True Stories of the Great War, Volume 4 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses — John Shaqi
True Stories of the Great War, Volume 4 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
History
True Stories of the Great War, Volume 4 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
Here was the clue that Denmark was trading extensively with the Central
Powers. This spy was listing the cars and steamships engaged in this
trade; he was taking the names of the ships and cars and making a
record of the commodities in which trading was done. After observing
his work for some time, I made my presence known and found him to be
the street vendor from whom I had purchased a lead pencil on my first
evening in the city, but he was now posing as a railroad official and
held his cane before him as he walked rapidly away.
It did not require much time for the street vendor, who pretended
to be lame as he leaned upon his cane, to dent the crown of his hat
and assume the more important attitude of a railway and steamboat
inspector. He may have deceived others a long time, but I was on his
trail and discovered his smart delusion much sooner than he expected.
Several times I invited a number of the spies that I met at the Bristol
Hotel to accompany me to entertainments, including a certain John
Denton, a friend of Mr. Fenwick, who went with me to the Scala Theater,
where a comic opera known as _Polsk Blod_ was presented. This gentleman
entertained much and came in contact with many prominent Danes.
I gave him the letter written by Mr. Fenwick at New York, but not
before I made a copy of it, thinking this precaution would serve my
purpose to an advantage elsewhere. Later, when I returned to New York,
I secured stationery and had duplicate copies written on letterheads of
Hotel Belmont.
IX--THROUGH CORDONS OF SPIES TO BERLIN
After some time of interesting visits and conversations, I left
Copenhagen to go partly by train and partly by steamer to Berlin,
making the trip to Germany by way of Warnemünde. This is the port on
the Baltic Sea through which the German capital and the interior of
Europe may be reached most conveniently.
I had not been in Germany many days until I learned from personal
observation that some travelers I met professed friendship for Germany
and in spite of their professions were false and dangerous enemies. To
me it seemed, in view of this fact, that the authorities leaned rather
on the side of leniency than on the side of severity. In all public
places was the notice:
SOLDATEN
VORSICHT IN GESPRACHEN
SPIONENGEFAHR
The translation is as follows: Soldiers, careful in conversations;
danger of spies!
That there was an invasion of spies and secret service men, mostly
representing England and France, I learned soon after I reached the
large cities of Germany. They were disguised in various ways, as
laborers, students and professional and business men.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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