Evening star., 1938-05-08
Armies Of Spies Cover World
ToPrepare for Next Great War
Heads Roll, Including Women's, as Nations Try to
Gear Arms and Fortifcations Higher
Than Those of Possible Foes

norman Balllie-Stewart an officer of the
Seaforth Highlanders, one of Brtains most
famous and proudest regiments, exploded
IN 1888 in the celebrated case of the off,
Ger in the tower"
Trapped by Another Spy
Incarcerated in the Tower of London
stripped OF his rank and cashiered from
the British Army Baillie- Stewart was SEN
fenced to five years penal servitude-ex-
posed because his inamorata Marie Louise.
was caught plotting by a French girl spy
who communicated with British intelli-
gence authorities.
Marie Louise, whose real name was plain
Lottie Poritzki bungled the Job.
Even the glamor of woman spies some
times fades under the harsh floodlights of
the courtroom-after capture.
Such was the case of Lydia Stahl, the
Russian-oorn American educated girl, who
was the central figure in the great French
spy trial few years ago.
Supposed to be an exotic siren whose
allure drove men to suicide, the scintillat-
ing Lydia turned out to be rather plain
woman with pine led lips, her whole ap-
pearance. as one writer described her, ION
the whole creating the impression of a
mlddle-class housewife extremely tired
after a hard days domestic work"
Mata Hari ranks in history as the great
est OF all woman spies yet another woman
espionage agent has emerged to tell how
she destroyed Mata Hari-as a lesser spv
than herself
Inc executloner was Anne-Marie Lesser.
German war spy known to the French
as "Mademoiselle Docteur." the BLACK
Cat and other pseudonyms, Who died Of
harcotlcs at sanatorium near Zurich in
1884
Tried to Retreat
Mata Hari was one OF my victims" she
told doctors on her deathbed Il engaged
her, but one day she told me she did not
want to continue the work.
She had had enough, or she was afraid.
don't know which But for one who has
been spy, there is no retreat. I tried to
convince her, without success Then I did
for her what others would have done for
me- I had her killed.
AS was customary, I arranged that the
French should receive all the necessary
evidence for her arrest.
But her death was easy. She was con-
demned and was waiting for the end in her
cell when a man came to her and whis-
pered:
Fear nothing, Mata Hari. Everything
has been arranged for your escape. You
will have to go before the firing squad, but
that will be a mere formality-the bullets
are all blanks! Pretend to be dead. Our
men will put you on a bier and transport
you out of France on a wagon tonight
Matt Hari smiled gratefully" the dying
woman continued her story, "and went to
what she believed to the last to be mock
execution, and, smiling, received the rifle
bullets in her heart"
Women Die Even in Peace.
Edith Cavell was another who paid the
supreme penalty, before a German firing
squad. But even In time Of peace, woman
spies gain no mercy because of their SEX
Two recent victims were the beautiful
Baroness Bonita Won Falkenhayn and Frau
Renate Won Natzner- by NaA
ak for betraying German military secrets.
Oddly enough, the first recorded instance
Of what might be called modern" espionage
was attributed to King Henry VII of Eng
land-and the first attempt to outlaw spy
ing was made by another Englishman.
In 1434, Henry VII established the Office
of state informer, by royal proclamation,
and an entry in the privy purse accounts:
ITO fellow with beard, . spy. in re-
ward, Ell
1t was the late Arthur Henderson, British
apostle Of peace, president Of the League
of Nations World Disarmament Conference,
who tried to suppress espionage by con-
versations with other powers in 1929. He
failed. The nations pigeon-holed his
proposal as fantastic"
The wonder Of spying is why they do it.
Why. aside from patriotism, they risk their
lives for such meager rewards-and most
spies admit they acted from strictly fnan-
cial motives.
Norman Baillie-stewart got only $3.50 to
pay for his disgrace and ruined career.
A spy suspect recently arrested in New
York admitted he received only $50 .
month
Photo Evidence Prices Low.
And the latest prices" for secret infor-
nation, as quoted by London newspaper,
give these lowly figures: Photos and details
Of the newest type British Army tank md
the best market in France, $3.50. between
$125 and 5000 in Germany, about $500 in
Italy and $3.50 in Russia
Just how rampant spying has become
IN Europe in the last few years was point
edly expressed by magistrate in Utrecht,
Holland recently. in sentencing German
spy to months Imprisonment
'The whole of the LEX Dyke. between
Arnheim and Rotterdam, is trodden fiat
with German spies." said the magistrate
disgustedly. TITS perfect scandal"
AS for the Far East. q correspondent
writes:
Spying in Japan is nice work, and
everybody can get it.
''The japanese themselves, through de.
vious channels, supply all spies, real and