Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1918-07-05
Secret Activities of German
Women Told by Or. Arthur
Lynch, N. P.
SYSTEM IS FAR REACHING
Eyes Of French People Suddenly
Opened to Extent of the organIza-
ton and Its Studied and
Elaborate Character.

says:
'In Marcel Prevost's Les Anges Gar
diens' (The Guardian Angels, other
wise governesses) he depicts an Eng
| fish governess who is fond of drink,
an Italian whose beauty wins the af-
| fectiOns of the son and heir, and Ger
man, Meg by name-a jolly and attrac-
tive young woman, unembarraSsed by
moral scruples, but capable and
shrewd. Meg is a spy, and her spying
is the more dangerous for the fact that
she is the guardian angel of the
daughter of the French war minister.
''This story, written with a certain
grace of style, set all France talking
and many bourgeois family scrutin-
lied with horror their stockish, stupid
looking but Woodworking Westphalian
maid, who knew little outside the
small household and who, moreover,
| children.
II cOnfesssI was inclined to laugh at
the spy scare, but some time before
the war l used to meet on the stair
case of modest and quiet little pri-
vate hotel the dame who stood for the
original of Meg. She had an apart
ment adjoining mine. There was moth
ing about her appearance or her man.
ners to attract attention. Meg had, in
| good German style, grown imposing
though still attractive in the German
| fashion.
zone evening, on returning to my
rooms, saw Meg's lady companion,
a dragon looking person, camped on a
chair on the landing near Meg's door,
and presently three middle-aged gen.
tlemen left Meg's rooms. Meg knew
that the war was coming, and no doubt
serious business was on hand that
night.
Abused by German Husband.
"Parisians have become very suspi-
cious of late, but the surprise was gen.
eral nevertheless when they discOv-
cred that their exotic favorite, Mata
Hari, the Hindoo dancer, was Ger
man spy. This lady with the dusky
skin and flexible wrists and languor-
Gus graces Of Eastern dancing women
turned out to be formidable person
age. At the age Of seventeen she mar
| ried German who had obtained
Dutch nationality in order to mask his
spying work. The marriage was rather
in the nature of a formal business
transaction, but this did not prevent
the one-time German officer from bru-
tally ill-treating his young wife.
Nevertheless she entered into the
spy system with zest, became duly
registered and paid, amused and de-
lighted Paris for some years with her
audaciOus performances, became ac-
quainted with various highly placed
officials and politicians and found
means, it is said, to make known to
the Germans some of the most i'm
portant French plans in the first
months of the war.
Certainly it is absurd to find spy
in every German kitchen maid or hall
porter or BARRIERS apprentice, but eyes
have been opened to the extent of the
organization, It's studied and elaborate
character and the cleverness Of the
German spy system.
"Here in Paris Is a type very diff.
ferent from Meg, but one who EN-.
ploys the Megs as his agents-the
count of W, old Adolph,' as he
was Familiarity called, half In affection
and half in contempt. Adolph was,
not so many years ago, dashing Off
Ger of the Guards, a great rider, q
beau, a lady killer. Certain histories
in this latter direction cut off his ca
reer as a Guardsman and he came to
Paris. Old Adolph had then nothing
of the beau cavalier of old; he seemed
good natured, but stupid; he did not
look as If he could mount horse, for
he moved all in a block, like a piece
of wood.
Had Hired Chateau.
"Old Adolph incidentally had hired
chateau which commanded a great
range of country and which possessed
a real value for war purposes. To
this chateau he made several addi-
tons and improvements, which were
thought to be a fad of dear, stupid
old Adolph; they could be used as ex-
a moot point in the circles that old
Adolph frequented whether he really
was a fool or only had that appear
ance. But it is not remote from this
question to remark that at one point
the disastrous flight of the Germans
from the Marine was brought to an end
by the fact that they arrived at po-
sitions which had been carefully noted
and prepared by Germans before the
war.
II have lifted the veil here and
there upon the types; the framework of
the system is no less edifying to study.
For the past two generations the Ger
mans have been extending and perfect
ing their spy system; it has now be-
come one of the important functions Of
state. A spy is not taken at hap
n - H.