GERMANY NAMED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19121, 16 September 1936, Page 5

GERMANY NAMED

MCMAHON’S BRIBE STORY SOLICITOR'S STATEMENT SAFETY OF THE KING QUERIES IN LONDON (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) ‘ ' LONDON, Sept. 15. " The . Press Association states on re-_ liable authority that the Germany Embassy was indicated by George Andrew McMahon when,, during bis trial at the Old Bailey yesterday, on .charges arising out of the Royal procession incident at Hyde Park Corner oil July 16, he wrote -on a ■ piece -of • paper, which he handed to the judge and jury, and the Attorney-General, the name of the person, the embassy, and .the .foreign Power to whom lie said he was introduced, with the resultant offer of. £l£o to McMahon if he .would .shoot the lying during the trooping of the colour. In authoritative quarters, the only comment, was,. “Does anyone, really take this seriously?” Mr. Alfred Kerstein, who was McMahon’s counsel when he was first charged at Bow Street; told' the -Daily Herald 1 : “The Power concerned 'is -Germany. I informed the authorities of this plot after hearing about, it from McMahon while- he -was- in prison. Following my reports, the King’s French holiday was cancelled and he went to Eastern Europe.instead/’. OFFICERS NOT CALLED Secret service men verified many of McMahon’s statements. Several officers were subpoenaed to give evidence, But were not called.

Meanwhile tlie question of the King’s safety is being considered. In a leading article the Daily Telegraph says: “McMahon’s story bears every mark of improbability. The notion that any interest of a foreign Power would he furthered by the assassination of the British monarch could only be born of a diseased mind. The policemen on the scene are worthy of all praise for their promptitude in handling an alarming situation, but it is plain from the trial that a little more official perspicacity would have saved McMahon from his folly, and avoided public alarm.”

The Times says: "No Englishman is inclined to convict a foreign Power of plotting against the King’s life on evidence sucK as McMahon’s. McMahon is evidently part of the economic wreckage of the day, an intellectual and moral weakling, broken by unemployment, and nursing grievances until he became blind in his rancour against society.” GUARDING ROYALTY CEASELESS VIGILANCE SPECIAL OFFICERS’ WORK STORY OF THE LATE KING • _____ Vigilance as ceaseless as it is unobtrusive is exercised by speciallydetailed officers to ensure the safety of British Royalty at all times. Scotland Yard officers, trained in the most exacting of police duties, are attached to various members of the Royal Family and, although their presence is rarely noticed by the public, their task is a real and highly-important one.

The public hears little of the work of the skilled officers with whom reposes to so large a degree the personal safety of the great. While the thought of assassination is abhorrent to every sane individual, there are in almost every community fanatics inspired by some unholy lust, or some imagined wrong, who might in their madness attempt to injure Royalty. It is against such people that the special officers are constantly on guard.

“Our difficulties arc not with the known trouble-makers,” an officer said recently on his retirement. “We always know where they are. Our real problem is the unknown, the mentally unbalanced who may appear anywhere, and constant watch must be maintained against them.”

PLANNING OF JOURNEYS

The task of guarding Royalty involves much more than a mere slavish following and unvarying alertness against the unexpected. The route to be followed by the particular personage to whom he is attached is frequently first travelled by the detective, who is thus assisted in planning a safe journey. Dressed quietly and conventionally, the officer is always within a few paces of his Royal charge, ready to act as his trained miiul dictates the instant trouble threatens and before it can develop. Prevention of national disaster is the officer’s task, not swift vengeance, and thus he must be ready to outwit the _ intending criminal before his scheme can mature.

Long periods of service fall to the lot of many of the officers attached to Royalty. A man who had guarded the late King George for 14 years, Superintendent W. G. Cole, was received by the late King and Queen Mary on the occasion of his retirement at the end of 1934. Mr. Cole shadowed the King on every occasion lie went out of doors between 1920 and 1934. UN OBTRUSIVE EFFICIENCY Few people outside Court circles, knew that Mr. Cole was a police officer, and the fact that, he was unknown to the public meant simply I hat he had done his work well. Owing fo his careful arrangements for His Majesty’s safety, he never had to deal with any untoward occurrence while in attendance on the King.

How. unobtrusive these officers are in the performance of their duties is demonstrated by a story of the late King 'George and President AVilson. Detective officers who accompany the presidents of the United States are always conspicuous, and it was the apparent absence of police officers obviously going about their duties when President. Wilson arrived at Victoria Station that lod him to comment to King George: “But where is the bodyguard?” King George is said to have replied: “Oh, that is all right. You will be quite safe with me.”