Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-23


strument taken from concealment. Soon she
had an excellent photostat of the precious
paper. Replacing the original in the envelope,
which she glued shut and dried carefully, she
hurried again to the bar. There still lay the
American.
veIope Then she shook the sleeper.
come, Monsieur Sleepyhead" she cried
gayly, you have slept long enough. Let us
dine"
Slowly the American raised befuddled coun-
tenance.
VIVA? Wha?" he stammered then with q
sudden look of alarm clapped his hand to his
inside coat pocket, and heaved sigh of re-
lief. Bella Donna struggled to keep triumph
from the famous eyes. She bolted her dinner
in manner American rather than Russian, made
an excuse, fastened to the German chief.
Here" she said, extending the photostat.
"And you must apologize for ever doubling me.
And want hundred marks more week."
Meantime:
Hook, line and sinker!" the American told
his chief exultingly. "Once, though, / thought
it was all of. When she was searching me-
she tickled."
Guess I'll plant waiter or busboy in that
barr. the chief unused, now that we're sure
Ottos in with them"
He is sure today that the Germans really did
swallow the bait thus enticingly dangled before
the Bella Donna eyes. Authority for that belief
came not only from German prisoners captured
later. even from admissions of high German
officers to American intelligence officers after
the armistice, but from another woman-a spy
for the allies.
She was the antithesis of Bella Donna, q
Frenchwoman Of patriotism as pure as the
courage that kept her for four years behind the
German lines, wen within the danger zone,
sending to her countrymen information of what
went on there. Before the war one Of the
American secret service had known her as
mistress of a fine chateau in the Alsatian
Mountains, just on the German side Of the
frontier But she was French and although
her husband was drafted into the German army
and sent to fight in Russia, though a German
general and his staff took over the chateau, she
remained, not to serve them, but to spy upon
them
On clear days the French could see with pow
erful glasses from the eminence of Hartmanns-
wellerkopf the chateau and its grounds. When
there was washing on the line, they could see it,
even count the number of sheets and pillow.
cases and towels, see how they were arranged.
Somehow, the French knew pretty well what
German troops were moving and where behind
the lines IN Alsace. They knew when the Ger.
mans moved division from Mulhouse to close
behind the trenches where the American attack
would come, replacing it with another division
sent to Mulhouse itself. In other ways the
Americans found out that on August 80 gen-
eral alarm had been ordered in Mulhouse, hos
pitfalls and bank reserves taken across the Rhine
out of danger, government employees prepared
to flee.
The real American attack. of course, came
September IL at st. Mihiel, 125 miles northwest
Of the Alsace 'front.' Doubtless somewhere in
the smudgy pages Of the history of secret serv.
ice in Switzerland Is written what happened to
Bella Donna.
MANY other women played the game in
Switzerland, sometimes failing, sometimes
or less, including the Americans. The Germans
had an assorted lot, chosen mostly for beauty
OF face and form and for quick wits, rather
than for morals Another besides Bella Donna
had secret name, Turkish Delight" for she
came from Constantinople. The American who
thus rechristened her gathered that her pro-
feSsion there had acquainted her with diplo-
mats which made her valuable in Switzerland.
The lady ran to flesh and jewelry and, of
course. men, but her beSetting weakness was
pate de foies gras. She was, as one American
expresses it, susceptible to pate" Piled with
this favorite delicacy, she talked freely, as do
others piled with wine.
Woman spies of devouSness almost unbeliev~
able piled precarious trade In neutral countries,
working first for one power, then for another,
sometimes for several at once. One little per.
son, quiet but for flaming eyes, so adored tn-
trigue and danger that she worked for British
French Americans-and Germans She had
entree day or night to German chief who, she
SoAus WohSCO w AAAaIIy anu COOk u1Iu papers
stolen" from the Americans. She attended
many of his spy conferences.
But the real apple Of her eye was French-
man high in the Deuxieme Bureau In Paris
who never told his local colleagues she worked
for him. They put her on their suspect list.
as did every one else, including the Americans,
who also had her on the pay roll for two years,
during which they trusted her as far as they
could throw the proverbial BUN. great game.
secret service. She must have prospered at 1t.
A fdHy c1rVV In Av~na~