The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1914-06-30
GERMAN ESPIONAGE
SYSTEM DISCLOSED
BY DRUNKEN TRAMP
Hobo Tells How TeutOnic
Spy Bureau Spreads Its
Network Through Euro
pean Countries.

Oscar Friedenstein was in Rich
mond last night; he shuffled west over
the Doran bridge at midnight, intoxl-
Gated, dedraggled and footsore; he left
behind him a story of Prussian In
trigue and disclosure of some of the
ramifications of the German spy sys-
tenn.
Friedenstein came to Richmond over
the hobo route Sunday afternoon,
spent the night in the Jungle and
last night was absorbing cheap whls-
ky purchased with money gained by
his hard-luck stories to sympathetic
German housewives of the south side.
He had taken aboard enough OF the
stuff to be in sOciable state, and
the ordering of several rounds by re-
porters on a Summing tour loosened
his tongue and made him loquacious.
1T is difficult to convey to the
American any adequate idea OF the
qualifications of the spy system in op-
Grafton on the continent of Europe,
Friedenstein asserted when he was
asked his opinion on the German army
system.
Spy System Wide.
Germany has an excellent army,
but the tuetonic network of secret
agencies is simply amazing. Up to
five years ago Metz was the head
quarters of German espionage in
France, but since then, in consequence
of certain revelations. the general
staff has split up its bureaus. The
chief one is now at Basle, Switzerland,
at its head being Major Won Rock, OF
the Eighth Bavarian Regiment.
Another branch is in the hands of
fa Schwartz who was once
French police commisSary Schwartz
resides near Thionville, but he spends
most of his time in France, and al
though he has yet to serve sentence
of five years for espionage, the police
never quite succeed in catching him.
Yet he is never far from Nancy, for
the goth Army Corps is his especial
study
Uses Picture Cards.
"In order to correspond with his
emissaries he used picture post cards
largely. Only too late the French
Cabinet Noir discovered that by
steaming the stamp and removing 1t
some such information as this would
have come to light: A. B., 159,20O.'
This meant "A. B., Register No. 159,
requires 200 francs The postmarks
told where the correspondent was.
Recently at Rheims a youth was
arrested on charge of espionage but
released on proving that he had been
lured into the tolls of an agent who
had inserted the following alluring ad-
vertisement in a local newspaper:
Representatives required for easy
work, good commission, no special
knowledge; write, with reference, l..
p, 305, Poste Restante, Central Office,
BaSle.
Hold Young Man.
In reply the young man received
-equest to furnish some information
Of a simple nature, for which he was
paid handsomely. Fortunately for him,
he was arrested before he had COM
promised himself to such a degree
that the mere threat of being de-
nounced to the French police would
have rendered him the willing slave
of the German Secret Intelligence
Bureau"
Asked if he had ever served in the
secret service of the German Empire,
Friedenstein shook his head He was
willing to talk of the system at long
range. but no amount of whiskey could
loosen his tongue sufficiently to evoke
a personal reference