The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-06-27

-HE world has heard many strange
 accounts of the exploits of German
 A army spies in all parts of Europe, but surely the strangest of all is that they have concealed themselves in the Catacombs of Rome in order to spy on the operations of the Italian army
 Where the earliest Christians con- structed these wonderful secret hiding nlaces in the rock to escape the blood- thirsty tyranny of the Roman emperors, these efficient moderns have concealeu themselves for the purposes or war. Where the earliest Christians sought rel uge to conduct their sacred services Tn safety. the modern militarists have maoe stronghold for the most subtle anu deadly objects of the gospel or war.
 Even the construction of gun enpiate, tI rnents in factories on French soll ana tne storing of munitions in disused Frencn ouarries bv the Germans can hardly equal this exploit. .. o,,throot of war the Italians conducted thelr mllitary preparations with secrecy relllai .r.i haplo even when compared with the precautions os this character taken by all the other
 Before the war they started to weed out ord exnel all the German and Austrian snies and secret agents who swarnea from one end of Italy to the other, anu followed every ocupation, notaply 'noso of hotel waiter and professor
 Stil they found that remarkably accu- rote information concerning Italian plans was going to Austria and Germahy. ]. was then that an officer of the ltalian army Intelligence Department causnl sight of spectacled, very Ieutonio n, ,oun, ms tha catacombs. He watched him and found that he was making use or one of tha many secret entrances or the Catacombs. The Italian War Office was aware or the significant fact that recent explora- tions of the Catacombs nave been nainly in the hands of alleged German scientists. The Catacomb of San Sebastiano, for in, stance was until month ago the scene of busy German operations, and this happens fo undermine an important Italian mill tary post.
 The Italian soldiers made descent m forc, and captured number or Germahs who had concealed themselves behind a rampart of ancient skulls in the depths of the Catacombs. They were suppneo with provisions for months and portable electric lights, with which they could ma their way in the darkness The Italians are stated to have seized quantity or pa nars in which the Germans had made nlans of Italian notifications and notes of military preparations. Some or tnese had been ceverly concealed behind th' altar of the oldest chapes constructeu p' the early Christians.
 The Germans had also made man. sketches of religious decorations m t,l' In' Catacombs, which are unrivalled Ill tn' field of early Christian art, but whethe they had done this from pure. love or ar or to cloak their other operations may !! questioned It is equally uncertai1 whether the Italians have captured al the Germans who were concealed in tn Catacombs.
 It seems that the Germans used thi place as a kind of headquarters, wher they could spy on the plans of the Wa Office in Home and on local movement of troops, assemble information, dispatc messengers to Germany when there was
 good opportunity, and perhaps make attack at critical moment on the loct defenses. The Italian War office natura ly refuses to reveal all that it has foun out concerning the German espionas operations. .. .,n,os+ ,r pregnable hiding place, for there al