A FRENCH TRAITOR.

NZ Truth, Issue 136, 25 January 1908, Page 8

A FRENCH TRAITOR.

A BLACKMAILER'S BOLD BID FOR BOODLE. Correspondence m an Agony Column. How the Traitor was Trapped. A startling story comes from Toulon. Espionage, treason, and all the tremendous words applied to the prime of "lese patrie" have been pronounced m connection with the arrest of a young naval officer there, who, it is said* has been hurriedly despatched to Paris. Everything m connection with the case appears mysterious, and reminds one almost of the obscure beginnings of a famous precedent which set all ' France and the world agog. The arrest of the young officer is given a dramatic turn, the charge against him is as vague as it can be. It is not known, says the London "Daily Telegraph" correspondent, whether the alleged crime is treason, blackmail, or swindle, and, finally, instead of being examined at the place where he was arrested, he i/s hurried on to Paris. The story is simpiy this. A popular and very intelligent young naval officer is said to have aroused the suspicion' of his superior officers by his prodigality, far above his means. ; He was entertaining a lady friend m a villa at great expense, and visited her frequently. But neither the civil nor the naval authorities could find any charge against him. A short time ago he obtained leave to go on shore, and then, it is said, a curious letter one day arrived at the Ministry of Marine m Paris from an anonymous writer at Toulon, who said that he had knowledge of important military secrets which he would sell to a foreign country unless the French authorities were willing to pay him £6'ooo for his silence. SHADOWED FOR DAYS. Detectives were ,at once sent to Toulon by the Secret Service, and, it is stated, came to the conclusion that the young naval officer m question was the culptft. Why did they not arrest him at once ? This is one of the mysteries of the case. . Instead of doing so, they are said to have taken every precaution not to arrest him at Toulon. Two detectives followed him for days, and even ingratiated themselves into his friendship. They persuaded him to

take an automobile trip into the mountains, and when he consented advised two other detectives to follow m another car, which was done. In this way, the unsuspecting officer was lured to the mountains, and there the four detectives pounced upon him like brigands OTi their prey. He tried to defend himself with- his revolver, which was quite natural, as it is said he did not know they were detectives. When finally secured, he was taken to Toulon, and thence •sent immediately on his way to Paris. A note, purporting- to come from M. Nennion, Chief of the Detective Service, was printed, which vaguely states that the prisoner has confessed. It does not state clearly what it is ho has admitted, and adds only another mystery to the case. Nothing is said as to whether tlie prisoner has arrived m Paris or is being detained on the way. PHOTOS OF SECRET DOCU^ MENTS. Later information 'received- concerning the arrest of the young naval officer adds to the anany mysteries of the case. The prisoner, instead of being questioned at Toulon by the naval authorities, was interrogated m the train by a special commissary! who plied him with all sorts of questions, whilst the "rapide" was rushing to Paris. The story now told is that the anonymous correspondent, who is supposed to be the prisoner, sent photographs of the secret documents m question to the Naval Ministry a/nonth'ago, and said that others m his possession , would be handed over if a sum of £6000 was deposited for his convenience m a certain place, which it is preferable not to mention, m the railway station at Toulon. In case his proposition was not accepted, he would deliver to a foreign Power also the code of signals and other documents of the highest importance. Concluding -his .letter, he added that^he spoke for an organ ised ganir, and that if hands were laid on bim, one of .the gang would undertake to revenge the others by killing the Minister's daughters. A BOXING-MASTER CAPTURES HIM. The officer inculpated is the Naval Sub-Lieutenant Charles Benjamin Ullmo, born February 17, 1882. He has I been m the service since 1898, and was aspirant de premiere classe m October, 1903. He had been assigned | to the torpedo boat destroyer Carabine, and had -come ashore /recently ori"~leave. His usual residence was the Villa Glegle, at MourilliOn, where 'his lady friend, known as "La Bells Lison," is also said to have lived. The villa was luxuriously fur- , nished. He belongs to a highly-re-spectable family, and his father, who is said to be a leather merchant at Lyons, is reported to have given:, him a v.en-' liberal monthly allowance. In Vegaid to tha arrest, still more dramatic details arc now given as to how it was accomplished. When the arrest, which, it" appears, was ordered by a Paris Magistrate, 'M. Leydet, was decided upon, the detective ser-vice-resolved to call to its assistance a well-known Paris' athlete and boxing master. He was to go to. the place assigned m the mountains called the Gorges of Ollioules, where the anonymous correspondent, had. given a rendezvous on condition that no armed person should be m sight. The boxing-master, therefore, went to the place alone, while some detectives kept watch at a short distance. As he arrived on the spot, the sublieutenant, it is said, came forward aiming a revolver at him. The box-ing-master threw up his arms, and said, "You see, I am unarmed. I came to take over the documents, but refuse to discuss any conditions unless you throw away your weapon." The sublieutenant was taken m by this declaration, and dropped his revolver. The boxing-master at once struck him a terrible blow with his fist and .sent him rolling on the ground, after which the detectives appeared on the scene and secured him. HOW THE TRAITOR WASTRAPPED. The correspondence between the French police and the traitor naval lieutenant, Ullmo, which led to the lieutenant's remarkable arrest by, a pugilist, was carried on by means of the "agony" column. Ullmo's first letter to the Minister of Marine, asked for a reply by advertisement m the Toulon newspaper the j "rßepubliquc dv Var." The Minister of Marine was tb take the name of Paul, and address the advertisement to Pierre, the name which Ullmo gave himself. The first advertisement of "Paul" (the police authorities) ran as follows : "Reply to your letter by telegram was sent on Saturday. Your terms do not give sufficient guarantee. We. are willing to pay price against delivery of all goods.— Paul." This advertisement and the following one were sent by telegram, to the "Republique dv Var." The last one, which was published on the 22nd, ran: "Paul to Pierre.— Accent your terms. Leave to-day f^Tv'i. at 9.20. Your letter card received at 11.— Paul." Inspector Sf-'hillo arrived at Toulon on tho moraine of the 23rd, and the arrest whs made the same afternoon. Ullmo left Toulon under a strong guard by the six o'clock train for Pans.

Inauiries among his brother officers prove that he and "La Belle Lison'' are both CONFIRMED OPIUM SMOKERS. The documents stolen by Ullmo concern the general coast defences of the country, the defence of Port Touion. and all the books concerning the manoeuvres of torpedo boats, and the establishment of beacons and buoys m times of war. In war time, the buoys m harbor are destroyed, and among the documents m Ullmo's possession was a complete list of secret instructions how to get into the harbor, which would be invaluable to a Foreign Power at war with France. He "WENT THE PACE." The late Simon Ullmo, thc sublieutenant's uncle, made a fortune with large tanneries. His father and mother are both dead, the former having left him £2000, which he soon ran through. Charles Ullmo seems to have "gone the pace" at Toulon, where, at Le Mourillion, he lived m a villa with a fair lady of five-and- twenty known as the "Beautiful Lison." Her real name is Eliza Welsch, and she is of Alsatian family, though born at Clermont-Fer-rand. She spent what m her lover's circumstance was a fortune on clothes, and Toulon talked of £200 mantles which she wore. She is supposed to have cost him £120 a month. GAMBLING- DROJE HIM MAD. When f ,examined m the Palais d<r - Justice, the prisoner said : "I am not so guilty as people imagine. I s' "'ply "to procure" money", of which J was m- urgent need, <from the Ministry of Marine. I. never had the intention, to betray secrets of any kind to a foreign' nation. ■ P love my country too much to have ever thought of betraying it. Tlie idea of doing what I did was suggested to ; my, mind by the attempt made sonic mdnths ago by certain'; persons to sell false., plans of tho port of Bkearta" to the Ministry- I had lost money by gambling. I was mad. I had lost my head. Now that I. reflect, I see tho gravity of my act, but when I committed it, I was far from realis-. ing the consequences. If I had be"-n cool-headed I would not have made aii anpointment near Toulon. I should have given a rendezvous on the Italian frontier, where I would have been safe against arrest."