“Girl Must Live”

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XV, Issue 215, 10 December 1925, Page 5

“Girl Must Live”

Espionage PAYS BETTER THAN POSING. MARCELLE MONSEIL’S CHOICE. [By Cable—Press Association—Copyright.] Paris, Dec. 8. The espionage affair is hourly gaining romantic interest. Leather is well known in the British colony and his iriends find it difficult to believe him guilty, while the police have no serious suspicion of Phillips, who was only arrested as an associate of Leather. ■Marcelle Monseil seems to suffer from a lust lor notoriety, which makes even her confession most doubtful. Marcelle spent her girlhood in a reformatory, whence she emerged with a nurse’s diploma. Daring parachute descents have been a big clement 'u her success. After she at the Nantes aerodrome she was the guest of honour at a banquet givejn by the aviators to celebrate her courage. The police declare that Leather and Phillips admit that they belong to the British intelligence service. The British Embassy may intervene on their behalf. Monseil continues to maintain a cynical attitude. She defended .her action in turning spy by declaring: “A girl must live somehow.” She preferred to sell her country’s secrets for a thousand francs to starving as an artist’s model. She was introduced to Phillips by her lover. Phillips offered her 1200 francs monthly to operate uuder his direction. She then consecrated herself entirely to spying. She visited the principal ports, wintiling the affections of youthful officers and obtaining information concerning the number and quality of aeroplanes, also technical matters, relating especially to a secret five-engined aeroplane under construction. Monseil says she he/ieved the espionage was conducted on behalf of Britain.

• The “Evening News’’ says inquiries i.u London suggest tiiat the French police have been over zealous and have made a mistake in charging Englishmen with espionage.

The Burndept Wireless Company. London, points out that the arrested mon central the company’s Paris •‘•'ey. The work naturally entails inquiries at aeroplane works. They are the onlv English company competing with French manufacturers on a large scale. '1 he men’s characters arc unimpeachable. They probably merely acted indiscreetly. Phillips is manager of Burndept and Pipriot, which is the

‘■»ris agency for Burndept of London. He was a prominent British intelligence officer in war time.

The “Daily News’ ” Paris correspondent says the charge against the throe Englishmen of espionage, acting for Britain, has caused a most painful impression. The police escorted the prisoners to the Burndept and Bleriot offices. which were scrupulously searched and several boxes of documents removed. The police listened-in to q number of wireless sets, hoping to intercept secret information, but heard only an Eiffel tower message and musical programmes.—(Sydney “Sun” cable.) THE ARRESTED ENGLISHMEN DENY KNOWLEDGE OF ESPIONAGE. London, Dec. 9. Paris newspapers, commenting on the disclosures in the espionage ease, declare that the arrest of three Englishmen is occasioning the belief that England is involved in the strange anti-climax to Locarno. A search of the premises of the wireless company, in which the arrested Englishmen were employed, was carried out by a magistrate and a representative of the War Ministry. Letters and a list of war officers were found. The arrested Englishmen, when questioned hv the magistrate, denied anv knowledge of the espionage activities of Marcelle Monseil. with whom only one of them was acquainted.— ( Reuter.)