The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1914-11-20

that all visitors to Downing street"
must sign, ] vas shown into an ante
room and Robinson took his leave. ny
name appears on this book as Trenton
Smell. and n tho English government
challenges a statement that ! shall Sub.
%sequently make. let them produce the
Downing street book for the date
| shall mention, let them have a hand
writing expert compare the name
Trenton Smell" with my handwriting.
! make this statement, for what fol
lowed is OF tremendous importance.
Sir Edward Grey.
After a twenty-minute wait, which
impressed me as being different from
the slam-in-nnd.slam.out methods Of
tn Wilhelmstrasse. / was Jhown up
a flight Of stairs. The attendant
knocked on the door, opened II and
announced, tho gentleman"
! was facing sir Edward Grey.
II presume you are familiar with
Germany's naval activity
Up TO a certain point, sir"
What point he asked quickly.
Il am familiar only with tho intel.
llgence department OF The admiralty
! replied.
Their system o." he asked. is II so
extensive and efficient as we rave
been led 10 believer"
THAT canon BE- exaggerated"
\ Startled Foreign Minister.
Al this Sir Edward began 10
throw out I~nnucndoes to which ! re-
piled in like vein. The interview was
not progressing Finally he came out
with what was In his m'0d
do you know II any officials or ma.
val officers arc selling or negotiating
to sell information TO foreign intelli-
gcnce departments"
Although ne had not said English
officers or officials, ! knew what no
meant, but I made up my mind not 10
tell everything ] knew.
There are such. / replied
II had the effect Of making him
look at me IN a most startled man.
ner.
How do you know that? on what
grounds do you make that as.
sertion?" His agitation was illcon-
cealcd.
Il have no specific proof" / replied
(which I had but from informa.
ton that has been gained from plans
that have been secured-plans like
those OF your -dreadnaughts Queen
Mary and Ajax-it IS obvious that
these things have been done with the
cooperation Of high officials OF your
country.
lie pressed me for further details,
but | withheld them
Were you ever present at confer.
ences attended by high officials?
Were you. for instance, at the Schlan.
genbad meeting Have you any data?
Any documentary evidence OF having
been there?"
| was not a bit startled. had
guessed II would be that His very
question showed that II was useless
for me to deny that / had been al tho
Black Forest conference where Ger
many had tried her best 10 isolate
France by winning over England. Pos
sibly Churchill, recalling my meeting
him during the Boer war, had dropped
a word about this coincidence TO his
tordsbip.
Naturally / told him ! possessed no
such data. Still, | did not like the
trend OF his talk. ! began to suspect
that this British minister was doing
one OF two things. Either he did not
know everything about the Black For
est meeting-(not al all improbable
with the conditions existing in Eng
lands cabinet M that timel-oT else
he wanted TO learn II I knew the tenor
OF that conference. In either case, II
was one OF those occasions where |
deemed It wise to keep my own coun.
sci.
After many searching questions
upon the French system and her army
and nayy he began to try to lead me
To make comparisons between their
strength and England's, these being
based upon my personal observations.
This. and the whole trend Of his
thought, led me TO suspect that Sir
Edward Grey was In noways sure In
his W mind OF, or favorable TO, the
proposed German. English alliance.
with men like his Lordship personal
antipathy plays a powerful part In
such matters.
Unsatisfactory Fishing.
lie then began to try TO make me
divulge the contents Of any personal
dispatches | had carried for the Ger.
man emperor.
DO you know he asked abruptly,
'if the German emperor ever commu'
nicated with Viscount ~llaldlne?'
Yes, sir"
lie leaned forward eagerly,
How, and under what ciroum'
s~tances?"
why, | thought Il common knowl.
edpe that they often co"rresponded.