Evening star., 1932-05-01
A Dramatic and Hitherto
Un told Secret Service
Story About the Seas
Greatest Tragedy, Just
Seventeen ears Ago.
BY THOMAS NJ. JOHNSON

--HERE are many inside stories" about
the Lusitania disaSter-some of which
are true An interesting and thrilling
one Is how the American secret serv-
ice got to the bottom of one of the
false stories-a false one that many
people still believe.
To find the truth, the Government agents
freed lovely young American girl from a
hideous situation. and she helped them TO
break up German spy plot and catch the
ringeaders.
A former American secret agent told the
story, and as he began there was a faraway
look in his eyes.
I've seen some tough sights" he said but
III always remember that girl her heart
out"
He brought himself up suddenly with a start
But thinking Of her story has got me ahead
Of my own" he said II forgot that not every
one now remembers the Lusitania-that was
May 7, 1915, IT years ago. that the liner was
sunk. German submarine had torpedoed that
great transatlantic liner, killed 1.214 people,
including l42 Americans. Then for the first
time, the American people realized that they
might be forced to enter the World War.
THE Germans realized that fact, too, and
also realized that most of the world abhorred
what they had done. So the Germans called
on their secret service
uIl lERE,' they said fix up something to
answer this American clamor, and keep
their Government from declaring war
What followed shows how international Sc
cret service will snk and crawl to gain its ends.
Rumors began to be heard that really the Brit
ish were to blame for the Germans sinking the
Lusitania, for the British had let passenger
ship be made into warship, mounting guns,
carrying munitions and troops to England.
f"Fhen stories appeared in the newspapers
that the Germans had affdavits to prove it,
eminent used this argument in the delicate
negotiations with President Wilson.
"Wel it looked queer. German named
Stahl swore on a stack of Bibles that he had
seen four six-inch guns on the Lusitania-and
three other Germans corroborated him. Two
Austro- Hungarians likewise took oath that
when working at the du Pont Powder Works,
they had gained positive knowledge of large
quantities of ammunition being loaded aboard
the big ship.
$50 we in the D. 1.-THE Department of JUS
tice-got urgent orders to check up on these af-
hdavit fellows. One of the Austrians was sup
posed to come from Fremont. Ohio, which was
then in the bailiwick of Charles F. De Woody,
one of our best operatives. Charles read the
orders, and pulled long face.
I'm AY good gosh he said, unlike any Sc
iNl cret agent you read about in fiction,
they certainly do want this fellow bad. Well,
boys, bring me my trusty six-shooter and my
red coat and snowshoes. I'm going to get my
man, or I guess they'll get my goat
But pretty soon Charley discovered it
wasn't SO easy to get his man. He couldn't
find hide nor hair of that Austrian. Then he
got break. The telephone bell rang, and he
heard woman's voice, low and musical, but
with note of fear:
"I want TO speak to the United States Sc
cret service she said.
We'll, of course, officially the only organiza-
ion with that name Is attached to the Treasury
Department, to chase counterfeiters and guard
the President, and were the D. j., another
outfit, though secret, to be sure. But she
sounded like lady in distress, and Charley
sure was chivalrous
q" III be right up to see you,' he said TO her,
and to me, You come along. We've learned
in the D. j.; not to go and see a woman singly
II we could help it. Various reasons
"But that girl had real class. She was the