Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-02-05

The affair made great stir all over
France and especially in Nancy, where the
trial took place and where the population
felt extremely bitter against the culprit.
On the day of the trial II large crowd
gathered around The police court and await
ed with Il menacing attitude the arrival of
the prisoner. The authorities, anticipating
serious troubles, had placed IA strong guard
outside the court house, and when the rene
gade appeared looking pale and weak he
was denounced loudly byth throng, which
pressed eagerly forward to obtain Il glimpse
of him and to spit into his face if possible
The court house was then cleared and the
traitor tried behind closed DOORS only
colonel and IA staff officer being allowed to
remain. Bonnet was condemned to five
years hard labor and fined s.. 100. He was
also deprived of his civil rights for ten
years.
Still fresh in memory is the Ribault
tragedy, which occurred in Marseilles a
year or so ago. Ribault was ii noncommis-
stoned officer of marines and had been in
the Tonquin, where he distinguished him
self After his return from the Tonquin
he began to neglect his duty. He lived
high on the little money he had saved dur
ing the campaign At Marseilles he made
the acquaintance of "A German woman of
bad character, who became his mistress.
This woman was, as the trial revealed
later on, the runaway wife of Il German
sergeant. When Ribault's money was
squandered his mistress told him one day
that she knew how to obtain plenty of
money if he would only do as she old him.
She then confided to him that she had
brother in the German army who was
noncommssioned officer and who would
pay goodly sum for n new French repeat
ing infantry rifle.
The unprincipled rascal went to the bar
racks and stole the rifle of private, but
finding himself detected he went home and
blew out his brains. The rooms which Ri
bault and his mistress occupied were at
once searched. and numerous letters were
found revealing that II thorough system of
espionage had been carried out by the
German noncommissloned officer through
his sister and with the cognzance and I'M
der the direction of the German govern
ment The woman was condemned To two
years Imprisonment
In the United States the foreign spy, as
a rule, is rara avis. The only nation
which ever has attempted to establish a
system of military espionage in America is
the English. In September, 1888, IA mill
tary looking Englishman arrived at Wash
ington navy yard, then went to Newport,
Annapolis, New London and Fortress Mon
roe but he learned little or nothing of
value At Willet's Point he attempted to
obtain the charts of submarine mines and
fixed torpedoes, but was unsuccessful,
documents of this kind being pretty well
guarded. Plans of vessels and torpedoes,
however, are hardly kept secret, and any
one applying to the patent office can easily
obtain very detailed description of any
new weapon manufactured in America for
army or navy purposes.
1t may be stated here that all the details
of the new plans for American coast and
harbor defense are in the hands of few
superior officers. No subaltern official has
access to them and no contractor receives
copies of them so that the secret is thor
oughly guarded. The plans, for instance,
of the new Notifications at Sandy Hook,
Boston harbor, San Francisco and many
other places are, am positive, not known
to more than perhaps four individuals out
of over sixty millions. However, the more
the armament of the United States becomes
efficient, the more the curiosity of foreign
powers will be attracted, and it is there
fore reasonable to expect that in ten years
from now the spy fever will also have In
vaded these shores.
LIEUT.. F. DE T. CLOTH,