The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-03-11
Another Was Hanged and Many
More Are Serving Prison
Terms. ri.
fRGKED BY DETECTIVES
False News Manufactured 50 That
Germany Might Be Misiaforsned-
~, Spies Were Of Very Little
Service to Germany.

Londen.-In the possession Of a
sergeant-najor Of the British military
soot police is peculiarly made ieath'
er strap-or, rather, series sf straps
for which Madame Tussaud's
doubtless wo1ad pay 4 large sum OF
money.
It is the strap with which German
spies caught IN this country and con-
aemned to death were fastened in a
8 eoial chair at the Tower Of London
prier to being shst. Like wise man.
the sergeantmajer had the strap
made to his own design and paid for
: It with his ewn money. It is to him
q priceless reiie Of the great war.
Ger1nany's vaunted spy system,
like the overboomed German navy
hardly realized expectations. There
were, it is true, a great many spies in
England, bsth before and after the
war acting o. behalf Of the kaiser.
Most Of them we're neutrals, and came
originally from South American
states.
The British secret service resem-
bled its magnificent navy. 1t did its
work as silently and effectively. and
the necessary reticence observed as to
it's doings contributed very materially
to the discontinue felt by the Ger
man government ewing to the mis-
leading Information which 'fell" into
German hands.
Mythical Barra9e In Channel.
AS a matter Of fact, the naval in
telligence department, under Rear Ad-
mfrai Hall, actdng In conjunction
with the censor's department, provid-
ed false information to the Germans,
an instance being the mythical Strait
Of Dover submarine barrage revealed
by Sir Roger Keyes.
Nearly all Germany's spies In this
country attempted to forward their
information by post. But thanks to
the censer's staff 1t was rarely these
letters, even although written in In
visible ink, went undetecteA.
All spies were not arrested imme-
diateiy they were detected. The Brit
ish secret service, ever considerate,
allowed them send and receive let
ters and collect information, but it re-
served the privilege of opening the
correspondence both ways and max
ing alterations likely to be Of more
use to the allies than to Germany.
It is difficult to estimate the value
of the information obtained by this
method. The Hun, with his profound
direspect for British finesse, prob
ably never will believe that Britain
could be guilty Of such astuteness.
It is certain that Germany obtained
very little that was useful from her
spies in England. From the outbreak
of war the ports were too carefully
watched to permit Of much leakage.
Up and down the east and south
west coasts of England were, how
ever, many 'hydros,' palatial hotels,
built right on the sea, with large cop
per domes twinkling brightly for many
miles out at sea-. And the manager
was often German.
Eight German spies were executed
in this country, while many more are
undergoing long terms of penal servi.
tude. For obvious reasons the names
of many never were revealed. The
imperial government continued to
communicate with them blissfully
unaware that their agents had gone
to a bourne from which not even a
German SPY returns. The British Sc
cret service kindly acted as the spy's
deputy.
Executed In Tower.
The execution Of these spies Is nat
urally an unpleasant subject but none
the less interesting. After the secret
trial and condemnation to death the
spy was taken to the tower, there to
await the dread summons in the early
hours of the morning. Taken from
his cell by party Of military police
the spy was strapped to chair in a
quadrangle of the tower. There. fac
ing him, about ten PAGES distant, was
firing party, usually eight men, from
the battalion of guards on duty at the
time.
A low instruction from the officer
in command to aim at the heart,
sharp order "Firer' burst of fame,
and the crack of eight rifles had end
ed the career of another Of Germany's
tools.
One spy was hanged at Wormwood
Scrubs prison; seven others were