he Omaha Sunday' Bee Magazine Page
A
Lisut.CeneralSir Robert
Baden Povell
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MOSS
rian of Herman Dockyard Which Cenersl Baden-Powell Was Secretly
Sketching when the Police Surprised Him. Dotted Line Shows
How He Ran to Escape Opture, aa Told in His Book.
G'
ENERAL SIR ROBERT BAD
EN-POWELL the famous
"B. r." of the British army
and founder of the "Boy Scouts," haa
written a. book revealing some of hit
remarkable ail venture a and achieve
ments aa a spy.
. U call his book . very frankly,
"My Adventures a a Spy" U is
evident that moat of his exploits took
place lu Germany, for that in the only
country whore military secrets Eng
land could have bees very anxious to
learn. '
General j3aden-PoweU made a
great reputation during the Boer
i War when he defended tbe town of
aiafeVSng-with a force of Irregular
against a superior body of Boers for
nlae months and displayed more re
sourcefulness than any other British
comtuander. He surprised everybody
by the tricks he played, such as sllp
pinji through the Boor lines by night
and drawing the Boors luto traps by
meani of "fako" tranches.
After the war the general or-
ganizej ilio "Boy Bcouts" movement,
which Qiilililf iprnii to Ameiica
and all over the world. He taught
the boys of England how to spend
their playtime in a healthful and In
terfiling way, while preparing them
selvea to be useful to their country
in time of war. He taught them the
delights of tracking, ot making a
secret trail, of aeelug In the dark,
and ail sort of thluga about wild
animals and taturo.
In short lie taught them to be good
scout. Thousands of English boy
scouts durir.R the present war have
done splendid service watching sus
pected tpifs, . guarding railroad
.bridges and doing other important ,
work.. .
Wh?rj a scout turns his attention
to a foreign country he heroines a
"ry." Tl'Pt is wht General Baden
Powell has been doing.
It 13 thrilling to har thla mature
and more or les dignified British
genersl tell how he sneaked past
foreign w-ntrtes rilngulsed in a Cer
man hat and necktie, how he ran up
ladders to avoid pursuing policemen,
how lie employed the Ira.ned scout's
ert c? t"'tr's !?!!!!' and Paf'en
. Ing himself out n-svoid detection.'
ll adds to the thrill to remember that
if-tie had been caught the geueral
would have got an Indefinite term la
prixou.
When the general had penetramd
into a German fortress or at least
obtained a good view, he had to
skett-h out his observations in such
a way that the drawings could not
convict him if be were arrested.
Here is one simple method by
which the General concealed a care
ful drawing of a fortress. .First of
all n sketched tbe plan of the for
Irene ia a straight-forward manner,
giving tit ausuttt and positions of
the various guns.. In one figure
shown here these are as follows; A.
Ksponlers with machine guns. B.
15 centimetre gun cupola. C 12 cen
timetre gun cuM!aa. l. Quick fir
ins disappearing gun. E. HowiUsr
cupolas. T. Searchlight.
Having dene this he would con
sider the beet method of concealing
the plan, in this esse he decided to
transform the sketch into one that
looked like a stained glass window.
If you will carefully examine the pic
ture on this page" you will see how
successfully tMe has been done. The
picture has all the appearaace of an
ancient stained glass window in a
European church with a fantastic
coat if arms surmounted by a crest
snd completed by a noble Latin
luotto and an open bible under it.
Cert!a of the decorations algntfy
the siis and positions of the guns.
Genera) Bden Powell gives the
mUila with their meanlLg. Theae,
of course, have a very definite1 mean
ing to til:u when lie gets back home
Mtfely and is able to work out the
Iitin, an.j they wouM t-e equslly 1b-t-:::iiL:
to many other oCiteis in
bis service.
It would not be whse lo use such a
peculiar Ccca every time, tspeci!iy
,y
pcs
MOVSt,"
as it has really the outline of a forti
fication. More deceptive and ingeni
ous sketches are therefore used by
tbe General. One of these ia a but
terfly very cleverly drawn which
shows the plans of a fortress to the
person who can read its secret and
marks both the position and power
of its guns. The marks on the wings
between the lines mean nothing, but
those on the lines show the nature
and else ot the guns and can be read
by the keys which are left at home
in England.
The outer boundary cf the fortress
is represented by a very Innocent
looking line drawn round the body
of the butterfly which could hardly
arouse the suspicion of anybody. The
guns are repressed by spots on the
line on the wines outside this draw
ing of the fortress, but their real
position in the fortress is at the
spot where the line ends inside the
outline airendy mentioned. The
spots on the line indicate, according
to their slie and shape, fortress guns,
f.fid guns snd machine it una.
When taking this sxetch tfts Gen
eral was armad with a large butter
Cy net and had all the air of en ar
dent entomologist.
Another clever way of sketchlnj
fortifications is represented by the
picture ot an lry leaf. The veins on
the ivy Iaf show tbe outline ot th
4. KPtur mUh MKAtM
B. 15 m. mU D. Q P-
C. is tm. ( SWs.! f. Hmmtut
. S4TCASXW
V A B D
II. I . I
.'III I fck . I
kt the Left the Plan of a German Fertreae as General Baden-Powell First
Drew XL and at the Right, IIow He Ingeniously Burled It
in a I'tcture ot a Maine Glass window.
fort as it is seen when one la look
ing west while the point of the leaf
indicates the north. There are a
number ot large patchea on the leaf.
Each ot these shows where a big
gun is mounted if a vein points to
the patch. It would be impossible
for an investigator not in the secret
xt understand the meaning ot thla
plan, because there are so many
patches in it that mean nothing. The
heruiloM looking ahaded areas on the
leaf, which seem so natural, repre
sent "dnad ground" or areas where
an assailant of the fortress would
find shelter from fire. Various smal
ler spots Indicate machine guns.
In another case a curious picture
of a dula moth concealed the details '
ot an Important fortlfk-aiion. In
, thla Instance the General carefully
sketched the fortification first and
then put in 'rtils to make It look
like a moth. The head represeuta a
fort on a hill. The eyes are two
field guns. The spot where a uoae
would be is a machine gun. The
hairs around the head are wire en
tanglement The apace between
tbe legs Is an enclosure tor trans
port animals. The ends ot tire fore
legs are each a machine gun and
the twig on which they rest is a
bridge. s
"This sketch," says General Baden-Powell,
"was made giving all the
particulars that 1 wanted. I then de
cided to bury It In such a way that
it eould not be recogutsed aa a for
tress plan If I were caught by the
military authorities. I finally decided-on
the sketch ot the moth's
head. Underneath In my note book
I wrote the following words: 'Head
of dula moth as see through a mag-
v
gmt.
mwI tV
(mfetmt.
. Hfwituru
nlfylr.g glass caught 1 5-12- Magni
fied about six times the size cf life.
(Meaning scale of six Inches to the
mile.)"
Sir Robert his some interesting
notes on the uses ot "freezing" when
being pursued. To "freeze" mean3
to become absolutely Immovable
when close to a pursuing object It
one "freezes" well enough one can
escape the sharpest eyes. In one'
story he tells how he examined a
new German dock yard and although
pursued by two policemen, escaped
under their noses by "freezing."
"The knowledge of this tact came
la useful on one ot my Investigating
tours." he writes. "Inside a great
high wall lay a dockyard in which. It
was rumored, a new power house 1
was being erected, and possibly a
dry dock wss in course of prepara
tion. It was early morning; the
gates were Just opened; the work
men were beginning to arrive, and
several carta of materials were watt
ing to come In. Seising tbe oppor
tunity ot the gates being open, I
gave a hurried glance In. aa any or
dinary passer-by might do. I waa
promptly ejected by the policemen
on duty in the lodge.
"I did not go far. My Intention
was to get inside somehow and to see
what I could. I watched the first of
the carts go in, and noticed that the
policeman was busily engaged In
talking to the - leading waggoner
wblH the aecond began to pass
through the gate, la a moment 1
Jumped alongside it on the aide op
posite to the Janitor, and so pasaed In
and continued to walk with the ve
hicle as U turned to the right and
Copyright, nil.
Sj I '- s
W Pis' i i ;Co
Flsn of a Fort Concealed by General Bades -Powell In an Innocent
Looking Sketch of an Ivy Leaf. Dots to Which the Veins of the Leaf
I'oint Indicate Guns. The Secret Marks Shown in the Key Below the)
Leaf Meant A, Big Gane; B. Dead Ground, Whether There Ia Shelter,
from Fire; C, Machine Guns.
wound Us way round the new build
ing In course of construction.
"I then noticed another policeman
ahead of me, and ao I kept my posi
tion by the cart. readapUng; its cover
In order to avoid him. Unfortunately.
In rounding the corner I was spied
by the first policeman, and he im
mediately began to shout to me(B6e
map). I waa deaf to his remarks
and walked on as unconcernedly as
a guilty being could until 1 placed
the corner of the new building be
tween him and me. Then I fairly
hooked it along the back of the
building and rounded the far corner
of ll. Aa 1 did ao I saw out of the
tail of my eye that he was coming
tuir speed after me and was calling
policeman No- 2 to his aid. I darted
like a red-shank round the next
corner out of eight ot both policemen,
and looked for a method of escape.
"The scaffolding of tbe new bouse
towered above me and a ladder led
upward onto- it. Up this I went
like a lamplighter, keeping one eye
.on the corner of the building lest I
should be followed.
"I was halt-way up when round
tr the Star Oomtucr. Great Britt
General . Fir Robert - Baden
, Powell. Founder of the "Boy
Scouts,"' Who Now Telle Hie
' Adventures aa aa International
Spy.
4
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' i .
.4 .
the corner came one of the police
men. I at once 'froze.' I waa about
16 feet above sea-level and not 20
yards from him. He stood unde
cided with his legs well apart, peer
ing from side to side in every direc
tion to see where I had gone, very
anxious and shifty. I wss equally
anxious but Immovable.
"Presently he drew nearer to tho
ladder, and, atraugely enough, I felt
safer when be came below me. and
he passed almost under me. looking
in at the doorways ot the unfinished
building. Then he doubtfully turned
and looked back at a shed behind
him, thinking 1 might have gone In
there, and finally started off, and ran
on found the next corner ot ue
building. The moment he disap
peared I finished the rest of my run
up the Udder and safely reached the
platform ot the scaffolding.
"The workmen were not yet upon
the building, ao I had the whole place
to myself. My Crst act was to look
tor another ladder as a line of es
cape In case of being chased. It la
always well to have a back door to
your hiding place; that la one of the
Riarhu Rrve4,
The World Famous Foundei
of the Boy Scouts, Tells
of His Perilous Adventures
in the English Secret Service
and the Extraordinary
Methods By Which He Sent
Information Concerning
Other Nations9 Fortresses
and'Qther Defenses to
His Own Country.
I
t03 '
iW
CjiwAee "
Fort Hidden in Drawing of
Moth. The Key Shows the
Meaning of the Secret Marks.
essentials in scouting.
"Presently I found a short ladder
leading from my platform to the
tage below, but It did not go to the
ground. Peering quietly over the
ecatfolding 1 saw friend the
policeman below, still, at fault I
. blessed my stars that he was no
tracker and therefore had not seen
my footmarks leading to the foot ot
tbe ladder.
"Then I proceeded to take notes of
my surroundings and to gather in- '
formation. Judging from the design
of the building, its great chimneys,
etc, I was actually on the new power
house. From my post I had an ex
cellent view over the dockyard, and
within 100 feet of me were the ex
cavation works of the new dock,
whose dimensions I could easily estimate-
, '
"I whipped out my prismatic com
pass and quickly took the bearings
ot two conspicuous points on the
neighboring hills, and so fixed the
position which could be marked'on a
large scale map tor purpoaes of shell
tug the place if desired.
('Meantime my pursuer had called
the other policeman to him, and they
' were in close contabulstlon Immedi
ately below me, where I could watch
them through a crack between two
ot the footboards. They had evident
ly come to the conclusion that I was
not In the power-house, as tbe in
terior was fully open to view, and
they Lad had a good look into it
Their next step waa to examine tbe
goods shed close by, which was evlv
dently full of building lumber, etc.
"Oue man went into it while the
other remained outside on the line
that I should probably take for es
caping, that Is, between it and the
boundary wail leading to the gate
way. By accident rather than by de
elan he stood close to the toot of my
ladder, and this cut off my retreat
IIow the Secrets of '
Fortress Are Concealed
in a Drawing: of But
terfly. The First Sketch
Ia the Butterfly Draws
by General Baden
PowelL Beneath Is the
Sketch Hidden In the
Wings.
(
Tbe marks o fha
svings reveal the '
shape ot the fort
vets shown bare and
she aUeof the guns.
ffOSTUSS
CVKS.
siatn evMg.
MACnnrg
ftUMS.
in that direction While they were
thus busy they were leaving the gat
. unguarded, and I thought it waa too
good a chance to be missed,, so, re
turning along the scaffolding until I
1-reached the smaller ladder,' I climbea
down this on to the lower story, and, ,
seeing , no one . about, I quickly
warmed down one of the scaffolding
poles and landed safely on the
ground close behind the big chim
ney of the building. i
"Here I was out of sight although
not far from the policeman guarding
the ladder; and. taking care to keep
the corner of the building between '
ns, I made my way round to the back
of the lodge and then slipped out ot
the gate without being seen."
Another iasclnatlng story relates
to the penetration of a certain fort
the nationality is not stated, but the
tmoression is that it was German
and Sir Robert prefaces
the narrative by these
hints on "How to Enter
Fort":
"Our next step waa to
see this wonderful illum
lnant for night work, and
in the course ot our wan
derings we came across a
large fort from which
searchlight had been
showing the previous
night There were notice
boards round this fort at
a distance of about 20
yards apart stating tha4
nobody was allowed within
this circle of notices, and
e argued that if once we were inside
any sentry or detective would natur
ally suppose we had leave to bs,
there.
, "We tried the idea, and It worked
splendidly. We walked calmly
through camps and past sentries
without a tremor and not a question
was asked us. Once within this
line we were able to get directly
into the fort, and there we strolled
along as It tbe place belonged to us.
"There Is a certain amount of art
required In making yourself not ap
pear to be a stranger in a new place.
"In the minor matter of hat, boota,
and necktie it Is well to wear those
bought in the country you are visit
ing, otherwise your British-made ar
ticles are sure to attract the atten
tion of a watchful policeman.
"In the matter of demeanor you be
have as a native would do whe waa
accustomed to being there.
"Walking Into a strange fort must '
be carried out- much on the same
lines as you would adopt In enter
ing a strange town, only more so.
You walk as if with a set purpose
to get to a certain part of It, as
though you knew the way perfectly,
and without showing any kind of in
terest in what is around you. If you
pass an officer or dignitary whom you
see everybody saluting, salute hint
too, so that you do not appear sin
gular. When you want to observe j
any apeclal feature you loaf about
reading a newapaper, or. If In a
town, by looking at all you want to
see as reflected in a shop window.
"The penalty tor spying in this,
country was live years without the
option of a fine, or even of a trial."
The author proceeds to tell how
time and again he entered this par'
ticular tort, but that, elated by sue- '
cess, he went once too often, "the
Emperor" happened to be there, and
with a great number of officers. Blr
Robert retired, but on his way back
aroused the suspicions ot some staff
officers, but escaped arrest with bi
usual cheerfulness and Rsourcul'
nesa,
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