Government, and may have to face a court martial law if they are returned to Germany. We do hope that there will be an investigation of the evil doings of said Captain. If found guilty, we do hope that he may find out what it does mean to do wrong to his fellowmen. CHAPTER V JAMES J. F. ARCHIBALD AND HIS PRO-GERMAN ACTIVITIES The case of James J. F. Archibald, war correspondent, is another sample of the Germans’ fatal gift for trusting a weak link in an otherwise ingenious and complete chain. Their “cleverness” was the cleverness of the cocky boy who thinks he can outwit any one. The sad ending of Archibald’s career, the ignominious exposure of his character as a messenger for the Germans, was simplicity itself. And the revelations contained in the messages he carried were most discreditable to the honour and the wisdom of the plotters in the Teutonic embassies. The story begins on July 29, 1914, six days after Austria’s ultimatum to Serbia and three days before the formal historical date of the opening of the war. On that day an enterprising American newspaper syndicate telegraphed Mr. Archibald as follows: Please telegraph us your terms for going to the European war, so that we can size up the syndicate field. As soon as received will try for quick action. THE WHEELER SYNDICATE, INC. Archibald soon had his arrangements made, though his employers were ignorant of the reason for the surprising ease with which he obtained the highest possible _entrée_ to the best possible points of observation within the German lines. It should be said at once that their attitude was perfectly correct and that the moment they discovered the true nature of his errand they discharged him by cable, on October 27th. But that comes later in the story. Archibald was a man of true grandiose German style. Writing to the syndicate on September 4th he said: You should not confound my efforts with more than five hundred correspondents of every description who have attempted to get to the English, French, and Belgian fronts, none of them with any official recognition and most of them without even a passport. At the hysterical beginning of the war, correspondents are very much in the way but every cartoonist, humorist, and amateur millionaire who wanted a little private excitement rushed to the front and embarrassed the armies in their mobilization and naturally they were not gladly received. I have been working quietly, just as I did in the Russian War when I was the first, and only, foreign correspondent to be accepted after four months’ waiting.