Evening star., 1928-10-28

she gave birth TO son and 8 daughter
A native gardener poisoned her son, SC
Mata Hari killed him with her hus-
bands revolver. She, her husband and
her little daughter had to fly to Europe
Here her marital romance died. The
child was placed in a convent. Mata
Hari got a divorce. And she looked
about for a career.
"I decided finally" she says, "by
means of the dance to interpret the
soul of the Orient to the rest of the
world"
Then one day in Berlin she was
asked by a parsonage high in the i'm
perial government to entertain, both
as hostess and dancer, Russian am
basSador who would be passing through
Berlin. A lavishly furnished mansion
in Dorotheen StraSSe was placed at her
disposal. She was to call herself
Countess Won Linden and was to use
the mansion as her home.
She did so and according to her
story. thereby found herself entangled
In the Imperial German Secret Service
system.
Mata Hari wrote this journal on the
eve of her execution at a time when
presumably nothing but the truth
might be expected. But she was the
born hireling spy: and such a spy Is a
liar by birth, circumstance, habit and
choice. Mata Harris journal, as even
casual investigation proves, is a lot OF
rather rubbiShly romancing. But 1t is
the basis of the Mata Hari legend.
About her beauty there is, of course,
no fiction; it was there. Sinuous,
round -limbed and almost feet tall,
her body had the lure an Occidental
imagineS in a siren of the Orient. From
some far ancestor she inherited a duSky
amber skin. She had large, languorous
eyes of luminous brown, which, with the
expression on her fun lips, gave her an
ambiguous smile; it might mean love
or cruelty or both.
AS a matter of fact it meant neither.
She had no heart, but neither was she
cruel. Her character was as common
place as her mind, and that was COM
monplace indeed There have been
professional mistreSSes in history who
had high intelligence. Mata Hari knew
only one thing, how to cater to mems
infatuation. But this, particularly in
time Of war, can effect lot Of mis-
chief; and behind Mata Hari, the COM
monplace, stood her director, the Secret
telligence was anything but common
place.
49, ~
CHE was born not in Java, but in
~ ROLAND. Her Dutch parents were
small shopkeepers. Her name was
Marguerite Zelle. Her schooling was
not In temple in India, but IN small
convent near The Hague. The man she
married was not a nobleman, either by
birth, title or in character. What at
tracted the convent girl to him was his
uniform as captain in the British army.
He took her to India to live, where
the climate helped to rot the mans
already degenerate character. Drink,
debauchery and cruelty put q quick end
to whatever there may have been Of
romance in the marriage. Matters got
so that Mcleod used to send his wife
to his ofHcer friends to borrow" money
on any terms they pleased. And his
wife learned to execute these commits
sions without showing too much re-
pugnance.
While in India, too she took up the
Oriental dance, not in the service of a
religious cult, but as a possible money
maker in Europe. The name Mata
Hari she gave to herself.
The McLeods returned to Europe with
little daughter. The child was placed
in Dutch convent. Then the parents
divorced.
Mata 1ari toured the, capitals OF
Europe with her dance. The dance at
tracted attention only because of its
nudity. But the woman herself ac-
quired distinguished clientele-in her
native country, Holland, the head Of the
cabinet; IN Berlin, members of the no.
bility; in France, o minister of war, and
lesser suitors in every metropolis in
Europe.
MATA HARI was asked by a "per-
1'A sonage high in the Imperial Gov
ernment" to entertain as hostess in the
laviShly furnished mansion in Doro-
theen StraSSe q Russian Ambassador
Investigation reveals that the person
age" was one of the chiefs of the Ger
man secret service, and that the en-
tertainment she was engaged to fur
niSh called more for the female in heI
than the artist. The Russian Am
bassador" was really courier carrying
a diplomatic pouch from Russia to the
Russian Ambassador In France
Mata Hari had been given the fol-
lowing report from the files of the Ger
man secret service:
''Lyov-Melikof; age 80; Caucasian
Tartar; religion orthodox; former cap
tain of the Imperial Guards; speaks
French, German, English, Italian
Spanish and a little Burmese; has
brother in Burma; hates Germans;
Anglophile; superstitious, almost IA
natic, impulsive, fond of women and
gallant, courageous; incorruptible.
It was Mata Harris assignment tc
board his. train at PoSen and in the
role Of a pampered noblewoman gel
into an alteration" presumably with
the conductor of the train; actually il
was secret service man. In the
scene that followed the conductor
was so rude to the lovely aristocrat
that the gallant Russian came to hel
rescue.
She proved so grateful, so apprecia.
tive of the service that her invitation
TO dine at her home in Berlin aroused
little suspicion in the Russians mind
especially as she spoke of husband
who would also want personally to ex-
press his thanks"
When he came there he found his
hostess almost in tears because hel
husband had been called away to 9
dying relative In Stuttgart. She showed
the telegram. But she tried to make
up for his absence by her cordiality al
dinner With her cordiality went much
wine and vodka. The former captain
of the Guards was famous for hi
capacity for holding much liquor anc
at the same time holding on to hi
wits.
The butler who was serving thu
liquor finally decided that Quantit!
alone would not put the Russian unde
the table. So Mata Hari caught lool
from him that made her careful as t.
which of them drank from the mex
bottle of vodka the butler brought.
Half an hour later the Russian wa
asleep in the guest room" while ex
perts were going through his pocket
and the portfolio which he carried will
him wherever he went. One specials
picked without injuring it the paten
lock on the portfolio. The papers wer
taken to a room in the basement OF tn
house and photographed; then the,
,r,ere ratiYrpeI An Ekm 1nrtfnli0