The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-05-26
(Continued from Yesterday.)

What fools British officers are! There is nothing in the world a woman cannot get out of them. They will talk of the greatest secrets with out caring who may be listening to them.'
 So spoke Elizabeth Wertheim, one of the most remarkable of the wom en who served Germany in this coun- try during the war. She was a wom- an of exceptionally daring disposi- ton and her resource seemed unlim- ited. She could be entertaining and was fascinating. She had a genius for extracting information from peo- pie, and, as she had a very large number of acquaintances among na- val and military officers, as we'll as men employed in government offices. she was able to collect for her Ger man employers considerable amount of valuable information.
 One other gift which aided her and added to her value to Germany and her danger to the Allies was an amazing memory, which enabled her to retain in her head details often of a highly technical character that would never have been remembered by anyone not so gifted. She devel- oped to perfection the art of allaying suspicion by giving to her victims the impression that she was a woman of butterfly type, without a head for de- tail of military and naval affairs. Nevertheless. she subtly encouraged men to talk to her or among them selves, and all thu time she was talk ing in what was most likely to be of use to her employers.
 On Her Track.
 Where she and her fellow spies Ct
 tion out of the country. Quite early In her career the authorities were on her track, and once she was discov- cred her movements were watched for the double purpose of letting her betray her accomplices and revealing to the authorities the military and naval officers who were too indiscreet to be trusted with the information they possessed.
 It is probable that this woman was responsible for the loss of commits sions of more British officers than any one else, for the authorities dealt very strongly and sternly with all cases of officers who were reported for divulging information to unau- thorized persons. The haunts ire quented by Bertheim were in the West End of London mostly, but she made short visits from time to time to. Dover, Harwich, Leith, Rosyth, Lerwick, and other places. She en- joyed her freedom to visit these places to meet military and naval of ficer friends by the favor of a highly placed government official, who was subsequently removed from his posi- ton.
 This woman retained her easy as- surance up till the moment when her sentence was pronounced, and even then she was confident that the sen tence would not be put in effect. Her greatest weakness was her love of boosting. It is strange that a wom- an who could be so subtle and dis erect in handling the men from whom she expected to get information was at times betrayed into bragging to strangers of the work she was do- ing.
 Became Friends.
 I was put on to Elizabeth Wer- theim's track late in the autumn of 1914, and after watching her move ments in the West End of London for a few weeks I made an excuse for talking to her. I found her more sociable than I expected, and I had quite a pleasant two hours in her company.
 T suppose it is the British officers contempt for a woman's powers of understanding which makes so many of them ready to give away official se- crets." she said, referring to two O. ficers who had just left her table. Il have made it my business to get of ficers to talk to me in the last few months, and have learned secrets that would be of great value to Ger many. If I were a German spy I could make a fortune out of what I know, and if the British government suspected one-half of what I know, they would shoot me in the Tower to- morrow, but they don't suspect. They don't realize that if I chose I could give to Germany information that would make it absolutely impossible for her to avoid winning the war.
 Indeed" I said, Eff you know all you say you are favored. for most of us are kept in ignorance. What wonderful secret have you learned tonight?"
 She smiled and answered, Not so much tonight. but it will do to get along with. I know the plans of the Harwich defences and the mines that guard the channels near. If I give this information to Germany the Ger man fleet and submarines could at tack Harwich when they choose and lay it in ruins"
 Do you mean to say" I Queried. that you actually have in your pos session a plan of the Harwich de- fences? Surely that is a dangerous thing to go about with, and not even your curiosity or your pursuit of a strange hobby would be regarded as excusing you If the authorities found out. It is a serious offence to pos sess such things even if you can prove of them"
 Again came that strange laugh. and then the answer, "I am not quite a fool. I don't carry visible plans. have got all the details in my head and could put them down on paper without the slightest error tonight, tomorrow or year later. have q