The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-02-23
A BEARER OF
DISPATCHES
His Difficulties In Reaching
His Destination
By ALAN HINSDALE

SCINlCc- MY ItdsOn lOf uOluk 81 was
that was travelling abroad and found
myself strapped In London, communi-
cation with my native land, America.
having been cut off. and | was unable
to get funds. l will admit however.
that | always had a desire to try my
hand at secret service work.
My fitness to serve the British at
this time and in this field was that
am an American and had an Ameri.
can passport
made my offer through an official
In the Office of the foreign secretary
who knew something of my anteced
ents and was in a position To vouch
for me. There was plenty of work 10
be done and plenty of would bc work
men, but the main trouble with the
government was TO know whom tu
trust.
One day | received a note from my
friend in the foreign Office To call upon
him in his office in Downing street.
Upon my reporting to him hc led me
to one of the chief men in the foreign
department who asked me IA number
OF questions about myself with view
to establishing my trustworthiness. |
doubt If he would have employed me
had 1t not been that | told him my
mother had been born in Canada and
lived there till she was twenty years
OF age. That seemed to satisfy him.
lie knew the strong affection for the
British flag among those who have
been born and raised under 1t and
agreed that a man would not be likely
to turn traitor to a cause with which
his mother sympat athized.
When he had satisfied himself with
regard to my fitness for the work he
said to me:
I'VE wish some one to take certain
important instructions to our ambassa
dor at Athens. You are probably
aware that there are certain Balkan
nations for whose support both the en-
tente and the central allies are strug-
Cling. Greece is one OF these countries
We desire to offer to the king OF Greece
certain advantages for his support in
case we are victors in the great strug-
gle upon which we are entering. If a
knowledge of what we offer should fall
into the hands of the Teutons 1t would
give them certain intentions Of ours
which they would at once endeavor to
forestall. London, every route to
Greece and the capital Of that country
is beset with spies. We are not sure
but that we have them right here
| an .4inrl. IN thn Tn 81 mont a
fees. You are liable to be watched
waylaid. possibly murdered on the
way"
The commission was given me, and
accepted 1t. Had there been no risk at
tending it l should not have been in
terested in It, was handed two pack
ages, the one somewhat bulky, incloscd
in an official envelope and bearing the
official seal; the other a simple letter
evidently written Oh thin paper.
How the spies got on to the fact thai
a communication was to leave the for
eign office and l was to carry IL wa'
and is a mystery to me. l was tol,
that no one was employed to copy th'
paper, which was written by the under
secretary himself Nevertheless til,
matter was known to some one who in
formed the proper person outside, wh'
at once set in motion certain agencie
to get possession of the document
carried. or at least prevent my deliver
ing ii.
As to my route, it was uncertain.
\ might go all the way by sea, but thcr
I was some danger of being summarized
could go through southern Franc
7" and Italy, but in the beginning of tn
war no one knew how the Italian ca
would jump. Italy did not join tn
allies for a year after the beginning &
hostilities. l resolved to go throug
France to Marseilles, then determin
by what route l would continue m
journey.
had scarcely seated myself in III
train for Southampton proposed
! cross the channel from there to Havr
than l noticed a man I'm the san
! compartment as myself casting furtiy
4 ;:lances at me. l surmised at once thi
/ he was aware of the fact that l ws
what was, but believed that he woul
not have let me see him observing m
had anything to fear from him pc
sonally. 1t was much more probab
that he was intending TO draw my a
tention to himself while my real da
ger lurked elsewhere. During the ri,
opened my suit case and felt for Il
bulky document as though TO make su
it was there. He left the train at Sout
ampton. and l did not see him aga
till / was on the boat steaming for c
French coast.
On reaching Havre | stood holdil
my baggage. suit case, in the croV
OF passengers waiting to leave the bo
p for the dock. Suddenly | felt the 81
case wrenched from my hand. Tul
ing, | looked for the person who h
taken 1t. but saw no one near. Tho
behind me were comparatively Qui
Convinced that my enemies plans
I f..,er ~