THE UBIQUITOUS SPY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15807, 2 January 1915, Page 6

THE ÜBIQUITOUS SPY.

FOUND EVERYWHERE. A SOLDIER'S EXPERIENCES.

Writing to a friend, Corporal Rowlands, of the Army Service Corps, says:— Germans have an enormous number of spies about, and it is generally "admitted that there is at least one in every English camp. Why, one of them dressed as an English nurse and in a motor -with the Red Cross on it got through our lines several times last week. Our people only tumbled to it when it was too late. He "is bach, in Berlin again now, I expect. '' We were at a place called —— a few weeks ago, and several of our officers and a few French officers and the clerks of the division (four of us) billeted at a large motor garage in the town, the proprietor of which, to all intents and ourposes, was a well-respected citizen. We settled down to a little rest and a few hours' clerical duties when some French officers, by, accident, in strolling around the. place, came across 'mein host' of the garage secretly telegraphing by a specially fixed apparatus to the Germans, and giving them all particulars about us, our positions, numbers, and everything. Further search brought forth documents, etc., which clearly proved that he was a ' rank spy.' " He was promptly led down a side lane by a party of French marksmen and shot— before he had time to eat his breakfast and buried by the side of his house, the place where he had been carrying on his treacherous work.

" I nearly caught a spy the other day dressed in our clothes. He was rigged up as a sergeant of the R.H.A. and spoke English beautifully. My officer spotted him first and sent me after him— lie on his own— ask him if he could assist! him, as he seemed lost. He told me he ■ ■was trying to buy some butter for his officers' mess. We knew this to be wrong, I as there was no R.H.A. about for miles. Meanwhile we watched him. go into a house. We decided to have him out, and obtained permission from the Mayor to search the house. In we went with the local head of police, but could we find him?, Gould we? He'd gone! How, when, and where Wve never been able to find cut. At another place one of their spies c&me dressed as a Scotch soldier, kilts and everything. "The troops never suspected Anything until by accident, his jacket being open, one of our chaps spotted on his chest a tatooed picture of the Kaiser. On being questioned he pulled out a revolver, but he onlv had time to fire once. Result— ■>n his back with 10 bullets in him. Buried him outside, another one wiped out."-