SPY AT COLOMBO.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13491, 21 September 1914, Page 6

SPY AT COLOMBO.

WIRELESS OPERATOR BRIBED

An interesting story about a German spy was related by passengers of the R.M.S. Mooltan on her arrival at Fremantle. When the declaration of war was made known at Colombo, a German, who had bsen carrying on business for five or six years, and who numbered among his friends the Governor and many high officials, announced:- that he would not forsake the Fatherland m her t.me of trouble by declaring neutrality. He asked, permission to leave the island by the Dutch -mail .packet for Batavia, and this he was permitted to do. Five or six hours after the packet had left the port, the wireless operators at Colombo (educated Cingalese) changed shifts. When the relieving man came on duty, he asked his comrade what he had been sending. His reply was: "I have not been sending" anything." "Oh," exclaimed the other, "but I heard the last part of the message. The operator, -after some conversation, confessed that he had been given so many rupees by* the German merchant, who had just left on the Dutch packet, to send messages to German ships m the vicinity, warning them i not to touch at Colombo, but to seek a neutral port. In consequence several Herman vessels, which were due at Colombo, failed to enter an appearance. Tlie matter was' report eu to the authorities by the socond operator. A courtmartial was held, and the operator who had accepted the bribe was shot. The authorities then ordered a search of the bungalow which had been occupied by -the German merchant. 'There a' number of compromising .documents' w.°ro found, including sketches of the forts at Ceylon and other ports. Indeed, it was stated that sufficient evidence was found to justify tlvj conclusion that the merchant had been acting as a German spy during the whole period of his residence on the island. An attempt was made to recall the packet- by wireless messages, but without- success, and when the Mlooltan left port other steps were being taken to secure the arrest of the German g py- '' '.