The Washington times., 1935-02-18
FREEDOM SEEN
FOR SN|TZES
IN Spy CASE
BY EDWARD HUNTER
4Gopyright. 1875, International News
Service)

Servicel
PARIS, Feb. 10 UNS0.
Trapped by q single strand Of
hair found clinging to govern
ment document discovered in a
lavishly furnished Paris apart
Inent, 80 persons will go on trial
before a high tribunal here
shortly charged with completely
In the most sensational espion-
age activities uncovered since the
war.
The leading figures are Mr..
and Mrs. Robert Gordon Switz,
OF East Orange, N. j., held in
Jail since the middle Of Deem
Der, 1893, who have confessed
their participation in the spy
ring and talked so freely about
their activities the French gov
eminent was able to seize q score
of additional suspects.
No fictional Pigment Of q writ
er'S imagination could match the
Switz spy case and the surprising
developments which followed the
original arrests. No story-book
detective ever did more brilliant
work than the agents Of the
French Surete Generate in track
ing down the prisoners Of
whom might easily have escaped
the tolls Of the law had not o
single hair from Mrs. Switz'S head
become entangled in the folds
of a French war department
document which contained secrets
EealouSly guarded by the govern
ment which Is now prosecuting
TIE case.
The Only Clue
This was the sole clue-the sole
connecting link at the time be
tween the spy ring, whose activi.
ties for long period had aroused
the suspicion of the French police,
and the SwitZeS. Detectives sub
jected the hair to microscopic ex-
animation. They had reason to
believe Mrs. Swift, a VasSar Col
lege graduate, and an extremely
brilliant young woman, was con.
nected with the ring. She was ar
rested and the tell-tale strand of
hair compared with her own. The
police became convinced it was
hers.
From that moment on arrests
followed swiftly. A total Of "a
were accused. OF this number
% were arrested. and only six re-
leased on bail. Ten had dropped
from sight before the police threw
their dragnet about Paris and one
was found to be under arrest in
Finland. Not long after this one
was tried and convicted of espion-
age there and sentenced to 10
years in Jail.
The Principals
The cast of characters in this
amazing drama of adventure and
intrigue allegedly plotted in Mos
COW to ferret out the military
secrets of France and other con-
tinental powers, is as follows:
Robert Gordon Switz, graduate
of Princeton University and a
former commercial aviation pilot.
Mrs. Marjorie Tilley Switz,
graduate of Vassar College and
expert on invisible photography.
Nine. Lydia Stahl, attractive
Russian woman, graduate of Co
lumbia University, New York, and
regarded by police as the
''brains" Of the ring.
Benjamin Bercovitz, alleged
paymaster, and his wife, both
RumanianS.
Mr.. and Mrs. Noise salman,
naturalized Canadians.
Prof. Louis Martin, interpreter
at the French Ministry of Ma
rine.
Mile. Marie Mermet. French
school teacher and daughter of
q former police commissioner.
Douchan Narandisch, Serbian
ucWSPdpcI1ud11.
Jean Aubry, French engineer,
and his wife.
Col. Guillaume Dumoulin, re.
tired French army officer.
VetroSlaw Reich, Rumanian
chemist.
Riva Davidovichi, Rumanian
woman dentist.
Stephen Engleard, Bulgarian
engineer.
Trial Date Near
The date of the trial has been
put off from month to month
while the couple have 1anguished
in jail. No reason has been given
for poStponement, but it was
limited in some quarters the de-
lay is due to concern over the
manner in which ramificationS of
the case might affect Franco-Rus-
sian diplomatic relations.
Attorney Andre Klotz, who rep
REGENTS the Switzes, disclosed that
unofficial assurances have been
given that the court will begin to
near the case in few weeks. He
said:
"Of course, the Switzes have
confessed and their confession
has caused the arrest of the
other guilty parties. Under
French law, they are now en-
titled H0 fheir ooronIoA~ Co.,