GERMAN INTRIGUES

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12176, 27 November 1917, Page 8

GERMAN INTRIGUES

IN SOUTH AMERICA

SOME INTERESTING EXPOSURES.

An interesting account appears in a recent issue of " Chambers's Journal'' of German doings on the west coast of South America. It is written by W. Scovt T/orrie. Referring to the stay the transport Prinz Eitel Friedrieh made in Papudo Bay. where the commander refused to recognise the authority of the Government representative. Herr Bethmanu-Hollweg stated that from investigations it appeared that the call at Papudo was made in order to land the wife and family of the captain of the British steamer Charcas, and that the German commander was not aware that there was a Chilian official at the place.

'• .Still.'' says Air Lome, "there was a wide gap between the wheedling allegations arising from German diplomacy and public opinion in Chile. While the. latter was incensed by the conviction that the reports of German encroachments were true, and the thought of their injustice acted upon public opinion with exasperating effect, the former, with priggish sangfroid, contended that, thorp- had been no violation of neutrality, and with remarkable churlishness accused the Chilian authorities almost directly of being blockheads and duffers at a. game which, it was doubtless meant, they knew nothing about." What logic could convince such law-breakers? What has been said about German piracy in those waters n's only onetenth of the truth. .They played their game, .and partially won. Thanks to their secret- wireless installations, they got coal and victuals when and where they pleased, and their steamers entered and departed from Chilian ports without their papers and dispatches. In one instance, when a Chilian authority personally ordered the detention nf a German steamer, the commander grossly insulted him. and said,

"The. only man T am under duty to in these days is the Kaiser." A MYSTERIOUS VESSEL.

" The recent disappearance of the Chilian barque Tinto is another proof of German conspiracy. She left port several months ago, and has not been seen or heard of since. Only a short time before site bad tried to deceive, the local authorities in a. similar way. A rumour went round that the. barque had been chartered by German agents, and that she carried wireless installation, coal, and provisions destined probably for some submarine station m tlie Atlantic. A Government inspector Mas at once dispatched to the- spot, and the vessel was not cleared- After the. usual comment to which such matters are wont to give rise, the affair drifted into oblivion, until the news suddenly came that she had got away. Tt was said that she was manned hv snirtn of the Dresden's crew who were interned on Quinquina. The Chilian Government took severe measures against the owner of the vessel—a German by birth and sent out several vessels' to search the Strait of Magellan. But what was done in this respect proved of no avail, for the whereabouts of the vessel could not be discovered. "What has become of this mvsferious vessel? Has she fallen into the hands of some British cruiser.? Time ""ill some day, perhaps, throw light on this dark deed. "Rut the most, recent and daring act, of any German agent- in South America was the stupendous enterprise undertaken not long ago by O. .Krause. This man. formerly a captain in the merchant marine, had been acting for manv years as agent at Callao. Peru, of the German Kosmos Steamship Line. At about the time when the United States severed diplomatic relations with Germany, this man Krause was engaged in laying the strings with which Inter he. would set his plans in motion. Pie managed to sow the seed of discord in the Peruvian Xavy, which refilled in the resignation of several well-known naval officers, including the commanders of two Peruvian submarines. He put up several wireless installations along the coast of Peru, and got a gang of German agents and spies to work_ the scheme he had devised when the signal to do so should come. GERMAN AGENT CAPTURED BY BRITISH. •'The "commanders* of the Peruvian submarines out of the way, Krause s next step was to get the. two vessels to a certain island, Avhere a German crew would bo ready to take them over. Hut before, putting such knavish machinations inlo practice he must quit the country and go to Mexico- Feeling assured that the arrangements he had made in Peru would he carried out without a hitch, he left Callao in the Pan-ama-bound steamer .Maipo. But if Krause and his lot had been smart, the. British agents had, indeed, not been lagging behind, for when the Maipo was well out to sea she was stopped by an auxiliary cruiser flying the Union Jack abaft, and half-way up her foremast some, such signal as this: "A\ e request that, you band over to us German prisoner of war-' The order was complied with without the. least ado. and Krause was transferred to the war vessel, which must have, given him into safe keeping long ago. It was a. fortunate capture, for had he been allowed to reach Mexico, his plans might have been carried out in such a way as would have meant a serious sei-back to British shipping interests on the west coast of South America. With the two submarines mentioned, and an abundantly supplied station somewhere in Mexico, for instance, Krause could have challenged British shipping during all The time it might take to capture or sink the stolen submarine. CROOKED WORK.

'' For one who has lived in the very phu'f. where all these tilings have happened, and lias heard the-hitter words to which such acts have given rise, the German replv to the claims, especially of the Chilian Government, has no justification. We are convinced that thrs Germans will novel- realise that justice, may sometimes be on the side other than tlu-ir own. Their helief is that the one. way of thinking that must needs predominate is the German way The onb- truth is that which hears the seal of German sanction, and, what is more no people in the world are. competent to judge things in n light oojyil to that professed hv the Germans to he t'hfi true lifiht —their own. So what; is the use of arguing the point with such hardheads? A German fleet, comprising the Scharnhorst, the Gniescna and several transports, lay at anchor a> Easter .™nnd for twelve davs, and transhipped 4CKH) tons <.f coal The German hner Seydlitz, after taking in 5000 tons of coal at \alobtained hor dispatches for Bremen ; th« steamer Santa. Isabel shipped a, large quantity of coal*t Valparaiso, and transhipped it in the Atlantic to German warships, and returned te Valparaiso for more, when she was inteimed. SUPPT/YING THE ENEMY.

"Here is another example of German 'crookedness. When von Spee's fleet vas maratiding in Chilian waters it "/a a met by a large HamburgAmrrikan cargo steamer, whose orir;inal name had been exchanged for the '.less compromising one. of Sacramento. This steamer was dispatched from San Francisco • by a group of German agents, who had the nerve to constitute themselves into a, company f.>r the purpose of this one voyage. The plan was worked in this way. The r.tenmer was loaded with coal and proVisions. As the company to which she belonged was domiciled in the United States, she naturally flew the Ameri-

con flag. From San Francisco slip was dispatched to Valparaiso, whore she was consigned to the Electric 'Fraction Company. ;; German concern. At Easter Island or Juan Fernandez the. precious cargo was transhipped to Uie Gorman warships. Having successfully iillod hor mission, the Sacramento put into Valparaiso to coal and virtual. The Chilian naval authorities became suspicious of tlip. good faith oi the. commander, who furnished somewhat contradictory information as to his voyage. Recognising the steamer to be tile one tbev had received and dispatched on previous occasions under another name, they decided that she should be interned, despite the German claim that the vessel was American, since she belonged to a. company legally organised according to the, Constitution of the United States. "There are many other incidents connected with the German movements in the Pacific, some of which have, acquired a similarity to legendary tales. An official narrates the story thatwhik on duty nt three o'clock one morning he witnessed a small vessel enter th.>. bav of Valparaiso, and then disappear, almost immediately. A steam launch was sent to make a reconnaissance, but the mysterious vessel managed to get out of the way. 'What could such a, vessel be doing at such an hour? The truth will never leak out; but it >s probable that she was met by German agents, who dolirprefl messages fro a the German Government for the commander of the German' fleet in the Pacific."