The Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Pag
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How Beautiful, Fascinating
Englishwomen Have
Lured German Agents Into
Guilty Revelations and
Frustrated the Spy Menace
s Which the British Gov-
ernmeht Seemed
Powerless to Handle
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Lady Glanusk, Who U the
Head of the League of Eng
lishwomen of the Nobil
ity, Engaged in Ferreting
Out German Spies.
London, May 22.
tremendous ramifications ol (' & I
system; which tad Tsry move or
England's army and navy under
obserra'tlon, every gun emplacement
mapped out and knew every order
given to the army before It reached
the subordinate officers.
Englishmen were' powerless to
shake off this spy danger, which
penetrated . into every branch of
national lite, but English women
took up the matter, brought the most
dangerous spies to trial, put the
others under armed guard and In
various other ways made the lives of
spies and suspected spies a burden
to them.
They have proved that women are
the only efficient "spy trappers."
The leaders of the undertaking are
women of title, for they alone would
have the authority, means and pres
tige to carry out such a difficult and
far-reaching work.
The organiser and "chairman" of
the committee that has been round
ing up the spies is Lady Glanusk,
wife of a peer and officer, a woman
of keen mind and very determined,
yet tactful personality.
Other members are the Duchess of
Wellington, who is president; the
Duchess of Beaufort, he Duchess of
Sutherland, the Marchioness of
Sllgo, Countess Bathurst. the Coun
tess of Lanesborough. Viscountess
Massereene and Ferrard, Viscountess
Combermere, Viscountess Cobham,
Lady Vincent. Lady Leith of Fyvle.
Mrs. Harold Baring and others.
Among them are some of the most
notably beautiful women in English
society and others who are distin
guished by their winning personality.
Perhaps the most striking beauty is
the Viscountess Massereene and
Ferrard, whose husband is the chief
of a celebrated Irish family.
Equally attractive In her way is
the young Duchess of Sutherland,
whose hUBband Is the largest land
owner In Scotland and the United
Kingdom.
Another member of the committee
roted for her beauty is Mrs. Harold
Baring, who was formerly Mjss Marie
Churchill, of New York. Her hus
band belongs to the famous English
banking family that possesses four
peerages. Lady Leith of Fyvle, is
mother American born member. She
was Miss Marie January, of St.
Louis.
Womanly Intuition and womanly
gulls exercised by these attractive
"spy trappers,' on many social oc
casions, have led many Germans to
make admissions they would never
have made to a man.
Before the war thousands of Ger
mans were In positions of trust tn
England, ranging from beads of
banks down to such portions as but
lers In prominent English families
and head waiters In leading hotels.
Many people believe that German
butlers in the employ of British Cabi
net ministers and British generals
nave been the most Important agents
tor conveying military information to
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the enemy. Standing silent
and discreet behind their
employers and their guests
at the table, they listened
to many military secrets
and they also bad other
opportunities for gathering
Information.
One of the fair members
of the committee dined one
evening at the house of an
English general with a
small party of persons
highly placed In military
and official life. When the
general Joined the ladles lu
the drawing room after din
ner the fascinating "spy
trapper" drew him aside
and said:
"General, before I go, I
want you to arrest your but
ler and search his belong
ings. He is a German spy,"
she said.
"But Lady ." said the
general in amasement, "he
bas been with me for ten
years. The man is an excel
lent butler."
"No doubt," said the lady,
"but be is also an excellent
spy. Never speak to me
again if I am wrong."
The butler's room was
searched and many notes of
an incriminating character
were found. The lack of
positive evidence that he
bad sent information to the
German Government saved
his life, but he was sent to
prison with a host of other
German spies.
It Is generally understood that
Carl Hans Lody, the German spy
executed In the Tower of London,
was brought to trial through the ef
forts of the women's committee, al
though the members disclaim the
achievement
Lody was an officer of the Ger
man naval reserve who bad resided
some years in the United States,
married and deserted his wife there
He was engaged for a time as an
sgent of an English tourist agency
In America, work which gave him an
excellent opportunity for watching
military preparations.
Last August he obtained an Ameri
can passport from the German Em
bassy In Berlin, under the name of
Charles A. Iuglls, of New York,
American citizen. He went to Eng
land with Instructions to obtain in
formation concerning the movements
of the English fleet for the German
Government.
In' the disguise of an American
tourist, be visited the principal sea
ports of the United Kingdom. While
he was viewing the romantic scenery
in the vicinity of Edinburgh, an at
tractive member of the ladles' com
mittee made his acquaintance. Under
the Influence of sympathetic society
Lody became more communicative
than discretion warranted.
Behind the superficial American
accent the natural German accent re
vealed Itself in the warmth of con
fidence. A few days later. Lodv was
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Hans
rOV V- iNTMtNATtONAt. MwJ C.
A Remarkable Snapshot of the Trial of Carl
LOdy, the German Spy, Who Wat
Executed in the Tower of
London. He Is Seen with Hand
to Face. Evidence Against
Lody Is Said to Have Been Se.
, cured by Lady Glanusk's
League.
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arrested and letters, which h ha4
The Duchess of Sutherland with .Her Favorite Leopard Cub.
CoDvrlsht. 1115, by tha Bur Comssny. Grt Brluin Klahta Kcaervsd.
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The Beautiful Viscountess Massereene, One of
Lady Glanusk's First Lieutenants.
written to Germany, giving informa
tion concerning English naval move
ments and which had been seized in
the malls, were produced.
Lody admitted that he was acting
as a spy. After a short trial he was
condemned to be shot In the old
Tower of London, fie met his fate
very bravely.
The "ladles' . committee" . has
hunted down all German head
waiters and waiters employed In the
principal English hotels and res
taurants and caused them to be re
moved to detention csmps. These
men, owing to the peculiar char
acter of their work, enjoyed an ex
cellent opportunity for meeting per
sons of all the important classes of
society, and in the free expansion
thst ordinarily takes place at the
table all kinds of confidences were
exchanged within their hearing.
Many Germans of high social posi
tion and great wealth, some of them
naturalized British subjects, have
been pursued by the relentless
"ladles' committee." Professor Ar
thur Schuster, a bom German, but a
naturalized Englishman, whs sur
prised at his luxurious country seat,
when a band of detectives descended
on him and seized his private wire
less apparatus.
Lady Glanusk explained to the
correspondent of this newspaper
some of the alms and labora of the
committee.
She haa turned the drawing and
reception rooms of ber fine house, at
No. 80 Bruton street. Mayfair, into
offices for the committee.
"Owing to the fact," ss!d Lady
Glanusk, "that no serious effort hss
been msde by our menkln'l to round
up the 73,000 alien enemies In our
midst, I felt the call to start a pro
test by women, as It is women who
are the greatest sufferers by war.
My husband and two aons are fight
ing at the front and thousands of
women can ssy very much the same.
"Ten days after I lmiied my ap
peal to the women of Knidand I had
formed my committee with the deli
nlte object that all alien-born ene
mies, whether German, Austrian or
Turk, of military age, be forthwith
interned, whether naturalized or
not. Other alien enemies above
military age or under should be re
moved at least twenty miles from
the coasts and kept under surveil
lance. "I consider that women as spies
and decoy ducks are mors danger
eue thsn men.
"To such an extent have the
women of England been roused that
in the first couple of weeks more
than 200,000 signatures to the peti
tion to be presented to Parliament .
were obtained.
"Allen enemies, Germsns and
Austrlans particularly, were spread
all along the coast towns and it
was impossible to know whether or
not they were In constant coramunl- '
cation with the enemy. For my part.
I would like to see as many as pos
sible of these 'useless non-combatants'
dumped right onto German
soil, it would bo amusing to think
of the embarrassment of the German ,
authorities having to find food and.
shelter for something like 70,000 '
fresh mouths. Another trouble is
the shameful favoritism rbwn to
wealthy uml hlRhly placet! Anglo
Germans while their humbler com
patriots are Interned without ado.
"Out of the petition of protest '
has grown what we have named ' ,
the anti-German Lengue,' by whltU
it is resolved thst no member will -employ
or sanction the employment
of any German or alien enemy.
Members will further refuse to deal
with any shops or establishments
selling any Germau or alien enemy
goods. As the members of our com
mittee are highly influential people '
the movement should be effective
and will continue for several years.
Further, no pains will be spared to
Improve the usofolng of BrltMi
hotel waiters and otur hotel and
restaurant employes.
"If every British' woman will
realize that it ia shameful and
treacherous to give financial help to
the Germans there will be no future
need to protect the public from this
alien peril, for the Germsn Empire
will never be in a position to menace
us sgaln, for war cannot be waged
except by a commercially flourishing
nation."
Lady Glanusk is a typical English
woman, full of energy, go and spirit.
She is tall and stately, with a beau
tiful complexion. She received the
American correspondent cordially .
and with a friendly grasp of the '
hand.
During the interview Mr. Joynson
Hicks, Member of Psrliament, and '
Just recently appointed Chairman of
the Unionist Parliamentary Commit
tee lately funned to inquire into this'
alien enemy question, was present, ss '
was slso Lord Euston, heir to the
Dukedom of Grafton.