A JUDAS OF THE WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17255, 3 September 1919, Page 7

A JUDAS OF THE WAR.

INFAMOUS FRENCH TRAITOR. NURSE CAVELL'S , AVENGER. A. and N.Z. PARIS. Sept. 1. At the trial of Quien, charged with the betrayal of Nurse Cavell, the Prince of Croy stated that Abbe Bosteels gave Quien a plan of the Brussels-Namur railway, believing him to be a high French officer. The arrest of* the Abbe quickly followed. On another occasion Quien betrayed the German position at Valenciennes and other points, giving information to a French colonel, who supplied him with money.

Isadore Ryck, a Belgian printer, gave evidence that he and Quien shared a prison cell at St. Gilles in November, 1915. Quien repeatedly tried to learn the location of the secret press from which the famous newspaper La Libre Belgique was printed. Ryck, unsuspectingly, suggested several places, but the Germans never located the press.

The Matin publishes a statement that Kessdelrod, a young and needy but well-born Belgian was -the real betrayer of Nurse Cavell. He acted spitefully owing to Nurse Cavell's refusal to lend him money. Louis Brand, another young Belgian, tracked and shot Nessdelrod, and later the Germans caught and executed Brand.

I The evidence of 58 witnesses is being I heard at the trial of Quien. Quien, who ! was a convict at St. Quentin when it was 1 occupied by the Germans, entered the, German espionage service. He learned the secrets of the organisation conducted by Nurse Cavell, the Prince and Princess of Croy, and others, to enable British, French', and Belgian soldiers to escape from Belgium, representing himtielf as a French officer. He preyed upon the bounty of Nurse Cavell and others at Brussels, borrowing large sums, as.d finally denouncing them. He also systematically spied in the prisoners' camps till 191/'. He was arrested on a charge of theft on his return to France from Switzerland, and was cent to serve in a disciplinary unit in North Africa :.ntil the release of his victims from German prisons enabled graver charges to be. formulated against him.