South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-05

the present war have stated that they
have been forced To take on their
tasks: certain persons are selected by
lot ont OF the army and are given
choice OF the disguise with which they
must 20 out To the front. Ia many
cases the DISCUSSES are hOpelessly IN
adequate, and all the men who 80 out
know that they are going To almost
/ certain death. But the man VINO
without some rehearsal. goes out dis
suised as "a woman, IS not only facing
death. but looking for it-as DO these
German soldiers in like case.
Communications between the home
Office and the German spies during
time of war and peace are considered
at length by the writer VINO says the
spies use every conceivable method or
signalling ard writing. The mails are
never used, he adds, as they are TOO
dangerous. A messenger with a nXed
route calls on all spies at certain times
and collects their mail" The author
accuses the Germans not only OF using
the Red Cross symbol 10 disguise at
tacks. but also OF using the vans 10
obtain gun range.
zone favorite system of espionage
on active service, from the German
point Of view, consists in the use or
the Red Cross van" he says Under
the rules governing international war.
the Red Cross van may go anywhere
even into the enemy'S lines to pick up
wounded, and the German forces, \
making war by all the violent means
at their command have not scrupled
TO make use Of Red Cross vans for
machine guns. Authentic cases are
reported in which treacherOus fire has
teen opened on the troops of the allies
IN this way. Another method Of OBJ
taining information consists in send
ing two scouts out with a coil OF wire.
when In the presence OF the enemy.
The scouts, bearing one end of the
wire, are instructed to approach the
enemy's lines. at night and of course
when they have approached within
sight, they are shot. The wire no
longer pays out from the end kept
in the lines, and the length unrOlled,
when hauled back and measured, gives
the artillery range almost TO a nicely"
The French officer offers better
victim for the German spy, the writer
says, because Of the more lax conduct
permitted TO them.
Faults of French Army System.
I'm the case of the military spy the
French service affords more oppOrtu-
mites for the German agent than does
the British" he states. In the Brit
ish service the officers OF the commits
stoned rank have many faults, but
they are in nearly every case gentle
men in the best sense of that much
abused word. In the citizen army Of
France on the other hand, an officer
may be anything, and in tSis is intend
ed no disparagement on the brave
army of our present allies. The re-
publican system admits all TO its
ranks-perhaps it would be better to
say that it compels all to enter it's
ranks-and the republican ideal places
a commission. in the reach Of all with
out regard to birth or social standing.
In many ways this is to the good. for
IL fosters the republican spirit in the
army and at the same time makes an
efficient fighting machine, but 1t adj
mits to the commissioned ranks per-
haps once in 500 times a man who is
sufficiently unworthy Of his country
and it's uniform to be guilty OF acts
which point to his Openness to corrup-
ton"
A chapter e the work relates the
activities Of Steinhauer, of POtsdam,
that mysterious figure who controls
the labyrinthian system Of German
espionage. A review of the case of
Karl Gustav Ernst, a German hair
dresser, now awaiting trial as a spy
in London, is given. Ernst lived in
London for IA years, and, the author
says was a part of the fixed system"
of the Germans whereby spies take up
residence and pursue apparently nor
NAL working lives while garnering in
formation. They are clerks, business
men, professional men and in some
cases artisans and laborers
According to the evidence against
Ernst, he was employed by Steinhauer
to find out who were members Of the
British intelligence office, and the
book contains a resume Of the CORES
pondence between the agent and the
master spy.
Among other chapters Of the book
there is one devoted to diplomatic
espionage, but, as the author con-
fesses himself, II is vague at times, be-
cause there is little information
available regarding the methods by
which this, the highest Of all types Of
espionage, is carried on
In closing the author says:
Bearing in mindHthe effect Of thor
ough espionage on the German nation
as whole it is to be hoped that in the
near future the whole system will be
swept away. together with the form
of government that gave it birth and
room to grow"
Three blind brothers. James Albert