MYSTERY OF A SPY

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3406, 9 August 1913, Page 10

MYSTERY OF A SPY

“SET FREE TO SERVE BRITAIN.” TALE OF A STRANGE CAREER. When in the spring of last year it became known that a German spy had been arrested in Glasgow, speculation was rife as to his probable punishment. The spy was Arngaard Karl Craves, formerly well-known in Australia, and eh was arrested in April, 1912, in the Central Station Hotel,

Glasgow, the charges against him being that he obtained telegraphic oodes for communicating information regarding the navy and fortifications, and (2) making or obtaining a note relating to guns under construction at Messrs Boardmore and Co.’s Glasgow works. He was found guilty on the first and not guilty on tlie second, and when sentenced to eighteen months’ imprisonment, he exclaimed, with a shrug and a smile, “Exit Arngaard Karl Graves!” Now, in a somewhat roundabout way, the information has got about that Greaves was released some time ago by the Government, and he is now said to be in America, whence, through the “New York American,” comes the following remarkable statement :

“Arngaard Karl Greaves, former secret agent in tfie German service who was convicted of espionage in England last July and sentenced to eighteen months’, imprisonment, declares that shortly after his sentence lie was released in order that’lie might serve the British Secret Service. Ho was sent to America, and there discovered that envoys of Germany and Japan had men in New York with the object of completing an AntiAmerican agreement. Ho succeeded in making a copy of the document and cabling it to the British Foreign Office. He never got any payment from England, however, so ho has decided to make the contents public. .The agreement binds Germany not to interfere in a great Japanese scheme of colonialisation. in the South Seas.” This story looks, on the face of it, highly improbable, but the British authorities refuse any information — except the guarded reply of Sir James Dodds, Permanent Under-Secretary to the Scottish Office, that Graves was “released in due course of law.”

Graves now challenges the British Government to disprove any of the assertions which he has made through the “New York American.” and offers to send to London all his measurements, under the Bertillon system, together with photographs of his linger prints, if he is assured that they will not fall into the hands of the Continental police. He has also produced what purports to be a baggage check issued by the liner Ivaiser Wilhelm 11. to a man named Schmidt, from whom, says Graves, the dossier was stolen. He further declares that Schmidt’s state-room was number 48. and that a spy occupied the cabin on either side of it. ‘ ! POUZ ZING LON DON. ” In some further “revelations’ to the “New York American’s” Sunday editor Graves declares that the British Secret Service authorities have an office in Fleet Street (he gives the number), and that at that office lie met certain military qnd naval intelligence officers, whose names lie also gives. By way of substantiating his statements, lie publishes the telephone number and the post office box number of the official for whom he worked. He further says that he advised London that he had secured a copy of the alleged anti-Japanese

agreement between Germany and .Japan, “Pouzzing, London," cabled bun a sum of £3O. When he was released from prison a British official drank to the success of bis future work in champagne. The efforts of a “Central News ’ representative to get some .information about the spy have been unsuccessful, and there is good reason to believe that he does not live in New York City, and that lie does all his dealings direct with the managing editor of the “New York American,” the paper which is running him.

The managing editor is the only person on the staff, in fact, who knows Graves*s whereabouts, and he regretted - his inability to disclose the man’s domicile. He visits the offices of the “New York American” from time to time, however, and the correspondent understands that he went there in the first instance personally to offer his story, which promises to extend over a couple of weeks. Graves further states in the “American” that the plans of the battleship Ajax and the cruiser Queen Alary are in the possession of a foreign Power. He gives brief details of an alleged interview with Sir Edward Grey on December 16, 1912, relative to a mysterious leakage of war secrets, of which British officials had been suspected, and also describing an interview with the late German Foreign Minister, Herr Ividerlen AVachter, with regard to a meeting between the Minister and Auscount Haldane which, says Graves, was. in fact, held in the Black Forest. The story, however, is weak in many instances.

The building ho describes as tnat in which he met Sir Edward Grey wouldi seem to correspond with No. 10 Downing Street, and he refers to the British Foreign- Secretary in Ins interview as “My Lord,’’ and describes him as playing with a monocle and speaking with a drawl. A MAN OF COOL RESOURCE. Graves is undoubtedly a man ol much ability and cool resource, and the story' of his mysterious career was not fully discloseu at the trial. At first he posed as an Australia, despite his German appearance and accent, and said he was a qualified doctor of Truro, South Australia. He certainly has medical knowledge, and actually applied for a post of locum tenents to a doctor at Leith, rvliile lie also became friendly with an Edinburgh chemist, and experimented in his company on skin diseases. In his room the police found a small case containing deadly poisons, liyocine, hydro-bromide, morphia, and strychnine, and a hypodermic syringe with needles, dangerous things in the hands of any but the most skilled people. Graves very effectively allayed the suspicions of those with whom he came in contact, and before his arrest actually went to the police and complained that his correspondence was being tampered with ! Ills correspondence abroad was disguised as business communications, and he used business notepaper bearing the name of ia well-known firm of chemists, but this, it' was established, had been fabricated. “Graves’s character seems to be ideal for a- spy,” said the iSolicitorGenenal for Scotland at the trial. “He has a very high intelligence, and lie' is sociable, genial, and affable, whilst his moral character is not of a very high standard.”