Daily Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1918-191?, 1918-07-21
NlmbIe Swiss Gets French and
German Money, but Lands
in Prison.
IS CONVICTED WITH OTHERS
Republic Anxious to Keep Out OF Trou.
bic. but 10 Nest Of PIotters-Es
pionsgc Trials Daily
Occurrences.


was executed by a Swiss citizen named
Luginbuhl. lie succeeded In getting
paid from both sides. the French as
well ~ 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 celebrated espionage
case Just concluded In a local court.
With one exception all were found
guilty. including Luginbuhl. Sentence
was deferred
Luginbuhl was anxious 10 buy wool
waste In France. He wanted 20 sell
II In Germany where he could get an
immense price for II. To get the wool
out OF France Luginbuhl had 10 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 10 know
and report back. he would obtain per-
mission 10 take the wool out OF France.
Teld Germans OF Deal.
To sell the wool In Germany Lugin-
buhl made his trip into the kaiser's
domain. rs 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
20 write n report which Luginbuhl took
back "a Switzerland and handed over
20 his French friends. who paid him
$500 for n. 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
II took eight days 10 try the case.
Mourgeot. French officer. was the
principal defendant In absentln. He
had escaped before he could he arrest
cd The Judge in pronouncing the YER
diet NJ guilty said Mourgeot had
broken the word Of honor given by
an officer when he escaped from a hos
pital. He was found guilty Of hav-
ing organized the French spy system
IN Switzerland. He hired German de-
serters 10 tell him all they knew All
this was. however. only. a minor Of.
Tense. according to Swiss law.
Had Many Activities.
His principal crime was treason
committed against the Swiss republic.
He observed the movement ~ 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
tried 20 poison cattle In railroad trains
by putting poison In the cars. He or.
ganized conspiracy TO foment a strike
in the aluminium works az Chlpnis.
which were sending goods 10 Germany,
and tried 20 destroy the electrical plant
az Waldshut.
Three Of his tools were French
men. who also succeeded In eluding
the Swiss law II was discovered NJ
the trial that these men made II their
business 20 huy factories that were
selling 10 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 Dr. Bruestleln. a lawyer.
Revelations disclosing his activities
created sensation In all Switzer-
land The court condemned him Sc
verely. Among the ether defendants
were a Swiss army sergeant and an
army policeman. Both were found
guilty Of taking FreEch money for
furnishing Information about army
movements.
The whole of Switzerland seems 90
he a hotbed Of spies. Espionage trials
are going on almost continuously In
many OF the cities. Germans Aus
trians and Italians are implicated as
well as the Swiss themselves. The
public Is usually excluded from these
trials because Switzerland wants TO
avoid rs much as possible heing drawn
into the qualifications Of spydom
which might ieopardize the neutrality
OF the republic,