The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-01-09
HUN AGENTS
ACTIVITIES IN
BRITAIN SHOWN
Made Preparations Before
War to Land German Fore
es on Isle of Wight.
tpy Associated rress)

IONT.oN. Jan. 9.-Secrets OF the
war work OF the British Secret service
low revealed, show that German Spies
Or agents of the German government
we're making active preparations. even
before the beginning OF hosulitles, 10
use the Isle of Wight as lanoins
place for German forces ana lot the
commandment of Portsmouth. one OF
the first precautions taken In August
1914. was to place close restrictions
On persons trying to land upon or iea'e
the island. From Harwich to Hamp-
shire, along the south and southeast
coasts of England, nests OF German
spies and agents were engaged IN des-
perate missions, in the early days o!
the war. One Of the urgent tasks OF
the British Secret Service was 10
stamp out the operations Of these men.
For long time the authorities were
unable to discover the origin OF Morse
signals that were being flashed OUT
to German submarines from the sea
front at Pevensey. Special watch
was kept on certain cottage ana,
although no lights were shown, the
patient observers finally solved the
mystery. They learned that after
dusk several persons near an upper
window manipulated what appeared
to be dial of an ordinary clock. A
raid on the cottage disclosed that the
clock dial was fitted with dark
prism. BY focusing the prism on the
strong headlight of fishing smack
anchored off shore, it was possible
to send forth signal flashes. These
flashes were not visible to a person
standing on the beach, but out in the
channel they could be read easily.
Efforts to Enlist.
Between the coast and Tunbridge
Wells, which was the headquarters
of British army corps, band OF
gypsies made the rounds of villages
undisturbed until an officer made the
significant discovery that none of them
could converse in Romany, the gypsy
tongue. Investigation by Secret Ser
vice men proved conclusively that the
masqueraders, while pretending to
trade with the country folk and tell
fortunes, secured important informa-
ton as to the movements of troops
in the southern command. Prompt
and drastic action followed these re.
velations.
At the beginning of the war numer.
Gus instances came to light Of aliens
W ldlSt pre-
lenses. II the recruiting officers were
dissatisfied with a mans appearance
or accent, he was taken aside and the
oath was administered to him separate
l.. 1t is practically impossible for Il
foreigner to repeat the unusual phras
ing Of the oath, without betraying his
origin. and in that way many dan
gerous spies were captured.
About Christmas, 1914. foreign dip
iomat in London received an a ony
nous gift of pate de foie gras Sus
picion was aroused and analysis
showed the presence Of a deadly pois
on. Secret Service agents were called
in and they proceeded to work on the
theory that the pate de foie gras hai
come from one Of theree aliens ther
under surveillance. Accordingly, t.
each OF them was sent anonymously Z
can OF foie gras exactly similar in ap
pearance to the can containing thu
poisoned stuff.
The landlady of one of the trio open
ed and served it for his supper, ant
1t was not until late in the evenins
that she told him that the can ha(
been addressed to him. Thinking tina
he had eaten his own poison, the mar
actually became ill. He was promptl,
arrested.