The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-07-08

10 SympathlZe with his country in an
International dispute or actual war,
even were her own country the other
d%isputant; it is little wonder that Jo-
sephine's love for Concas and her close
association with the Spanish diplomatic
circle at Washington led her sympathies
to the side Of Spain.
Josephine's hatred of Americans be-
came intensely bitter. She was ready
to take official Spanish reports as fact,
and doing so naturally blamed the
president of the United States for her
bereavement.
She said to her father, she repeated
it in acknowledging a kind little letter
of sympathy from the young officer of
the Spanish legation at Washington
who had acted as witness at her ILL
starred marriage.
Meantime sinister reports about the
internal affairs of the De Chappelle
household got about. There was abun-
dant theme for scandal in the little
grave. The strain proved too much for
the proud and honorable old seigneur.
His brain weakened, and he is now
practically a prisoner in his own house.
This was the position of affairs when
the declaration of war between Spain
and the United States put the world on
tiptOe of excitement. The most press
ing imemdiate need of Spain was an in
telligence department in America.
Their was not so much as a framework
to start with, but the staff of the Span
ish legation at Washington came to
Canada and at once set to work to
bring the spy service into being.
AS soon as the Spaniards reached
Montreal Nine. Concas called upon the
young officer. who had been the solitary
witness of her marriage. He intro
duced her to Lieutenant Carranza.
For some time the pride Of Josephine
revolted at the suggestion that she
should become a spy, but willy argu-
ments and her lately born hatred of
the American people changed her mind,
and a day or two afterward she left
mysteriously for the United States.
Just where she operated is not def
nitely known, but it is believed that
she did secret work in Washington and
New York. She has been regarded by
the representatives of the United States
government as a very dangerous spy.
She is a brilliant woman, speaks Eng
fish and French equally we'll, and with
out the least suspicion of an accent,
and had while laying her plans the
anceship with influential people in some
of the largest cities of the Unitedd
States.
1t is suspected that her special mis-
sion on her first trip was to operate
through her friendships with the
daughters of a cabinet minister, and
of an official of the state department
at Washington, who were her school
mates both at the Sacred Heart con-
vent and at Vassar, to obtain some es-
sential information.
About a week ago, when there were
prospects Of Carranza and his associ-
ates being expelled from the country,
Josephine suddenly returned to Mont
real, and has been there eve since,
living in a rented fiat near the historic
Spanish headquarters on Topper street.
She has not been seen with the Span
iards, but doubtless has been in con-
slant communication with them in an
indirect way.
In the event of Du Bose and CarranZa
leaving, Josephine de Chappelle will be
given even more latitude in her oper-
ations as a Spanish spy.