ARE THEY SPIES?

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 83, 5 October 1910, Page 11

ARE THEY SPIES?

ENGLISHMEN ARRESTED IN GERMANY. ■ t THE DEFENCES AT BORKUM, £from otjb. own correspondent.] LONDON, 26th August. ' Just about a year ago, in the "silly season" of 1909, almost every day brought its rumours of German spies in England. They were living low in the water channels beneath the Strand. They were flying high in. spectral , airships, casting sheep's eyes at the coal stacks of Cardiff and the naval base at Rosyth. They were standing about stolidly in restaurants and tearooms and beer-houses in London, pretending to bo waiters, but -really, of course, counting up the English people, spying out the- ones with revolvers and spending their evenings writing long despatches to the Kaiser, full of plans and figures and insinuations. It was all too awful. Now the boot is on the oth«r foot. A few nights ago 'a' German -warship, trying a new searchlight amongst the sand dunes, of the island, of Borkum, saw a spot on the landscape. The alarm was given. Soldiers turned, out from the fortifications. The spot ran, but the soldiers won. And Brandon, of London, -was seized, camera, ' plates and all, on suspicion of being a spy. He was brought before a heavy magistrate at Emden and released. The charge was too ridiculous. But Germany, loving Borkum and jealous lest its too. modern armament should be' disclosed, once more seized upon Brandon, of London. His friend Trench, with whom ho left London, travelling by way of Denmark, then along the chain of the East Frisian Islands, put in an appearance next morning with a demand of habeas, corpus, but the - inexorable Germans lay hold also of Trench, believing them both to be British spies. They had in their possession many photographs of German fortifications, and this, combined with ! the facts that Brandon was caught 1 on forbidden ground and that both men refused to give their London addresses, lent colour to the suspicion that they were really British spies. , THE .PROSECUTION. Germany, of course, is entitled to her own method of dealing with spies, ana the position of Brandon and Trench at the moment is not a, t pleasant one. The Lokalanzeiger remarks :j-"The prtpers in the preliminary investigation have been closed, and will to-day be sent to the chief Imperial Public Prosecutor. The transference of the prisoners to Leipzig is immediately impending. Both Englishmen, as was not to be otherwise expected, still protest their complete innocence. They are, however, gravely incriminated by the pians filled in with numbers, the photographic plates, and especially the measuring instruments found in their possession. Their statements have been made with the utmost reluctance. Moreover, they show little confidence in their legal re-, presentative, Herr Haberfeld, of Emden, who was procured for them through the mediation of the English Vice-Consul at Emden, and they demand' that they should be allowed to have an English solicitor." There is some suppressed indignationm England over the affair, bui'the press generally has the good sense to recognise that it is wiser in the national interests not to discuss the espionage system of the' British War Office, v of which this may or may not turn, out to bo an incident. 1 GERMAN COMPLAINTS. Count Reventlow, the well-known German, naval expert, writes :— "During last autumn and winter I drew attention several times to British espionage of the German coastline and at the ports. British espionage in Germany, apparently, w systematically conducted from two. different centres. One is London and the other is Berlin. The Berlin centre maintains temporary branches, at the different coast towns, and these temporary branches disappear as Boon as the place becomes too hot for the spies, or if an arrest takes place. There is, of course, frequent communication between 1 the twp centres. All these things are not, of course, conducted publicly, but now and then some lucky chance leads to extremely interesting revelations. Krupp's, at Essen, experience great difficulties in guarding themselves against British espionage." After referring to the details of the present case, Count Earnest Reventlow declares that the pretence of representing am English illustrated paper is- a well-known tri<!k, because it is easy enough to prove that harmless photographs have been sent to one as more papers, while, of course, the British Admiralty receives really important photographs. , "It is, strongly to be hoped," said the count, "that the two spies will\be •severely punished. There ought not to be conviction for the sake of appearances, followed by a subsequent pardon, e>ven if they turn out to be officers." He then urges that JETjeliogoland ought to be closed to the general public, because it is absolutely to keep secret its important fortifications when crowds of visitors are straying there throughout the eummeiv THE PENALTIES. The penalties to which the accused men would be liable if the charge of espionage made against them could be established are severe. Section 91 of the German penal code provides that foreigners who impart plans of fortresses "to the enemy" shall be dealt with "after the usage of war" — a rule which presumably applies only when a state of war actually exists. If, however, they are under the protection of the German Empire at the time of conunitting the crime they are liable to the same penalties as a German subject. Section 92 of the code states : — "Whoever deliberately imparts plan 3of fortresses or other such information concerning which he knows that the preservation of their secrecy from another country is necessary far the well-being of the German Empire, or makes such information known to that country, shall be punished with penal servitude of not less than two years, or, where extenuating circumstances are present, with 'confinement a fortress for not less than six months." BORKUM AND ITS' DEFENCES. Borkum forms an important link, in the chain of naval fortifications on the North Sea coast, and has during recent months been equipped with Krupp gun 3 pf the moat powerful and latest type. The scheme of improving the fortification jof the island and strengthening the (ra.rrison has only just been completed, and ther& 1a naturally sensitiveness lest any of the secrets should be revealed, The island 'is about five miles long and two and a half bro^d. It is a popular holiday resort, and is visited by thousands every year, mtfny coming from the Dutch mainland.