Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-05-17
RANK TREASON.
Plans of TouIon Fortifcations
Offered for Sale.
Aparis Paper Buys Them and Is Now
Making Revelations"
Efaair Said to Rival oFsy'"s Case '0'

..,.o,,Icnt having obtained nearly
,an ,utncntic plans Of the fortihcations
rr,,,io, besides num' rouS othef COM
" .-...,,, documents, that paper, Nom
",arrfpe. will begin the publication
H.. bietorv of a treason affair which
u iiLeJv to exceed in Importance
l6f.nces with which Capt. Dreyfus
wo7 charged
n,, ,nr1 Il, the correspondent re-
I'D \ letter written i'm queer
r,.rch semi-Italian jargOn and signed
t.,,eoIa PietrO. telling him that the
,p,iter. who was employed at a hotel,
he'd baen acting rs guide to two per-
cor- who had come to London to sell
d, I,r.,n Marcel of documents of the
HIGHEST Importance concerning French
naval ,;rfoncrs. The letter stated that
.bc mon had gone to BRUSSELS, leaving
thc writer prnniless. He, therefore,
wanted TO negotiate for the transfer of
certain documents, but was unwilling
to frc..: Gircct with the French govern
r,-mi. iarfcrrinG to deal with the Matin
or enmc other newspaper.
The rnrlo osrOndent thought the letter
WIS probably begging trick, bat re-
rhcd addressing his answer to the
1ostolice, to be called for. making AN
appointment, which FragnIa duly kept
The mans desperate state of hunger
evidenced his sincerity. FraSola told
tho following story:
He was formerly, he said, employed
at thr war ministry in Rome but be
came compromised in Il case Of esrion-
acc ana was sentenced to six months
10 London, living from hand to mouth.
Recently he had acted as guide and
secretary to two men of Italian origin.
with one WhCm-a naturalZcd Frcnrh
'citi"cn he had formerly been aHqulint-
"a with ut the war ministry at Rome.
nnth Of thcs" men, Frago!I said, work
81 for foreign governments and had
srIcral times sold important secrets
tn Germany at high prices &
The Italians name was Ccsare Colo
;tnI the naturalizcd Freuchman, 2Jere-
ini,' SlcGu,Ii. The latter hal long been
= contractor on public works at Toulon.
Thry had gone to Rrussals five days
ago leaving him entirely without means
nf living. lie found after their de-
rar.ure that Colo had left documents
sell.
Fragola thereupon produced S5 plans
of tine Toulnn forts. some of them the.
French originals and others accurafet
SCOPES made ut the Italian war minis
try. He also had in his possession 4.
list OF plans of Cherhourg. Rrest and
TnElnn with typcWrittcn instructions
alleged by FraGola to have cmanatcd
frc.a the German staff. concerning tn
ulriiu" Cf batteries of artillery. There
Wa also y letter appointing n rcndo2-
v,Ga at tho Thurinecrhof, Berlin. Nov.
L.. si..nri x" To this wis attached
y "ird inscribed Felix Friedrich
.ih"!t."
Tile MItin's correspondent gave
Fr5rnIl 4 few shiIlings and persuaded
him Ia l"IyC the documents in his
htmI.; in order that an examination Of
thrH might lac made. The next morn
ing h" took them to the French en-
hH.sv. whyr" tEr naval attache de-
rllr"'i them to Il" absolutely genuine.
The Maiin viii continue it's rcvcla-
tions, Tuesday.
ia ministry of marine has issued 4
statement Ia the effect that the docu-
rrut.s off, r,d by the Matin's London
correspondent concern the ministry oc
war. which is responsible for the land
notifications. The latter refuses all in
formation. The head Of the detective
department says that the documents
ar'' unuurstionahly genuine and were
stolen from government offices. but he
muiihiIr.; their Importance.