THE CASE OF THE M
INTELLECTUAL GROUP SPIES
AND THE MORTAR-BOARD
TERIO!
SCHOLAR
PARIS SPY SCARE
Robert Swim
BY MORRIS GILBERT. The mark of the "intellectual" the professional scholar-is stamp cd thick over the sordid affair of International apying which now en- grosses France,
Half the persons arrested in Paris in the apy hunt which broke around Christmastide are closely identified with teaching and de- gree hunting. The "League of Na. tlons of Espionage" seems to be dominated by a mortar-board, ·
Especially in the case of Ma dame Lydia Techekaloff Stabl, Master of Arts at Columbia Uni- versity, New York, with special honours in Chinese, Doctor of Laws at the University of Paris, perpetual student at the Sorbonne, gifted with knowledge, It is said, of every modern Inngunge and a smattering of tribal dialects.
than the little boys and girls sho tutored in the St. Queen suburb on the northern rim of Paris before going to jall,:
Gu
Last but not least, the curious figure of Louis Pierre Nicolas Mar- tin, 23 years old, certified pro- fessor of languages detached interpreter-translator to the French Ministry of Marine, a passionate cholar, devoted to his books and to only one other altachment,
Lydia Stahl.
WOMAN OF MYSTERY.
Lydia Stahl was the star of this Sho lacked-official scholarship, spokesmen are responsible for this observation-only one attribute to become the greatest "femme fatale" of modern times. That attribute
She was born Lydia Tchekaloff, daughter of well-to-do parents, at Rostoff-on-the-Don in Russia in November
12, 1885. Passing. through secondary schools there, she came to France around 1005, Shortly before the war she married Borla Stahl at the famous Russian Other spokesmen deny this lack.church in Paris, spending summer is not the only defendant who stems They say that if Lydia Staht did holidays in Sebastopol, his family
But Lydin Stahl, eternal co-ed,
directly from the student life, of the world,
AMERICANS SEIZED,
was beauty.
not conform to. rigid standards of home. Eight years later, she pulchritude, she made up for it by divorced him in Russia and return-
a curious, a stirring beauty of hored to France, own. They point out that despite her years—she is well over 40—— she seems to have made a slave of
A co-defendant, the New York-Professor Martin, 37 years old, born Marjorie Tilley Bwitz, was an plodding studious, solitary. Thus
ten
Meanwhile, during the war, she spent a long time in Helsingfors. and there she met the celebrated Vera Hambon, now being question-
American college girl. Her hus they account for the charge thated on any charges in Finland, She band, Robert Gordon Switz, travell-Lydia held his devotion for et in France on a student's pass years at a price which, if current port, at more than one university.nccusrtions are sustained, meant This summer, he explains his tho sacrifice of his patriotism and arrival in Paris, he came to meet the danger and odium of high friends of his professors in treason. Columbia.
returned to Finland In 1927. Presently, she turned up in. New York, studying at Columbia. Boris was there and they met. She was with another mysterious Scandi- navian, Sigrid Bostrom presently, but during past years she had come to know Professor Martin. -
The story of Lydia Stahl is a The only French woman so far fascinating one, all the more so be: Their original common interest arrested is the youthful school cause the key of it seems to be was the Chinese language which tencher, Madeleine Mermet, 23 missing. Perhaps it is this which both were studying. years old. Her scholastic attain- the current Investigation-expect. ments give her the privilege of ed to last at least four months- teaching far more advanced classes will discover.
In Lydia's Paris flat, It has been testifled, papers were seen by friends which seemed to incrim!-
Abaya, Two camera closciupa of the mysteriously enchanting Mme. Lydia Stahl, “star” of the real spy drama which now absorbe Paris. Below: The Paris hotal in which Mr. and Mrs. Robert Swits of East Ospinge, N.J., ware arrested in connection with the same cura,'
has turned into
The others are on
cket; a large," organized, :| ono Blakovicz, and occasionally profitable, ders of the band binces of supplying what is need ed for cash, NES
- At present, it appears that mai- tary secrets are commodities, just like apples or balloon tyres or elec trie ice boxes. One doesn't exactly shop for them in the classified ad- vertising, but there are certain markets where they can be traded to the fellow who slaps the money right down on the line. Spying
· has gone hucksfer.).
ALL TOO WELL-TO-DO.
nala her. They bore the super- scription of the Ministry of Bla rine. She denies this. And sheThe examining magistrate, Mon explains her means of livelihood by steur Bonon, who examined "cach declaring that she gave lessons in suspect in turn, laid great stress calesthenics.
The gravest charge against her to date was that she apparently knew the sinister Retschki, reput ed lender of the International spy ring. He called at her flat last June, the police assert. She denies
•St,
Franco-last summer
and
peared the polico wer trail To both thes leader hasbeen Places, according were taken by. Berk Berkovitz being the Swit the clerk. times didn't even know, his analysts assert, rare
Switz was tho man who took the stuff and the pay-offs
A "FRAME-UP" OR-1,
were the pay-offs? Yaguely- What was the "stuff" and what naval plans, air plans. Group on one fact. Everybody arrested
here, assert that the whole thi seemed to have too much money-
a frame-up, as Switz and other too much according to frugal French inculpated stoutly declare. minds for people in their station of ties, these unkind critics of the life. Each of the accused, beside donying guilt, made precise de hold popular attention. There was poilco say, demanded something to clarations as to how he or she came a drastic budget bill passing In by their funda. That didn't ex Parliament when the secrets wore plain, offelals pointed out the unmade. There was nood, in some animity with which they all die minde, to knock down Herrie trusted banks and carried around notable friend of the Soviets, and How is it that the two Ameri- bigzish sums,
to discredit the present Franco cans, two Rumanlana naturalized Concerning money, three other Russian agreement. Hence an Canadian, two Poles, a Russian, names-have been especially men- rest a few people and yell "Spy 1 Serb and two French were sudden- tioned in connection with tho ly caught in this biggest police "grosso affaire d'capionage now disclosed by the police) are After all, the gums involved dragact in years?
going on. They are Mme. Ingrid
onormous. Perhape the
DEHIND THE SCENE."
How is it that what appears to be a most sensational spy die, who gave Martin power of at-mensions of a mere petty
Bostrom, mysterious Scandinaviaffaire" will peter, out to the
closure grew ripe for picking · sở swiftly, so easily ? 200
The answer seems to be the old mazumah1.
That's what has happened to the ancient and shuddery profession of
torney for her strong-box when she hardly worth calling a racket. quitted France in 1927. She was haps the alleged spies have named last month (Dec
cc. 1939) In "needling" their alleged connection with the Finnish dragnet making a fair living, by. which cought 30 alleged spics and second-hand goods. *..** gave Paris police the tip-off they have been recently, using."
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