Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-08-24

kalSerS 5 real intentions De known at
the Quai dOrsay."
Certainly" was my reply. 81 will
deliver your message this evening"
Tell him that my sole desire is to
act in the interests of the emperor and
HIMSELF she urged.
But, forgive me-" 1 said, 81 cannot
see why you should interest yourself
in the crown prince if he declines to
communicate with you"
Il have my reasons, Count Won Helt-
zendorff," was her rather naughty re-
ply. "Please tell him that the matter
will not brook further delay"
1 had seen in the London newspa
pers during the past week how eagerly
the English journalists, with the dust
cast into their eyes, were blindly advo-
eating that the British pubic should
welcome the great German national
movement, headed by Baron Won Cess
Ter, supported by Ballin, Delbruck
and Won Wedel, with the hearty coop
GRAFTON of the emperor and the imperi-
al chancellor-the movement to eStab-
lish better relations with Great Bri-
tain.
knew that the secret should at all
hazards be kept, and that night l told
the crown prince of my second meet
ing with the pretty woman in black
and her urgent request.
He laughed, but made no remark.
Yet knew by his tone that he was not
so easy in his mind as he desired me to
believe.
1t also seemed strange why, if the
young Frenchwoman was so desirous
of meeting him, she did not call at the
villa.
About a week later it suddenly oc-
Cured to me to endeavor to discover
the real identity of the lady in black,
but as 1 was not certain whether she
actually lived in Nice it was rather
difficult. Nevertheless, by invoking
the aid of my friend Belabre, inspector
of the Surete Of Nice, and after wait
| ing few days 1 made an astounding
discovery. namely, that the lady who
called herself De Rouville was an tia
| liam cafe concert singer named Irene
| Speroni-the woman who had aroused
the jealousy Of the crown princess
And she knew that important state Sc
cret of Germany!
The situation was q most serious
one. 1 felt it my duty to mention my
discovery to his highness, when, to my
surprise, he was not in the least angry.
He merely said:
"It is true, Heltzendorff-tru what
the crown princess declared--that /
went to Wiesbaden and that I gave
the woman a pair of emerald earrings
which / ordered from old Vollgold.
But there was no reason for jealousy.
I saw the woman and gave her the
present in the hope of closing her
lips"
In a moment / understood. The
pretty variety artistic was endeavoring
to levy blackmail. But how could she,
in her position, have learned the secret
of the emperor's intentions?
She was, found, living as Signorina
Speroni, with her maid, at the Hotel
Bristol over at Beaulieu, just across the
blue bay Of Villefranche, and as the
days went on realized the imminent
danger of exposure, and wondered il
the kaiser knew of 1t.
/ made q remark to that effect to his
highness one morning, whereupon he
replied:
Don't disturb yourself, my deal
Heltzendorff! have not overlooked the
| ic thof
Germs both the emperor and myself
The woman obtained the secret by
opening the dispatch box of one who
believed her to be his friend, and ther
she attempted to use her knowledge il
order to drag me into her net. But
do not think 1 am very likely to bt
caught-eh"
At that moment Herr Schafer en-
tered the room, therefore further dis
cussion was out of the question.
From inquiries 1 made later on
found that the concert singer had sud
denly left the hotel, therefore I wen
over to Beaulieu and had an instruc
tive chat with the hall porter, Ger
man, of course. From him 1 learned
, that the signorina had been staying
there ever since the date when we hat
arrived at Nice and. further, that tive
gentlemen had been frequently in th'
) habit of calling upon her. One was
! smart young Frenchman who came II
: q motor car and the other was q Ger
man. From the description Of the lat
!, ter I at once came to the conclusion
that it was none other than Herr Scha
fer.
"The one gentleman did not know o
/ the others visits said the bearde,
porter, with laugh. "The signorin
always impressed silence upon me, be
! cause she thought one would be jeal
) GUS of the other. The German gentle
: man seemed very deeply in love wit
: her, and she called him Hans. He az
:. companied her when she left here fo
: San Reno"
: reported this to his highness, bu
he made no remark. A week late
some fishermen found upon the brow
5 rocks near Capo Verde, beyond Sa
e Reno, the body of a woman, full
t dressed, afterwards identified as tina
of Irene Speroni, the singer so popr
y lar in Rome.
1t was proved that on the previou
y night she had been seen by two pea:
: ants walking along the sea road nea
San Lorenzo, accompanied by a tai
S thin man, who seemed greatly excitet
and was talking in German. It wa
e believed by the Italian police that tn
unknown German, in a fit Of jealous.
1 threw her into the sea.
From facts 1 gathered some month
later l realized that the whole pie
:. had been most cunningly conceived
: Schafer. after his return from Amer
It ca. had met the woman Speroni, VIII