El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-05-16
GERMAN SPIES
KEEP BRITlIN
IN 4 TAEMBLE
Plans of Naval and Land De-
fence Are Stolen; Brib-
cry Attempted.
INGENIUS SCHEMES
ARE USED BY SPIES
n PHILIP EVERETT.


The history Of Europe has the
- secret service Of espionage been
orzanized as it is today Week by
week fresh evidence is forthcoming Of
the elaborate system which prevails It
is evidence Of such a circumstantiaI
character that It cannot be lightly ig-
nored as the work OF the scars-monser.
Recent thefrs Of secret code books the
conviction OF a London Commission
agent" who, with his wife, was arrested
at London station as he was about to
depart for the Continent carrying I'M
portant documents with him. and orhsr
Incidents Of a similar character have
created general alarm
Practically all the evidsRce impai-
Gates Germany and the latest diselos-
ures reveal an ingenious effort 70 take
advantage Of the known difficulties
under which many British officers Ia
Dor on their pay, By procuring under,
the guise Of commercial inquiries, slteh
information Of the financial status Of
Individual naval officers a. VIII guide
German agents to the means OF placing
temptations in their way.
Attempted Bribery.
Most recently the naval authorities
received information that a firm OF
London private detectives IN Kings
street. Cheapside, who have conducted
English government inquiries at times
were charged by an apparent German
commercial inquirer with the mission
mentioned, and but from the fact that
suspicious were aroused the tn1orma-
tiOn required might have been 1nno-
RecitIng the circumstances to an in
terviewer few days ago the chief
partner said
.sTt is true that we recently received
a letter from Hamburg written In a
purely commercial vein, asking US
whether it as possible TO ascertain the
financial position Of naval officers in
Portsmouth. Davenport, Chatham and
the other naval ports OF naval stations
The writer. whose name does not
matter, because we a1rerTTa ards ClscoF-
cred IL was assumed, asked US our
terms for supplying the ln4orrIlaLlols
an. mentioned that he had been recon-
mended BY a notable detective firm IN
Berlin. whom We knew well In the orll-
nary business course our oI1lce repliee
10 the letter It should De UNDERSTOOD
thar inquiries concerning people are
received from all over the world
at the same time we communicated
with the Berlin detective orIlces the
name OF which was given as an intro
ducriOn- We found that the object OF
the inquiry was the discovery OF m
dfvidual naval officers whose pressing
financial needs might render them
open 10 temptation with a view to Ger
many's espionage
''Investigations We caused 70 be
made at Hamburg fully confirmed our
ones. The actual receivers OF letters
at the Hamburg address were so cum
ningIy concealed that IL was impossi-
BILE TO trace them We thereupon for
our inquiries to the proper authorities
There can be no doubt that the espi-
onage campaign fOstered by Germany
is Of the most comprehensive charac-.
ter and the police here make no secret
OF the fact that they have evidence
that through every possible channel
no matter how devious Germany Is en-
deavoring to accumulate intimate infor-i
nation not only concerning matters.
which need the tempting OF impecunf9
Gus officers, but concerning commercial
docks, engineering water and sewerage.
works The items last named ara
knowledge necessary TO an invader.
whose cutting Of water supplies and
blocking OF sewerage outlets becomai
necessary in siege
Clever Scheme Employed. T
The latest and most audacsouS act
Of an alleged foreign spy is published
this week It is a story vouChed for.
in authoritative quarters and il teIls
OF how a distinguished looking stranger
walked into an English dockyard and
availing himself OF the truthfulness and
cupidiry Of officials succeeded in get
ting many highly confidential designs.
infinitely explained TO him
It is narrated that a few days ago
a smartly-dresse and well groomed.
man made his appearance at the offics
OF the superintendent Of the dockyard-'
and. finding the chief naval dignitaryi
Of the place absent, inquired his way
to the drawing office. Arriving among
the draughtsmen. who had several de-
signs OF a very secret nature spread
out on the drawing boards before them.
the unexpected visitor obtained the
confidence OF the head draughtsmani
by representing himself as an officiaF
who had been specially sent down from
the Admiralty TO investigate designsl
The head draughtsman told the
stranger everything that he wanted 20
know. and at the close OF the interview
politely ushered him out Of the office-t
u