CATCHING A SPY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 150, 14 March 1918, Page 8

CATCHING A SPY

OLD LADY_AS DETECTIVE CARRIER "PIGEON TRICK The best spy story in a lo'ng time comes from a medical officer, one of tho "big guns of his corps and profession (writes Pocook in the "World"). It is all about the Aberdeen "Express," one of the world's quickest long-dis-tance runs. You leave London after the theatre, go to bed in the train, have a cup of tea in bed at Edinburgh, and breakfast in Aberdeen, 600 miles from town. Northward from Edinburgh there are stops a while on tho Forth Bridge, and at Dundee and Montrose.' Tho old lady boarded the train at Edinburgh, and the porter shoved her into a non-smoking compartment of tho day coach. The other passenger was a foreign gentleman—of what nationality it would be hard to say, but foreign. As to the lady, she seemed a harmless old tiling some fifty-three years of age. The point is that one of the two was really a Germau spy, and any one's first suspicion would point to the old lady. Sho owned up frankly that she enjoys a gossip, and found tho foreign gentleman quite a eood fellow. As to his nationality, the accent gave no clue. She pumped him pcrseverjngA few miles out from Edinburgh the train'stopped on the Forth Bridge. Tho foreign gentleman stood flip, filling tho window, shutting out the view, and annoying the old lady, who also wanted to have a look. Moreover, she saw him go through a long fumbling procedure which puzzled her extremely. What on earth was ho up to? The only thing she saw was the last swift movement which emptied tho bulgy part of his oven,oat. And she caught the glimpse of a wing. Now the whole thing was clear,; there must have been a message scribbled rapidly, folded and made fast, and then tho sudden release of a carrier pigeon. And then the foreigner flashed round to seo if tho lady had noticed anything. No, evidently not. Sho looked vacant, nodding and half asleep.

"I looked stupid," she said afterwards, "but that's my specialty."

She must have done some very swift thinking before ho had time to turn around. Hre first impulse was to run along the corridor and find tho guard or rouse the first soldier she saw. But then tho foreigner would see by her first movement that he was in danger, and she did not want to be strangled, thrown out of the window and drowned in the Forth estuary. That would never do. No. She became affable, wondered what had delayed tho train so long. He expressed noble sentiments concerning tho Allies and contempt for Germany. But as the train pulled into Dunce the old lady expressed her conviction that the morning papers would be for sale by this time at the bookstall. She felt that a little run on the platform would ease her limbs after the cramped compartment. She would buy a paper for the foreign gentleman also. He seemed content and consented ,to her request that ho should soft tlmt >;•■ body took her window seat in her absence.

Half-way to tho bookstall she m»s i porter. It would be natural to ask him how long the train stopped. "Don't be seen speaking," she said, as she passed the porter, ''There' spy in iny carriage. Send the. station master to me at the bookstali."

When the station master came behind her the lady spoke into an open newspaper just as though she were ready aloud. "Don't be sew speaking to nie," she said. "There's a spy in my carriage. The train stops at Montrose next, eh? Well, wire Montrose!"

She paid for her bundle of papers and walked back to the carriage. If the spy had seen her speak to anybody he might attempt to escape along the corridor, or on to tbe railway track behind the train, or across the platform. Or lie might jump from the , train outside the station before it gathered speed. Worst of all for her, he might liavo confederates in the train.

Yet he seemed unsuspicious, sitting where she had left him, much obliged for tho newspapers. Thep lucky old lady sat opposite to her spy and entertained lu'm until they reached Monlrose.

Then came to their compartment a British officer with an armed guard and a detective, who greeted the spy at onco like a long-lost brother. "Why," said he, "I've been searching for your for months." The spy looked out through the window eastward and saw an armed sentry waiting on the metals in case he attempted escape. Then lie. looked at the lady—the artful old lady—and sighed. Later the old lady received an official communication of warm congratulations on her patriotism, courage, and high intelligence, begging her to' accept the enclosure, momento ®f a fine docd done for her country.