The Topeka state journal., 1919-10-25
CAREER FRAUGHT WITH DANGER
Worked as Civilian in Swiss Re-
public-Penetrated Germany.
is Son of Rev. ]. r. Madison of
IOpeka-Was Journal Employe

In his inside pocket a former To-
peka man, temporarily engaged as a
spy for the American Expeditionary
Forces. carried precious orders. writ
ten in Paris and destined TO reach
the hands of the allied secret agent
in Berlin.
The Topekan, with his partner. was
to go thru Switzerland and pass seven
miles beyond the German frontier
Ehere they We're to be met by a con-
federate, who was to take the secret
document and relay it to the next man
on It's perilous way to Berlin.
You will meet man on the road
the instructions read. He viii be
sitting on the roadside. will remove
MS shoe upon perceiving your ap-
prOach, and will pretend to be shaking
the sand out of his shoe That's your
man Hand him the document"
And II came to pass that the Ameri-
can spies approached such a man. He
removed his shoe and was shaking
sand out OF it The spies were on the
verge of giving him the high balI'
when the partner of the Topeka man
wavered and stopped
Too Dutch said Spy No. 2. He's
shaking real sand out OF that shoe
He's on the Ievel-a real German
They saluted in the German tongue
and found a simple German peasant
the real thing. They passed on and
presently found the right man, an
American spy. who was shaking the
ina eiuary sand out of an American
made boot 1t was a narrow escape
for the secret couriers: the narrowest
they had during % excursions into the
enemy country, and they didn't relish
the thought of what might have hap
peued If they had sounded that first
high ball"
Worked on State journal.
This was just one of a hundred such
hair raising experiences of Claude
Madison. former Topeka boy and State
Journal empIoye- Madison is the son
of-Rev- and Mrs. J. r Madison. 215
EImwood. Young Madison was an
employe of The State Journal a num-
ber OF years ago and just prior to the
declaration Of war was filing editor
for the Associated Press at Kansas
City.
Madison enlisted in a unit OF the
55th division and was sent TO Camp
Douiphan for training with his organ
ization- In a short time his superior
officers learned that Madison could
converse freely in German. French
and Italian, and he was ordered trans
ferreR to the intelligence section OF
the army at Washington There he
was given a rigorous course Of train
nedged spy
Danger Always Near.
Asa spy Madison's duties were full
Of personal danger-for it is a rule
of armies that spies when caught be
promptly courtmartiaIed and shot out
Of hand, usually at sunrise the next
morning" Madison's particular duties
were to be an important link between
the American spies who were already
planted in Germany and the great
headquarters of the A. E F.
Madison, usually accompanied by a
com mpauion. would go into Switzerland
as civilian At a point near the
Swiss border the two would change
into a regulation German military uni
form and would proceed into Ger
many. The messages with which they
were intrusted had to be delivered in
side the German lines q distance of at
least seven miles Closer approach to
the Swiss border by the spies already
in Germany and established would
have meant irreparabIe loss to the
American forces il they had been dis
covered
- Madison came thru the war without
receiving a wound: He was discharged
with his division with the rank OF
lieutenant