BOGUS NAZI SPY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21554, 17 January 1940, Page 11

BOGUS NAZI SPY

Girl Took Her Own Life Infatuated Man Sent To Gaol A girl’s foolish lie began a train of events which led to Ronald William Ward, a Birmingham company representative, being sent to prison for three years at Birmingham for writing a blackmailing letter accusing a Mr “X” of espionage. The lie began in the mind of “Treasure Muffet,” 24-year-old English nurse, who, to “glamorise” herself, posed as a Nazi agent. The girl actually spoke no German and had never been out of England in her life. Ward declared in Court that he believed her stories. He loved her and persuaded her to give up her spy work. Then, when he thought she was safe again in Germany, he posed as a blackmailer in order to get evidence to trap Mr “X” and other members of the gang. But whatever his motive, the people “Treasure” had incriminated were innocent. Mr “X.” to Whom Ward wrote, told the police, Ward was arrested. Found Gassed “Treasure” was traced. She was not in Germany. She and her girl friend Marie Williams, were in London, living almost penniless, in a St. John’s Wood apartment house. There, soon after “Treasure” had been to Birmingham and admitted her lies in Court, they were found gassed. Ward declared that he had become infatuated with “Treasure.” He had listened, with a hushed Court, to “Treasure’s” evidence—read from the depositions she made before her death. This is the amazing story he said she had told him, in “very bad broken English”:— She said her name was Fraulein Strechner. In her gang were all the people who. besides Mr “X.” Ward mentioned in a letter he wrote to the Chief Constable of Birmingham. The headquarters, she said, was at Coventry, to which place she had been going with Mr “X.” She said she had entered a shadow factory to copy some plans and hurt her finger climbing out. (She showed him her bandaged finger. He believed her.) Later she said the plans were no use because they did not show gun mountings, so she and Mi- “X” broke in again to get them. They escaped down a silk ladder. One day he saw her writing a letter addressed to “Her , Wilhelmstrasse, Berlin.” She signed it with a number. Then she told him Mr “X” had been instructed to see her safely on a ’plane to Germany. Ward was asked: “Why did you not go to the police?” “I loved this girl so much,” he said. “I firmly believed everything she told me. I pondered how to bring other members of the organisation to justice without incriminating the girl I loved. The only way that occurred to me was to do what I did—to write to Mr ‘X’ as a blackmailer to get his evidence, which would constitute a request for silence, and to take the money, if any, to the police.” (Ward had demanded £5OO from Mr “X.”) “Treasure,” by this time, had, he said, left him to go back to Germany. He realised now that he had acted foolishly, and that Mr “X” had nothing to do with spying. Mr “X,” a London man. said “Treasure” had told him her home was in Nuremberg. She was a Catholic, and was afraid to return to Germany lest she should be sent to a concentration camp. Mr A. P. Marshall, for Ward, said he had been moving “in a world of infatuation with a clever, attractive girl. “The last thing I wish to do is to cast aspersions on the dead,” he added, “but ‘Treasure’ Muffet, knowing that she would be further cross-examined, killed herself before the adjourned hearing.” Mr Justice Singleton, in his sum-ming-up, said he did not accept that view, as they did not know all the circumstances. “Many a man has been taken in by a woman before,” he continued. “Suppose Ward believed all of the story was true. Then you may think he is a fool. But is the writer of that letter a fool?”