New-York tribune., 1919-01-10
British Secret
Service Ran Down
Agents of the Foe
Germans Had Planned to
Make Isle of Wight Land
ing Place and Afterward
to Bombard Portsmouth

LONDON, Dec. 80 Correspondence
OF the Associated Press Secrets of
the war work of the British secret SER
vice now revealed show that German
spies, or agents of the German govern
ment, were making active preparations,
even before the beginning of hostili-
ties, to use the Isle of Wight as a
Landing place for German forces and
for the bombardment of Portsmouth.
One of the first precautions taken in
August, 1914, was to place close re-
upon or leave the island. From Harwich
to Hampshire, along the south and
southeast coasts of England, nests of
German spies and agents were en-
gagged in desperate missions in the
early days of the war. One of the ur-
gent tasks of the British secret service
was to stamp out the operations of
these men.
Flashes Sent to Submarines
For long time the authorities were
unable to discover the origin of Morse
signals that were being flashed out to
German submarines from the seafront
at Pevensey. Special watch was kept
on a certain cottage and although no
lights were shown, the patient observ~
ers finally solved the mystery They
learned that after dusk several persons
near an upper window manipulated
what appeared to be the dial of an ordi-
nary clock. A raid on the cottage dis
closed that the clock dial was fitted
With u dark prism. By focusing the
prism on the strong headlight of fish
ing smack anchored offshore it was pos
sible 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
Between the coast and Tunbridgc
Wells, which was the headquarters of
a British army corps, band of gypsies
made the rounds Of villages undis-
turbed until an officer made the signiti-
can't discovery that none of them could
converse in Romany, the gypsy tongue.
Investigation by secret service men
proved conclusively that the masque-
the country folk and tell fortunes, Sc
cured important information as to the
movements of troops in the southern
command. Prompt and drastic action
followed these revelations.
Dangerous Spies Captured
At the beginning of the war numer-
GUS instances came TO ugnt OF aliens
attempting to enlist under false pre-
tences. If the recruiting officers were
dissatisfied with mans appearance
or accent he was taken aside and the
cath was administered to him separate
ly. 1t is practically impossible fer a
foreigner to repeat the unusual nh1as-
ing of the oath without betraying his
origin, and in that way many danger
ous spies were captured.
About Christmas, 1914, q foreign
diplomat in London received an anony-
nous gift Of pate de foie gras. Sus-
licion was aroused and analysis showed
the presence of deadly poison. Secret
service agents we're called in ard they
preceded to work on the theory that
the pate de foie Cras had come from one
of three aliens then under surveillance
Accordingly, to each Of them was sent
anonymously can Of foie gras exactly
slmi ar in appearance to the can con-
tanning the poisoned stuff.
The landlady. Of one of the trio
opened ard served itslfor his ssuprer,
and it was not until late in the even
ing that she told him that the can had
been addressed TO him. Thinking that
he had eaten his OVID poison, the man
actually became i'll. He was promptly
arrested.