for the wines, but never deliver the goods, the profits thus realised being shaved between the prelate and the 8010 agent." This transaction at once landed him in prison, and after serving his sentence of one year he changed his name, went to Spain, and started a. casino, which, although a suc- ■ cess as a financial undertaking,, did not appeal to the Spanish police. He was given the choice of two sentences by the municipal magistrate, one to leave the country within thirty-six hours, while the other was to serve a sentence of two years for having kept a disorderly house without a municipal license. Paul 8010, who liad\ taken the name of Paulos Paublo, selected the first, and left Spain at onee for Africa.

8010 went to Spanish Africa, but lie had scarcely reached the administration district of the Spanish Governor When he was told in language unmistakable that his immediate absence rto.uld be appredated Bolo' then went to French Africa and met with the same attitude from everyone of the French administrative authorities. Finally., he took passage on one of the French steamers that left Tangiers and landed at Mcrsina, a Turkish port on the north-eastern corner of fhe Mediterranean. He lived at that Turkish port nearly three years, and by this time owned every casino in that city of 20,000 population, when finally the French colony one day organised themselves into a league, appointed a representative and sent him to Constantinople. 'fliers they obtained a decree from the Sublime Port, ordering' Bolo's expulsion from the country; this the French colony at Mersina did in spite of the Governor of the province, who was found to be a partner in Bolo's (iishono:-ab;e transactions. t Ne::t he moved (j Cairo, Egypt, vhsre ie r.ssjmc ' tha name of Ipsi'antj Ihlmno, ?n.l pasced as en Kali™. It was uunng ],,s sojourn in Cairo Chat ha cul'uvated the society of the then exist>:;g Egyptian em;: circle. Tl:e ■siory ox 8010 p «cavities in Egypt in those days would fil. page, an( j , vouW bp ju _ gating reading, but it i a , u oo es.ed that n np,y nothing about thia ;)e::od; the censor ia all-wise as he is all-paweriii!, arid I bow to his dictation. However, 1 would say this much that m . '} os ® da ' ;s .. 1 a resident journalist at the Egyptian capital and knew Polo personally.

And now, coming to Bolo's return to France from Egypt, we find him rich. He turned up in Lyons. At Lyons he became a hairdresser at a fashionable establishment and soon afterwards he Again began to truvol as ji wino <i**(»nt 8010 finally established in Paris a °!r f T a bi <? cl| ampagne firm,, but this did not succeed, but he had already become a friend of a rioli Bordeaux widow with an income of 100000 francs yearly. This "admitted him'to the joyous Biarritz society, where he ■it owe became popular Meanwhile Bolo's old friend, Khedive Abbas of Egypt, had been deposed and leached Switzerland as an exile He had been looking for a man of'straw to whom to transfer his fortune in fcgypt and his shares of the Suez Canal for fear that Britain might at any time seize his rit-hes. 8010 was the mitii. 8010 prepared fi series of schemes and contracts, and meeting the Khedive's .finister Sadik at Paris, both journeyed to Kome, where three members of the Italian Parliament took part in the negotiations. Later the Khedive himself joined 8010 and the rest, but it appears that Bolo's scheme was not acceptable to the Khediw AH this took plate in 1015. before Italy had joined in the war. Ho\?ever, 8010 s services to the former ruler of Egypt must have been great, as 8010 received liSs Oriental title right after that meeting. From that time on 8010 became 8010 Pasha. Now, it is this peculiar incident, that 8010, with a title given him by a deposed ruler, returns to Paris as a Pasha, and no one thinks of questioning him as to how it is that he has obtained such a title from a declared enemy of our Ally, who is known to be in daily intrigue with Berlin and Berlin's intrigue:* in Zurich, Switzerland.

Henceforth 8010 Pasha made frequent visits to Italy, Switzerland, and one to America. In February, 1015, there was a conference held in Koine between 8010 Paslni, Siulik Pasha and Moliammed Pasha, who is the nephew of the Khedive. This conference took place at the Hotel Excelsior in Rome. During this conference 8010 urged upon his Egyptian confreres that the war had lasted long enough, and that, so fyr as France was concerned, an immediate peace would lie welcome. - Iff urged on his Bgyptinn friends that if Sadik Pasha and the Khedive made up their minds to help bvin" about such a speedy termination of the war they could be of ar'oat assistance in procuring an appreciable sum from Berlin, by which either the leadins French Press could be bought outright, or new papers could be started that would advocate immediate peace. I The sum demanded by 8010 was 200,1000.000 francs. The plan was put up to Berlin bv Sadik Pasha, hut did not meet with the approval of von Jagow, as the price involved was too high Berlin, however, put as a small beginning 2,000.000 francs at the disposal of 8010 Pasha through the media of Sadik Pasha and the Khedive at a Swiss bank. After drawing on this fund to the extent of 1,000 000 'franaa, 8010 Pasha rtfiutd to continue

with the plan, savins; that "voiicaftnatP buy the toul of the French newspaper'.sl man with that small sum." 'JSE TAKES GERMAN COIN" TO BETRAY 'i MIS COUNTRY. ' .>lf After having deducted 129000 frarita , ji as their commissions in the transact!## "')% Sadik and the Khedive returned ttWvl balance to Berlin unil the matter wi»' ,-d dropped for a while, liolo Pasha this period between Italy and Ft&hm, fi having his hands full With that had to do with selling to Qermalifi- *1 various commodities, ranging from mfl- 1 tor trucks to cattle. It wag in transactions that several members . this Italian Parliament hal become Boto"»,r>s Pasha's partners, and these gentlem& t-;'? are now busy explaining their conduct > to the Italian Press. < t The writer relates at length the fur- >4 ,ther attempts that were made* by Bote ■* \ and hia confederates to get 'Berlin » ''-a provide the amount considered l>y theßt ™ necessary to control French newgpapen. J The German agents, however, were «tuj>- ,H born. Finally 8010 was induced to accept "f'\ their offer and "thus several millioTii of fyanjs passed to 8010 through tile , intermediary of a Swiss lwnk and a cer- ' tain Pstlb bank; in every tr&nsaotidp: i'<i Khedive Abbaasa, Hilmy and" Sadftc Pasha taking their 10 per cent, enmirtfa. f;i sion. After this there was a lull in fflto■ relationship between the German Fot- "\1 eign Office and 8010, that is, so far as i# A was carried out through the internediaries, of the Khedive and Sadik IPasha, Something happened to disorganise tW "' 4 arrangements, and the entire plan wM' > ! abandoned in favor of ,an American t in- '* tennediary. ■ ' i