Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-01-15

do uht1ou5. VINO WAS supplying
this driving force, the money, am
munition. equipment? Who else, l
said to myself. but Russia, and what
I am to be used for is to make GER
tain of this for the kaiser and his
Austrian ally.
Caller From WiiheImstrasse.
Arriving in Berlin, I made my way
to my quarters on the Mittelstrasse.
1t was about eleven o'clock when l
put my key in the door. l found Kim
very much awake and somewhat ex-
cited. At this ungodly hour there
was a visitori This was all the more
unusual since l was not in the habit
Of receiving even my most intimate
friends at my private quarters.
"Koom, massa, Salute, mastery
Gentleman him here see you. Kim
him don't know If he do right, maybe
wrong, but gentleman said it all right
that him come in"
Rather curious. I walked into the
sitting room and found a mar | had
seen pretty often at the Wilhelm
strasse. | knew him to be Herr Won
Stammer. the right hand mar of Graf
Won Wedel, privy councillor to the
German emperor. Although we were
well known to each other by sight, we
had hardly conversed ten words out
side of official business. thought It
a little odd that the usual procedure
was not observed; that someone had
come to my room instead of me go
ing to the Wilhelmstrasse, seemed a
bit unusual. AS things developed,
however, | saw that it was to save
time and get instant action.
Your quarters are pretty well
guarded here, DOCTOR" said Herr Won
Stammer. Your Cerberus did not
want to let me in"
He half smiled, ~approvingly, and
her continued:
I'VE received your wire from Al
beck and. as the count is inaccessible,
your orders will come through me this
time.s'
There was an interruption, for Kim
had appeared with cigarettes.
THE count" pursued Won Stammer,
driving direct to the point, wishes
you to go to Belgrade and get in close
touch with existing conditions there.
We wish 0 to ascertain the under
current situation. The official status
is, of course, well known to US. But
we want definitely to find out just
how far Russian influences are at
work in Belgrade and Sofia, just how
far they have progressed, and how
far they are prepared to go in this
Balkan affair, If you cannot get In
Belgrade the desired information
and absolute accuracy is imperative
go to the Bulgarian capital. But-and
this is important-no time must be
lost-not an hour. A definite insight
of the inner workings of the situation
must be in my hands at the earliest
possible moment-the very earliest"
Here, indeed, was a task.
Understand" continued Won Siam
this Ease of Austrian secret service
employees. But, as | need not point
out to you, 1t is inadvisable to take
any. of them with you, as all the Aus
trian agents are known to the Rus
sian agents down In the Balkans. /
suggest that you stop at Budapest and
get all connecting links of possible
help to you. You will obtain these
from Kasimir Kowalsky, an Austrian
agent whom you will find at Donau-
strasse "a. BY the way, do you know
him?'
l said no.
Mission That Did Not Appeal.
in this case" went on Won SIAM
mer. Il shall give instructions to facil-
itate matters. 1t is necessary for you
to have passports. Have you any
reason to fear your previous mission
to the BalkaDs?"
He referred to an incident in 1903,
a week previous to the assassination
of King Alexandra and Queen Draga
of Servia-an incident l don't like to
think of, for it landed me against a
blank wall looking into six ugly Mau-
ser tubes.
l considered that there were only
two men in the Balkans who could
have placed me from that incident.
One, Colonel Niglitch, was dead. : He
was slain at the time of the double
assassination. the other was Siam
boulof. and he was no doubt moving
in the circles where my mission
would take me. No, / was in no way
keen to undertake this mission. My
previous experience in the Balkans
had given me a thorough distaste OF
the people there. There is no mix.
ture of races so dangerous. Based
on my experiences, nearly every man
there is for a small sum a traitor and
a potential. assassin. l had had a
taste of Balkan methods. and I didn't
want another.
Won Stammer must have noticed my
hesitation, for he grinned and said:
"Narvnns ahnnt if2n