New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-30
Woman Spy'S DrylngWaSh
Signals German Flyers
Furoughcd Poiu Tells How Aged Laundress LEU ne'''
by Enemy, Used Arrangement OF o0lo'e''
Linen to Reveal Military Secrets
Bv FRED b. PlTNEY
BY Cable to The Tribune.

officer. The alleged farmer was inves-
tigated and shot
TT takes ittle time 20 catch spy
Won know. The unusual gets 10 DC
habit. so YOU don't notice II. And men
will talk about something among them
selves for a long time before II VIII
occur 20 on. or them 20 report Il 30 an
officer. remember Of the time we
took Belloy-en- Santerre some OF our
mon got clear through 20 the Somme'
which was sufficiently far. Our patrols
wandered for four days all over the
territory between Bellov ana the fIItr
There was not German there.
had compietelv broken their lines. but
the patrols did not report u oecauss
we had been ordered 10 take Belloy anu
stop there. At last u occurred 70 one
of the men 20 tell his captain that ne
had been down 20 the rlver that aAy
and after two days the captain succeed
ed in getting u 70 the brgaoier ger
oral in command. The general thought
/, rs fresh news. but. unfortunately,
the Germans had used the Intervening
Two DAYS 20 bring up men and reestao-
Nsb Themselves. Result. when the gen
oral without a fresh investigation, or
dered ne 10 occupy the ground the
Roches were ready and waiting Tor US.
Our ambulance got plenty OF WORK we
never cot out Of Belloy and the genera.
lost his job. Served him rlght' OF
course.
Blacksmith a Jolly Dog.
eft is the same way with spies. Ihei
sre almost sure TO get certain length
81 ,ir,o % 90 their work before they
Or. caught We ran across black
smith a couple Of months ago who was
one OF the most congenial fel.ow you
ever met. He had his shop right oeslde
one Of the main roads used by me
troops i'm gong back and forth 10 the
trenches and he always had q stock OF
wine and something TO eat. HIS shop
did not keen him very busy and he was
nearly ALWAYS at his door. He would
talk 10 the soldiers. give them a drink
ask where they were going and want
10 know how long they would be gone
60 that he would be waiting 70 give
them another glass Of wine when they
came back. He was very popular with
the soldiers. because he was such
good fellow, always ready with a JOKE
and a glass of wine.
"But our concentrations were known
70 the Boches. Our men were being
shot down. We never could prepare
ANYTHING in advance and bring II of
successfully. because the Boches knew
lust where we were getting ready 10 do
something Some of our spy cstchers
got to work 70 find the leak. They
hunted through the sector for the best
place - pick up news about troop
movements and they found, Of course
that all the soldiers we're friendly with
the blacksmith His shop was raideo
one day. He had been left behind by
the Germans. He had three months
store Of wine and food in his cellar
OF course. he could give our men wine.
But he had, also. direct telephone COM
munication from his cellar with the
German lines He was shot.
French Officer a Spy.
The worst case that | ever knew
of-but il was not the only one of the
kinG-was an officer in the French
army who was a German spy. You can
see from that how thorough the
Boches are. That man had been sent
from Germany &c France when he was
a boy. He had been educated in France
and had gone to the French military
schools. He was an artillery officer
and one Of the best. lie was a lieu
tenant at the beginning OF the war;
but when the Somme offensive began
he was a captain in command Of a
battery. For all that zine he had done
his work without being suspected.
"On the Somme he was In charge OF
his battery, which was firing ahead Of
our men during an advance. The bat
terry got a signal that their range was
TOO short and they we're firing into
our own men. The sergeant told the
captain, but he said they were firing
according to orders and not to change
the range. The battery fired another
round and got another signal from the
infantry that they were firing short.
The sergeant spoke 10 the captain
again and the captain lost his temper
and swore at the sergeant. He ordered
another round at the same range. and
the sergeant refused. The captain
tried 10 FIRE one Of the guns himself.
Sergeant Makes Arrest
"It was very important for the Ger
mans 10 stop our advance az that
point Il might have saved Combles.
But the sergeant knew as much about
the situation as the captain. He knew
what Il meant TO have our troops
stopped there. We might havs lost
brigade. We might have lost divi-
sion. He threatened the captain with
q rife and arrested him. 1t is some
thing 10 arrest your own captain, but
the sergeant did il, and there was &
drumhead court martial and the cap
tain was shot. He confessed. when he
saw IL was al up with him, and
Dragged Of the two years he had Is.
capped being caught and Of what he had
done. lie was brave enough, but.
Well. think Of il, Educated in France
an officer in the French army, living
81 the expense Of France, living a lie
for ten wears, waiting for the day 10
betray those who trusted him. II
takes q German 70 do that"