UNDERGROUND BOHEMIA.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1643, 21 May 1919, Page 7

UNDERGROUND BOHEMIA.

HOW AUSTRIA WAS DUPED. CZECH MAFFIA ARRANGES REVOLUTION. The secret organisation (says ,the Paris "Temps") which produced the Czech revolution in Bohemia, took its name from the celebrated i society in Sicily called the Maflia. jln all the villages and towns of Bohemia there were the gymnastic J societies called the "Sokols." These jgroups were the centres of the patriotic propaganda, and at the beginning of the war they transformed jinlo secret organisations. No member of the Czech Maflia knew more than two other members. Dr. Szarjnal, head of the society, and now I Mayor of Prague, was fhe only person in possession of the complete membership list, which included the names of Dr. Bcnes. Mr Stanck, and Dr. Stephanik. members of the present Cabinet. The MafhVs principal task was to maintain communication between Bohemia and the Allied nations. In doing this work, women, clerks, and even domestic servants undertook i the most perilous missions, risking the Austrian gallows to serve the cause of freedom. "The Maflia" (says the 'Temps") "had placed a valet in the service of Count Sturgh, the Austrian Prime Minister, who was later assassinated by Dr. Adler. This servant gathered up each evening all the papers he could find about his master's office, took them home, and copied them on a typewriter. The copies were passed on to some women, who concealed them in umbrellas and parasols, and carried them to Switzerland, returning with instructions to the Czech Committee from Paris. Several times the police got wind of this traffic, and .'hey arrested, among others, the daughter of President Masaryk and the wife of Dr. . Benes. But they failed to discover the secret. Once the Austrian delec- • tives found an apartment where, in fact, very compromising papers were concealed. They searched every-r . < where, but found nothing. The papers were under the carpet 1 "One of the Maflia conspirators discovered an invisible ink, the formula for which he still keeps a [secret to himself. With this he . (wrotebetween the lines of the 'Sugar i Industry Review,' which the censorship was not disturbing, and was able to send all sorts of information abroad. This magazine was finally denounced to the police, but in cjtite of their Applying to it all known chemical reactions, the mysterious ink remained invisible to the Austrian Government. The censor, ever, then forbade the exportation of books and papers of all sorts. "The last secret message from Paris arrived in Prague after the Austrians had been driven out on j October 29. The secret agent of the Maflia took his note to the city hall, and from a flag-bedecked rostrum read it in public to a cheering crowd. It was from Dr. Benes, and said: I 'Keep up your courage. We have been recognised by the Allied Governments, with Masaryk as President.*" •:■:"'.