The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-08-03
spy IS NEUTRAL,
SELLS TO BOTH
NimbIe Swiss Gets French and
German Money, but Lands
in Prison.
IS CONVICTED WITH OTHERS
Republic Anxious to Keep Out of Trou.
BILE, but Is Nest of Plotters-Es-
pionage Trials Daily
Occurrence.


Berne.-A remarkable spying feat
was executed by Swiss citizen named
Luginbuhl. He succeeded in getting
paid from both sides, the French as
well as the Germans, receiving profit
able favors from both, and finally
landed in the meshes of Swiss law.
Luginbuhl was one of twenty-one de-
PENDANTS in a celebrated espionage
case just concluded in local court.
With one exception all were found
guilty, including Luginbuhl. Sentence
was deferred.
Luginbuhl was anxious to buy wool
waste in France. He wanted to sell
IT in Germany where he could get an
immense price for it. To get the wool
ont of France Luginbuhl had to obtain
permission from the French authori-
ties. He got into touch with French
agents and spies doing business in
Switzerland, who afterward were his
codefendants in the trial, and upon his
promise that he would make a trip
into Germany, find out certain things
the French spies were anxious to know
and report back, he would obtain per-
mission to take the wool out of France.
Told Germans of Deal.
To sell the wool in Germany Lugin-
bnhl made his trip into the kaiser's
domain, as promised, but he did more
than he had promised. He told Ger.
man officials all about the deal he had
made with the French spies, where
upon the Germans were kind enough
to write a report which Luginbuhl took
back to Switzerland and handed over
to his French friends, who paid him
$3.50 for it. Luginbuhl at that time
already had in his pocket the hand
some profit he had made on the sale
of French wool in Germany. What
the Germans had paid him for double
crossing the French was not disclosed
during the trial.
1t took eight days to try the case.
Meurgeot, a French officer, was the
principal defendant in absentia. He
had escaped before he could be arrest
ed. The judge in pronouncing the YER
Dict of guilty said Mourgeot had
broken the word of honor given by
an officer when he escaped from hos
pital. He was found guilty of hav-
ing organized the French spy system
in Switzerland. He hired German de-
serters to tell him all they knew. All
this was, however. only minor Of
Tense, according to Swiss law.
Had Many Activities.
His principal crime was treason
committed against the Swiss republic.
He observed the movement of Swiss
troops near the French border and
kept the French army command post
ed about them. He hired men to
watch the transportation of cattle. He
ried to poison cattle in railroad trains
oy putting poison in the cars. He or
ganiZed q conspiracy to foment strike
n the aluminium works at Chippis,
which were sending goods to Germany,
and tried to destroy the electrical plant
at Waldshut.
men, who also succeeded in eluding
the Swiss law. 1t was discovered at
he trial that these men made it their
BUSINESS to buy factories that were
selling to Germany. They bought the
factories with French money and made
an immense profit for themselves by
the transaction.
The most prominent of the Swiss de-
PENDANTS was DIR. Bruestlein, lawyer.
Revelations disclosing his activities
created a sensation in all SwitZer-
and. The court condemned him Sc
Verely. Among the ether defendants
we're a Swiss army sergeant and an
army policeman. Both were found
guilty of taking French money for
furnishing information about army
movements. -
The whole of Switzerland seems to
We hotbed of spies. Espionage trials
ire going on almost continuously in
many of the cities. Germans, Aus
rians and Italians are implicated as
aeIl as the Swiss themselves. The
,ublic is usually excluded from these
rails because Switzerland wants to
void as much as possible being drawn
nto the ramifications of spydom
which might jeopardize the neutrality
f the republic.
s00n SAMARITAN Ic PEpAIn