GUN-RUNNING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19502, 10 June 1925, Page 4

GUN-RUNNING.

ENGLISH AIRMAN AND THE BIFFS. • DOUBIJ3-CROSSED BY A COFEDERATE. How a daring English gun-runner had to leave his wife as a hostage witli Abdel Krim, the Riff leader, owing to his confederate’s attempt to dupe the Riffs with forged bank notes, has been revealed to the Sydney Sun by its English correspondent. It is necessary to recall that the Spaniards recently discovered a chest floating in the Mediterranean, containing Riffian bank notes, which had been printed by a reputable London firm. The Spaniard* handed the notes over to Scotland Yard for inquiries. Shortly afterwards an. ex-mem-ber of the Air Fore© called on a director of an aeroplane company to negotiate for the purchase of a fast two-seater aeroplane. He admitted that he had been offered £IO,OOO to bring Abdel Krim to London for the purpose of negotiating peace with Spain. A detective, who was shadowing the Air Force man, then appeared and said; “I know that you for a long time have been gun-running for the Riffs. I want to know the name of your confederate.” The airman replied. ‘‘Well, he has double-crossed me, so I don’t mind saying that he is a prominent shin owner. This shipowner; not content with profitably running arms from France to Morocco, went to a London firm of printers with faked credentials, pretending that he represented the Riffian Treasury, and induced them to print thousands of pounds' worth of supposed Riffian bank notes. The shipowner passed a hundred of them on the Continent aa payment for, arms and munitions. Then, be grew bolder, and during a trip to Morocco, unknown to me, he duped the Riffs themselves. After I had smuggled the next cargo through the Spanish lines, assisted by my wife, who is of an. adventurous spirit, I asked Krim ‘What’s the next order?’ Krim said T want army blankets.’ I said ‘Righto, where’s - the money?’ ‘‘Krim showed me the faked bank notes, and also pointed to a pile of dud rifles, saying; ‘That is a sample of your friend’s honesty. Produce the blankets first, and you’ll get the money afterwards.’ I replied, ‘That’s impossible, old man.’ I nearly fell flat when Krim said, ‘Weil, leave your wife as a hostage.’ “However, ray wife, in a sporting spirit, agreed, and she remained in Krim’s camp while I went to Gibraltar. I obtained blankets, which I successfully landed in a Moroccan cove, in sight of a Spanish patrol boat. I found that my wife-had been wefl treated. “Subsequently I met the shipowner in London. He explained that he had abandoned gun-running. He only just escaped from the Riffs with his life, he said. Then, the private yacht, showing Spanish l identification lights, in which he was escaping, was pursued by a Spanish gun-boat, and, fearing capture, he threw - overboard the case cc tabling the remainder of the notes.” The special representative of the Sum learns that the police will be ratable to prosecute either the .airman or the shipowner, because they did not purchase the guns in England. Nevertheless, it is expected that the shipowner will have to stand his trial on another charge.