AUSTRALIAN GIRL'S EXPERIENCE IN U.S.A.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1918, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN GIRL'S EXPERIENCE IN U.S.A.

HELPS SECRET SERVICE TO APPREHEND TROUBLESOME GERMANS.

Miss Alberta Pearce, who has just returned to Sydney after nearly two years spent in New York, has had the unique experience of doing work for the American Secret Service. The Australian girl was engaged in one of New York's big stores, gleaning dress designing experience, and numbered among her working companions a French girl with a big circle of friends. Among them was an American-German family professing great loyalty to the allied cause. Phis family evinced a great interest in the Australian girl, and was persistent in ks invitations and lavish hospitality. "I took an instinctive dislike to thein all," said Miss Pearce. 'iThey were all intensely inquisitive about a few .English officer friends I had in the \Var Mission, and they would .persist in talking war, although' it is a prohibited topic in N«w York.

War talk is forbidden because America is overrun with Germans, who in listening to casual conversation gather information of troopships and food transports leaving for Europe. They signal from the coast, it is supposed, to a raider, which it is alleged ctime from Germany with the Wolf. "This raider is supposed to supply the submarines with information, and to keep them supplied with, petrol and food. ,•' German sympathisers in U.S.A. are accredited with a system of maintaining the food and fuel supply from lonely parts of tlie Atlantic coast.

Adverting to Miss Pearce's spy experience, the mother of the family professed to he wholly American and'to possess mostly French friends. Miss Pearee noticed that the French friends and her hostess had a peculiar trick of lapsing into German conversation. Her suspicions were aroused, she heard such sentiments on tllo war that her British blood boiled. She decided to drop them, and communicated her intention to an English officer. lie, however, advised her to acquaint the Secret Service with her suspicions; The Service, after investigating Miss Pearce's credentials, asked her to place herself in their hands. This she consented to do, ana was required to cultivate the German family. The father and mother were apprehended at a card party in their own home two months later, and the two sons, who were officers in the Aviation Corps, were taken at camp. _i In the camp there had been a series of inexplicable accidents to the air machines, which had acountod for the untimely death of many trainees. After the young German-Americans were removed they ceased. In consequence of this experience, Miss Pearce had the disagreeable experience of being shadowed by German sympathisers, and until her departure she was always under the protective observation of agents of the Secret. Service.

According to Miss Pcarce, the Germans have been responsible for the untimely end of many promising young aviators. Among others, lieutenant Resnati, a young Italian who was demonstrating with the famous Caproni machine, rose to the height of 100 ft from the camp, when the machine collapsed and he was killed. The Americans have found it unsafe to use a ma-' chine without minute investigation before each flight.

Miss Pearce tells with great pride of the Australian soldiers' triumphant [march through' New York. So popular was everything Australian at that moment that, while watching the "procession from Manhattan steps, a little Australian flag Miss Pearce possessed was auctioned for 4,000 dollars for patriotic funds.