Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1920-09-02
TRAGEDIES OF TREASON.


ran by spies, many OF them natives OF
the very country that was lighting
with every breath to stop the invad-
ers. One OF the most successful spy
hunters in the service OF France was
Capt. p. Bouchardon of the inteiii-
rcnce service. In n recent nunher or
the Paris magazine. Lectures Pour
Tours. Capt. p B,ucha -don tolls
somc of the dramatic scenes VIXEN
y csc miserable creatures faced tn,
avcrging rifles of the republic on
tho polygon at Vincennes. A part
OF Cant. ,Bouchardc MS artice has Eeen
translated for the Kansas City sta.
How do they meet death? But
arst how did they receive ,he SEN
tci.cc OF death? :? 1t was in the vast
dilnpidatcd room OF the Palace or
Justice commonly known "a the
"odcon" that the condemned spies
wcrc officially told OF their fate. The
cracked walls and wormeatcn wood
work gave the place n truly sinister
aspect in tie light of the waning
day: sentence always was pronounced
i'm thc evening and executed the hext
morning The military Judges ana
tho spectators all had. left the room
The defendant would be ordered to
stand fncinE tho squad OF guards,
who would come to present arms.
lie would stand with staring eyes
and ears strained for the fatntest
sound At last the terrible words
would come. from the lips Of the
court clerk and the wrctchcd victim
would collapse. He would be hair
carried. half dragged out. his legs
ntrcmhlc As he went nc would
cast n last look ut the little capinet
C"om which the paper containing h's
doom had been taken. Spy. YOU must
Iii,
ono woman. awaiting hor sentence.
tainted and foil backward over
bench whom tho guards snapped
their rifles to "prCscnt arms. Sho
supposed that she was TO be shot as
she sat huddled there on the hard
SCat When she was revived she wan
told that tho court had spared her
life. Her sentence was imprlsoh-
mont.
Some of the suiCs mot death as
sportsman who las made 4 bcc and
lost: some rs fatalists. some as care
free vagabonds. hut most OF them as
towards. The first to cNpiate MS
crime before u firing squad at VIM
Genes was ID p" n dissoutc loafer.
hut keen of miNd. That morning.
February %, 1916. snow was falling
in heavy flakes. and the newspapers.
sold Ivy the light Of candies on the
street corners. contained disqulct:nf
rcws. The Germans had launched
their attack on Ncrdun. Anxiety
seized every heart in France.
Whom an officer aroused I'D. +.
he awo<c with a start. but he ate once
nf himself
with great care. putting on silk socks
and patent lCathCr shoes, the last
vcstigc of his srlCndor. and then.
calmly smoking cigarette. he
awaited the coming of the guard.
May I say word?" he asked
suddenly. in II shriu voice that ech-
ocd through the old prison. You
say that | am II master spy. simple
spy wouldn't do. IIa. you will Sc"
somc master spies some Of these
days" And he proved to be II good
prophet.
ON tho firing ground he was cou'
ngcous without hravado. The eXocu-
ton was somewhat improvised. There
was no post to which to bind him,
and when the guards unlocked his
handcurCs the spy was absolutely
unfcttCrcd. He Stood there facing the
firing squad with their rifle butts on
the ground. Behind him was a low
wall and immediately back OF That
tho thick woods. one jump OF ms
tall. muscular body and he could
have hccn over that wall and away
in tho heavy woods before the sold
iors could have raised their rifles.
why did he not make the attempt?
Apparently the project never entered
his mind. And as he stood there :t-S
locks of the rifles clicked, ~" ,Iarks-
men pressed their checks to the
stocks. I'D. p" seemed to defy them
Tho vollcy echoed through the stow
suroudcd woods and the spy made n
movement as If to hurl himself upon
the squad then fell backwards at
fun length.
The next to meet death on thc pol
ygon nt Vinccnncs was &C." an OK
trngcdian. with the profile Of bird
OF prey. The majestic carriage that
he acquired in his stage days still
was with him. At the end of Aug
ust. 1914, when he returned to the
Germans after his first mission hc
was told: "Franccs fate Is sealed.
You need not return there. VIC may
want to send YOU into Russia" ';hCy
had reckoncd withot the victory OF
the Marine.
sui lnbhcN with ms memories OF
the stage. and thinking only of the
drama in which he had role To en-
act, &C" awOkC the morning set iOr
his execution believing that ii was
only one OF the adventures of his ca
recr and that in a little timc the
doors would open wide TO him a..it1.
For an hour he told fantastic stories
that had no possible bearing on his
case. When the time came for the
trip to the field Of death an officer
rudcly called him To the realm Of re-
alitN,
"You have just five minutes" he