Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-01
PARIS SPY MANIA,


Paris Corresponds Zee London Globe.
The spy mania has broken ont again. on
the present occasion it concerns the French
and Germans. Let us begin with the arrest
of Decrion. So far. his case has been kept
in secrecy, but recently things have taken
a different turning. The examination he
has undergone at the hands of NJ Flory
has 1T is said. revealed the fact that in
consequence of the dongs of Decrion, two
Frenchmen have been condemned for
espionage. and are in prison in Germany.
Some details of the career of Decrion are
worth giving. This master of swindling
who possessed little money at that time
found himself in the suburbs of Metz,
where he made the acquaintance of two
commercial travellers. to whom he proposed
the following undertaking: Il want for a
panorama which has been ordered Of me "A
few views Of the Notifications of Colmar
and the neighboring towns. Here is a good
Photographic outfit. Do not be particular
about the expense. The more you do the
more will you earn. / am going away for a
few days and l hope that on my return
my collection of views will be more COM
plete and mora numerous" The Two anna
teurs of photography fully believed their
interlocutor, who dabbled in painting at
the hotels he patrCnized, and was con-
sidered a gifted artist.
Decrion, to convince the young CONNER
clal travellers, gave to each of them 125
francs for expenses. They set to work and
Decrion left the country. He came from
Metz to Paris. and. it is stated went to
the German embassy, where he talked in a
manner sufficiently mysterious to interest
the intelligence department of the German
empire. He pointed out to the German
functionaries that, being an agent of the
detective department of France, he posses
sed the most powerful means of searching
everywhere
1T is thus" he said. that I have Just
discovered that two French spies are in
stalled in the suburbs of Colmar with :he
mission to photograph the fortress of that
town"
The German embassy. as can be easily
imagined, ordered inquiry to be made
and finally our neutrality-suspicious. We're
arrested. They protested, but in vain.
Judged with closed doors and condemned to
ten years in a fortress, they are at the pres
ent moment eXpiating their excess of faith
in Decrion. The two men Were sold to Ger
many by Decrion. who hoped to inspire con-
hdence in the government of William H. 1t
Is denied that they were employed in any
way at the detective department or any
other official service
Let me now turn to the other spies or
what are believed to be such, for difference
or opinion prevails on the subject. A fort
night ago, at the time of the floods q cart
which does the postal service in the neigh
borhood of st. Etienne was passing over a
wooden bridge, when the violence of the
current washed 1t away, and everything
was believed to be lost: but such was not
the case Among the objects saved We're
two sacks of letters and kilograms. The
letters which happened to be in the middle
or the sacks were almost intact, but the
addresses of those which were on the out
side were obliterated. They We're opened in
order to find to whom they belonged. One
or them. as near as could be made out, was
addressed to the agent of a powerful for
eigner, who said: Il send you the two pho
tographs you demanded. with three views
or the works in question. l presume you
received my preceding letter a week ago.
and that you have responded, as L wished,
in cipher, TO st. Etienne. Please acknowl-
edge the reception of the present at the
same address" To this letter were Joined
two photographs of the forts recently added
to the works of defense the French
coasts and three views of the fortresses.
MS letter was sent to the under-secretary
OF posts and telegraphs, who in his turn
transmitted 1t to the war minister There
sun remained a part of 1t illeg1ble, but
under chemical process the writing reap
peared, and it was then discovered that the
letter was of the highest Importance. At
least, so we are told.
An active watch was kept at the post
office of ST. Etienne. The reply arrived
from the country designated in the letter,
but at the same time a note was received
from the post office begging the master to
forward the letter to Paris. second note
was received in Paris saying that the letter