1934-05-26 — Page 9

PICTORIAL SUPPLEMENT

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. SATURDAY,

MAY 26," · "1934.

STRANGER THAN FICTION

STORIES OF THE WORK OF MODERN SPIES

THE

STRANGE CASE OF THE

THE TOWER

OFFICER IN

PAGE THREE

Baffle Miesart

Wondering tourists

fluttering the pages of pamphlets,

• BAW a young of. heeding the sing-song of Cockney gulden Acer taking exercise under the eyes of an armed guard in the Cockney ... Who wan he?. famous Tower of London. guides frowned, changed the subject to royal murders, of ancient times, But rumours nhout the young OMeer in the Tower spread, and soon the War Offee made a brief announce ment that stirred England with the news that. a Brith Ileu tenant had been accused of selling his country to a foreign power. His glory is told here, in the first of a series of true modern spy tales. BY MILTON BRONNER

Lieutenant Norman Baille-Stewart of the Seaforth High- landers, arrived in Berlin, drained his beer mug and looked about the crowded cafe with the slightly wistful expression of a stranger in a strange land who realizes that he le not likely to run across anybody lie knows. Suddenly his wandering gaze was caught and held by a man at a nearby table. The man hesitated. smiled, then came over and addressed the lieutenant courteously in Eng- lish with a strong German accent.

In a few moments the young officer found himself confessing to his new acquaintance that he was lonely. The German volunteered to dx that. Ilo know a girl, he said, in fine, friendly girl, Would the lieutenant return to this cafe at the same time to-morrow evening?

The lieutenant would. He did. The philanthropic German was there as he had promised he would be. With him was a fair-haired, blue-eyed German girl, young, with he carried the address of the luscious curves. She was intro- German War Ministry about with duced simply as Fraulein Marie him, he explained. However, Mario Louise. She turned out to be all Loulae made him forget every- thut her sponsor had said she thing, he admitted, even his ambi- would be and more. Lieutenant tion and so he never did anything Baillo-Stewart later told the Brit- about following out his plan. ish military court martial which They had such a good time to- real tried him on a charge of giving in-gether, indeed, that it was formation to Germany through his wrench when he had to leave her. association with Marle Louise and to go to Holland." -Otto Waldemar Obst, the man who

Introduced them.

·

GETS PROMISE OF MONEY.

correspondence with the result that Important letters had been | Intercopted. One of these, it was alleged, had boon sont by the Hau- tenant to Obst to thank him for Battling promptly "a small debt." The interesting thing about this lettor was that it was signed "Alphonso Poiret."

The Tower of London Balllo-Stewart himself explained his réferonce notes to tanks and rifles as bits of information he had jotted down from time to time to use as clinchers in an argumont with his brother, also an army of- ficor.

He denied that his trips to Hol- land were for the purpose of meet-

Two letters, anid to have, beening agents of Germany, and sald, sent to Bailie-Stewart by Maric

on the contrary, that the Journeya Louise, wore aleo introduced. were love journeys to meat Marie Onc, received on November 14,

Loutae. He admitted that he al- 1032, enclosed ten five-pound Bank ways hoped she would give him of England notes, and referred to money as well as love, money loaned to her by Bly that he had betrayed his coun- Stewart which sho, anid she could nat pay back all at once. Another roselved December. "7, enclosed forty pounds and sold that she was paying the balance of the loan."

4

The Heutenant denied vehement- try for fifty pands or any other sum. His attorney insisted that there was. no proof that either Obat or Marie Louise was a secret agent and asserted that the story. his client told was true--ho was had become entangled with merely a foolish young man who

who young woman

gave him money.

The

Judge Advocato put it bluntly. keeping a woman' means"? ho "You know what the expression then why he had called asked. himself Alphonau Potret, but he "yes" claimed that the money had been sent to him by a woman he had met in a Berlin park and fallen in love with.

Investigation of Baille-Stewart's bank account revealed that he naver had so much as fifty pounds at any time that he could have lent anybody. He said, however, when questioned at the time, that a wrong construction had been put on the letters. He was unable to

At the trial, he accounted for the Alphonse Poiret signature by saying that he refused to sign his own name because Marie Louise would not sign hors. He also changed his story of the place of meeting with Marie Louise from a park to a cafo.

GIVES ALIBI.

However, the separation was not DEGINNING OF ROMANCE, to be for long. She planned to be For several weeks, the Lieuten- in Holland herself and he could soo ant testified, he and Mario Louise her there. In fact, he said, she were inseparable. They did Berlin was waiting on the wharf for him. together thoroughly, visited music They had arranged to correspond, halls, cafes and amusement parks. but she told him he must write her Marie Louise was a poor young in care of Obst since she did not man's dream come true. She said

care

to give her real name and she was well-off and Inaiated upon address. He thought this odd, but paying all the checks and ad- she promised affectionately that mission fees. At first Obst went she would send him money, so he on the expeditions, too, but when decided not to bother her with he was watched night and day and mont, arming and structure as well Operations Aigners whose lives cherished the idea of becoming a

harassing questions.

a love affair developed between the Ifcutonant and Marie Louise, their discreet friend considerately with-

drew.

In his testimony during the eight-day trial which began March 20, 1933, at Chelsea military bar- racks, Baille-Stewart claimed that he had gone to Berlin with the idea of becoming a liaison officer with the German Army. That was why

The trial of Baille-Stewart grow- ing out of his trip to Germany and his subsequent visits to Holland was a sensation in Great Britain, for rarely have either officers or men in the British Army been sus- pected, much less convicted, of ca plenago in favour of a foreign country.

A great mystery was made of

and the scribbled notas of Shining new British tanke rumbled across famed Aldershot, young British officer told silent facts about them. He was the same young officer who had dined and wined with Fraulein "Marie Louisa" and her mysterious friend in a Berlin exfe.

Olto Waldemar Obst, some of the witnesses for the state the case all through. The young tion with officer was held in the Tower of made notes of organization of were from the War Department London and it was rumoured that tanks, armoured cars, their equip and the Directorate of Military and Intelligence while allowed to communicate with no as the patterns of automatic rifles others word one, not even a lawyer. The Gov-and the organization of tank bri- might be jeopardized if their crnment squelched this report by sades: also that he had obtained names were known, reporters and a formal denial, but already the material at the Aldershot military the public were barred much of House of Commons had talked depot which might be useful to the the time from the trial. This gave menacingly of an

rise to a new crop of mysterious investigation, enemy. The other charges made

the same allegations, under dif- rumours and England boiled with

excitement.

*

TRIAL HELD SECRETLY.

ferent dates.

He was tried upon ten charges. Ballle-Stewart pleaded not guilty. It was alleged that in Berlin during Sinco Important military docu- August, 1932, he had, in associa1ments were involved and since

The prosecution brought out that certain acts of Baille-Stewart had caused a watch to be kept upon his

The accused answered

"Have you heard the contrary of a woman keeping a man?” the

Judge Advocate continued. Again the accused onewered yes.

in the latter category?" the Judge "Do you think this comes with- Advocate inquired, and the accus Sir." ed answered meekly, "Yes, it does,

BUSINESS-LIKE LOVE LETTERS, The Prosecutor showed that neither Obat nor Marie Louise was put into the witness box by the He explained that the paper defence to substantiate its claime found in his possession with the that all the letters which passed address of the German Military between Baille-Stewart and the Defence upon it was the one he girl he allegedly was in love with had been carrying when he were singularly business-like and &finally that while it was difficult for liaison officer with the German private individuals to get foreign army. His attorney insisted

money In Germany, the notes ro- that certain books and deale

colved

by Bailie-Stowart were in he had drawn from the British consecutive numbers. casily avail- military library wore able to most people, and that the cuttings and photographs found in his possession had been publish ed in various papers and were not secrets..

After a long summing up from the Judge Advocate, the court brought in a verdict clearing the defendant upon three of the ten. charges and sentencing him to dvo years imprisonment.

NOT A WORD ABOUT

THE TWO-MEN-

who so unobtrusively appear in the picture on the page on the left!

Perhaps it is sufficient compliment that they are in the picture at all; but it must be conceded that although the male of the human species does not adorn himself with the colours of the rainbow when formally attired, his appearance must nevertheless be correct.

The seeming'simplicity of man's attire does not mean that he walks into a shop and buys a suit plus the various odds and ends to go with it.

Oh Dear No! The discriminating male is as fastidious as any woman, and when he looks at ease he feels at ease in the know- ledge that he is correctly and comfortably. tailored,

THE HEADING ON THE ADJOINING

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