MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18613, 8 July 1930, Page 16

MYSTERIOUS MESSAGES.

MAPB IN POSTCARDS. SECRET SERVICE METHODS. At a prison camp at Phillippopolis. in Bulgaria, in 1918—the last year of the Great War—a number of Naval Air Service officers received postcards from people they did not know referring to things they had never done. As an example, one of these postcards ran: “Dear Rowland,—How are you enjoying your stay in Bulgaria?' We often think about you, particularly last week when we all went up the river as far as Runnymede. How different from last year! Donald is rapidly improving his tennis. Well, cheerup, old boy. Aunt Marian sends her love, all the girls want to be remembered to you.—Yours ever, Lily.” The recipient of this card. Mr R. W. Frazier, who tells the story in the April number qf the “National Review,” knew no one bearing the names mentioned, neither was he in England in the previous year. He mentioned the receipt of the postcard to a fellow prisoner, believing it to be an aimless kind of practical Joke. To Mr Frazier’s surprise his friend admitted having received a similar meaningless communication from some person unknown. Overhearing their conversation, a third officer produced another “flapper” postcard. The stupidity of the messages aroused hopes that they were not as innocent as they appeared, and discreet inquiry brought several more to light. At a meeting held by the owners of the cards it was assumed that they represented some form of secret communication from outside; and the cards were carefully compared and made the subject of a long and careful attempt to discover some cypher message. This failed, as also did every attempt to develop invisible writing on | them by the various means the pri- ' soneri possessed. Finally, it was suggested that the | cards should be soaked in water, as they might come apart. It was by this means that the secret was revealed, i 'pie top surface peeled off, and beneath |it was found a perfectly drawn section of a map of the surrounding district, giving invaluable details for anyone endeavouring to escape. The excited prisoners, after soaking the other cards, found that those they I had received were evidently only portions of a more elaborate plan. Succeeding mails brought more of the apparently innocent cards until the map was I complete in every detail.' Up to this j point the prisoners had no idea of the , source of the cards. The next batch, however, cleared up this point, proving that an almost hopeless chance of communicating with a fellow officer, taken by one of them, had succeeded, and that both navy and secret service were collaborating in preparing the way for an escape. When the map was complete there followed not only passports, but full details of points on the coast where boats would be awaiting them on a certain series of specified moonless nights. The prisoners were amazed at the completeness of the plan and the thoroughness with which every part of it had been worked out for their benefit. It was determined that on each night specified a party would endeavour to reach the rendezvous. They felt that , the least that they could do w T as to respond to the splendid work from outside. Two parties went, and were recaptured. and before the third could leave, the Bulgarian resistance collapsed and the prisoners were released. It was found afterwards that all the “flapper” postcards had been written by the same naval officer.