The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-03-06

London. Mar. German spies who
passed through Wandsworth detention
prison. some TO face firing squad or
a hangman's moose and some to long
terms in prison. furnished interesting
Impressions to a former commandant
CT the detention prison. Here IS
description of some OF the spies and
their activities as revealed by him:
Most OF the kaisers secret service
agents were refined, well educated.
polished and highly trained mon They
were widely travelled, ard were &C
complished linguists, In addition to
Germans. they included Dutchmen.
swedes Norwegians. Peruvians and
South Americans OF German extrac
ton. While in England they wed
luxuriously at the best hotels and
moved about IN high circles.
An astonishing feature OF their &C
tivities was that they never troubled
much about military movements In
Great Britain and were at no pains
20 discover whether We had one mil
lion or twenty million soldiers in
training. 1t was naval information
that they sought, and many of them
gladly sacrificed their lives to obtain
tho smallest scrap Of news regarding
he disposition Of tho British grand
fleet
Fcarcd British Fleet.
+ The news which they thus endeav-
ored To collect was not for the pur-
nose of a German invasion. but, as
they confessed for the protection Of
heir own country against an allied at
tack
I Tho German admiralty lived In ter
ror Of the invisible moveme rts of the
British naval units, and for this rea~
son they prize9 naval information
! above everything.
| Rotten" said Bocho.
| RI recall many Of the katser's lead
| ing agents who feIl into my hands
! One Of them was Guards officer, Il
| naughty swaggering fellow. You
| know, Comma ndart' he remarked to
ne before he was shot, your English
| intelligence system IS very inferior to
! the Gerr7an--in fact sir It is damned
rott en-
! Really answered. Rotten as
Il IL II has brought You here and that
perhaps Is the finest testimony 10 it's
| deficiency
| Eosenthal, who WAS arrested as he
was about TO board 8 steamer Mt Hull.
was the greatest coward I have ever
met, He came direct 10 London from
| Berlin. whore he committed soma of
fence and the Wilhelmstrasse gave
/ him his choice Of imprisonment or a
job in the secret service From the
/ moment he landed here nil his move
! ments were known and nobody was
more surprised than RosenthaI when
Scotland Yard officers appreh ended
him AT Hui White a. WandSworth he
repeatedly tried to commit suicide The
morning of his execution Che was
hanged) no broke down like child
ana collapsed on the scaffod.
"Iarkes waa another active enlis-
/ sary from Berlin, He had good run
while Ia England, going from one
/ port to another. and finally he only
received five years penal servitude.
lie deserved 10 ne shot, for he was
dangerous German. An officer named
Rowlsnds was another coward. He
wept, and was overcome when led DO
fore the firing squad
! Intrepid Spy Smoked.
I Karl Bushmann, n naval lieutcn-
ant was the hravcst man of the party.
When ! read his death sentence to
him he did not move a muscle. and
/ faced his cxecutioaers "A true man.
( He made one request TO mo before he
WAS shot. May ] smoke he asked
/ and Of course ! agreed.
! "One of the most Interesting per-
Eonalities I encountered was an Off
Ger of high rank, who was arrested
in the east and brought TO London.
To this day [ cannot understand why
the fellow did not share the fate Of
h 81 'tarot her spice Is will astonish
YOU To learn that not only was his
life spared. but heaaas actually re-
ipatriated@ why. heaven alone knows,
There were many German women
spies. but only one was caught to my
knowledge. Sho lived with the man
RoWlands, and was sentenced TO ten
years penal servitude.
"Farlier in the war n Swiss and an
English man were brought TO me, and
1T was alleged against them that they
had signalled from city restaurant
to Zeppalines. The allegation. of
course, was stupid. and the men were
released
The Master Mind.
The master mind of the German
secret service was Dutchman named
Detrck, who had his headquarters at
Brussels, He never ventured 20 visit
, England. bu, his subordinates were
scattered over neutral ports.
None OF the spies worked code
or kept notes. They carried all their
Information In their heads. Ostensi-
bly, they posed as commercial travel
ers, and in this way worked their pas
sages 10 London. In 1915 commercial
letters were not vigilantly scrutinized,
and thus the spies were able by
means OF trade terms, 10 explain their
whereabouts and communicate infor-
nation to their headquarters"
The prince OF the German secret
service undoubtedly was Captain Won
KlDferle. who hanged htmself With y