The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-06-09
HOLLAND FULL OF
FOREIGN SPIES
International Secret Agents Fol-
low in Footsteps Of All
Travellers.
HAUNT HOTELS AND CAFES
Attempt to Place Spy In American Min
lster's House Folled - Marked
Fondness for Things Amerl-
can Among the People.

The Hague.-IlOlland is full OF spies
OF all nations, but an overwhelming
majority of them are in the service Of
the central empires
In Rotterdam the German spy is
everywheTe-iu the hotels, concert
halls theaters and cafes. He, in turn,
Is spied upon by the paid agents Of the
opposing powers, and all of these spies
unite in looking into the affairs and,
when circumstances permit the pri-
vate papers and correspondence Of
new arrivals. Not even the American
minister at The Hague is immune, as
only few weeks ago he foiled
scheme which had for its object the
placing of spy of one of the belliger-
ent powers on his pay roll as a domes-
tic servant.
When l reached Rotterdam went to
the ever crowded cafe attached to the
Grand Hotel Couymans, and while sat
there, bewildered by the sound OF
tongues that outbabeled Babel, a dap
per, clean-shaven man, who might have
passed for twenty-five, but really was
about forty years of age, took a chair
next to mine and opened the ball by
asking, Are you an Americana"
Also German Agent.
During the next ten minutes he men
toned the names of a score of New
York business men who were-I let
him tell Intimate friends, and then
he sought to discover why ! was in
Holland. AS a reward for franBness
which riyaled his own, and therefore
revealed nothing, he warned me to
guard my papers carefully and never
to leave them in my hotel, as there
were hundreds of German spies about
who would not stop at anything to
gain information for the fatherland.
As he left the cafe London acquaint-
ance dropped into his vacant chair and
whispered, do you know the man
with whom you were talking?"
No" I replied, but l like his brand
of cigar"
We'll" said my Englishman, "be-
ware of him; he is q German secret
agent who poses as an American"
l thanked him for his warning, ac.
cepted a cigar from him, too and was
told next morning that he also is a
German agent.
This is no place for another limo
cent Abroad, was my thought, and
quickly left for The Hague, only to
find that had stepped from the fry
ing pan into the fire.
Here I have obtained frst-hand
knowledge OF the wonderful German
service which has succeed. |
ed after nearly two years persistent, !
labor, in converting a sec.
tion of the whose pockets
have been hit by the blockade-to !
anti-British, though not pro.German.
views.
"Gott Strafe England"
It must be said, however, that as a |
general rule these propagandists are |
shrewder than the agents who were di-
rected by Doctor Dernburg, in the !
United States, and they have concen-
trated their energies in the promotion |
Of "Gott strafe England" sentiment
the Dutch. II they have not |
succeeded to the extent hoped for by |
Berlin, it is due, not to lack of zeal or |
effort, but to the common sense of the |
Dutch government and people, who,
when the German agents charge that
the English blockade is forcing the |
of the country into idleness
and compelling the inhabitants to eat
war bread, reply that, while England
S undoubtedly partly to blame for the
leplorable state of affairs, Germany, |
which has torpedoed and mined many
Dutch vessels, is from this same Dutch
point of view quite as culpable.
There is only one attractive thing
about these spies in Holland-their
money, which they spend freely