EX-M.P. SPY.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 October 1919, Page 3

EX-M.P. SPY.

AMAZTXG CAREER OF LINCOLN. Commenting on tlie career of Ignatius Tribitsch Lincoln, who has recently been to visit the ex-Kaiser, the London Evening News says:— Nobody of recent years has had a history like his—luckily. He was born on the banks of the Danube of parents who were Hungarian Jews. After an exciting and chequered early life he became a convert to Christianity, and went to Germany and Canada to study theology. Two years afterwards he was appointed a Presbyterian minister in Montreal. The next year he was made a deacon of the Anglican Church by the Archbishop of Montreal He resigned his curacy, giving the explanation of "over work" for his action. In 1004 lie went to England after a stay of some months in Germany, and became curate at Appledore, a' small village in Kent.

After a time he resigned his orders, and became private secretary to Mr B. S. Rowntree, on whose behalf ho travelled extensively on the Continent. He then took up politics as a Liberal, and selected Darlington for his constituency. After a strenuous campaign, in which his wonderful gift of oratory stood him in good stead, he succeeded in defeating Mr Pike Pease by 29 votes at the 1006 election. For nearly a year he was Darlington's M.P., and then resigned on the ground of expense.

The next heard of him was that he had compounded with his creditors for 5s in the £, his liabilities being £17,000. Lincoln then took to travelling in Roumania and Galicia, and in August, 1914, he was back in London with an appointment at the G.P.O. as Hungarian censor. After that he went to Germany (having failed in his attempt to become attached to the British Secret Service), and, getting in touch with the German Secret Service, was sent back to England on a spying expedition. Upon arrival he again made an effort to join the British Secret Service. The authorities, however, were far too wide awake for Mr Lincoln, who quickly earne to the conclusion that Britain was not a healthy place for him and bolted to America. In that country he seems to have given himself up to publicly declaring bis hatred for England and everything English. He became obsessed with the desire to do the British Empire a bad turn, and did everything that was in' his power to aid German propaganda. Towards the end of August, 1915, he was arrested in Brooklyn for forging a guarantee purporting to be signed by Mr B. S. Rowntree, and for obtaining £750 and £l5O by false pretences.