New-York tribune., 1921-05-01
LONDON. April IL.

been published here in hook form. The
volume, entitled Gun Running for Case
ment, was written by Lieutenant Karl
Spindlcr, Of the German navy, and Is
translated by w. Montgomery, late r. N.
| v. r., and e. H. McGrath. Lieutenant
Spindler was commanding officer of the
steamship Aud, which was sent out
from Hamburg disguised as a Nor
wegian tramp steamer and loaded with
machine guns and ammunition for
Casement's forces.
| The book vividly describes the slab-
crate plans for the expedition, the ar
rangements made when Sir Roger Case
ment was in Berlin, the running Of the
British blockade and the final scenes
in Tralee Bay, Ireland, while the Aud
waited in vain for Easement, who al
ready had been captured. When he
failed TO- arrive the Aud put to sea
again, but was captured and taken into
Queenstown Harbor, where. Spindler
blew up his ship before it could be
boarded and searched.
Lieutenant Spindlcr had been mer-
chant service officer before the war,
but was called to the navy in 1914
and placed in charge of an outpost boat
| ut Wilhelmshaven. He WAS on this duty
when call came for volunteers, of
ficers and men for An expedition to
an unknown destination" He at one.
applied for duty and was. placed in
charge Of a selected crew .of twenty
two volunteer enlisted men Of tho Ger
man navy. They were taken to Ham
burg and put on beard the Libau, a
tramp freighter, which had been cap
tured from the British early In the war.
Intense secrecy marked the entire plans
for the expedition. Even Spindler did
not know what his duty was to be-.
The ship was reAtted in Hamburg and
secret trapdoor built into the cabin
bulkhead, leading to secret compart-
4 ment below.
Then Spindler was called to Berlin
and told the nature Of the expedition.
! He says:
| "Sir Roger Easement, the leader of
the Irish Sim Feiners, was now in Ger
many. Easement, who was q fery
patriot and cherished deadly hatred
for England, believed that the World
War had at length brought the oppor-
tunity to deliver his country. The
favorable military situation of the Gem
tral Powers at that time March, 1879
justified the hope that they would be
victorious. The existing situa-
ton undoubtedly was the most favor
able for the realization Of 1reland's
hopes that Ireland had ever had-or
ever will have.
"The driving force Of the whole
movement, however, was supplied
doubtless on account Of their greater
liberty of action-by the partisans Of
the Irish republican cause in the
United States.
"The principal representatives of
these shame ericans had, some time
before, approached the German Am
hassador in Washington, Count Won
Bernstorff, with the urgent request that
he would advance their plea for Ger
man military support for the projected
rising in Ireland.
| Germany could not give the support
desired Ia landing of troops-but Count
von BeFnstorff proposed sending a ship
to Ireland with arms and ammunition,
and this the German government
agreed to do. 1t planned stimuli
taneous naval demonstration OH the
east coast Of England as screen for
the landing Of the arms. Easement OBJ
jected strongly to accompanying the
gun-running vessel, and a submarine
was placed at his disposal. A rendez-
vous was set for Tralee Bay, on the
west coast of Ireland, where the Libau
and the submarine would meet, and
!. Easement was then to go aboard the
Libau and superintend the landing Of
the arms"
Expedition Lavishly Equipped;
Enough Supplies for Six Months
Lieutenant Spindler's account Of the
fitting out of the Libau shows the ex-
traordinary precautions taken by the
: Germans to assure the. success of the
attempt. The Libau was to play the
part Of Norwegian tramp steamer
Lieutenant Spindler and the crew
: would be disguised as Norwegians
: and she would be equipped with false
; papers, sailing orders and camou-
! Aage cargo would cover the munitions
in her hold. Lieutenant Spindler thus
describes the plans:
Suddenly there appeared in the
! living rooms Of the Libau all sorts Of
genuine Norwegian equipment, when
: ever possible stamped with the name
of q Norwegian firm; and even Nor.
} wegian books (despite the fact that
not q man on board understood the
} language) and the latest Chsistiania
papers.
1--WE had supplies enough, all told, te
keep us easily for six months.
! 1.-THE lavishness of our equipment
was due in part to the fact tAthat we
) had to have two or three sets Of al
: most all articles of everyday use
German, English and, above all, Nor
wegian--from the compass down % the
smallest sardine tin. In case the shir
should be searched, any small. object