The Clinton New Era, 1915-02-11, Page 211
� 'HOTT,'
THE CLINTON NHW.< 1RL
i trsdny, Otaliruary •;f
Head of German Spy System
Gave His Attenti .1 to Britain
P. Steinhauer of Potsdam" Even
Shook Hands With King George,
Posing as Member of Kaiser's
Suite—A Marvellous System of
Espionage.
The British Empire's most sinister
enemy to -day is a former member of
the Berlin Police Departent named
Georg Steinhauer, who was persona
,grata in London only three years ago,
spent a night in Buckingham Palace,
and actually shook hands with King
George.
Without Steinhauer and the know-
ledge which he alone possesses,
neither the Kaiser nor his army and
• navy and Zeppelin flotilla combined
could make an effectual move a.eainst
'the British:ales.
Officially he holds no defined posi-
tion under the German Government.
Yet for the past five years every re-
port sent to Berlin by German secret
.agents in England, Scotland, Ireland,
or Wales has been perused by him,
and in ainiost every instance he has
directed the movements of these gen-
try, He sits in an office hidden away
in the imperial Palace at Potsdam,
the centre o1 a web of espionage
which covers all the countries of the
t.orld, but which is woven most finely
ever the dominions of George V.
Scotland Yard has a most reverent
respect for Herr Steinhauer. This le
based not so -much on the cleverness
of the system of espionage' he has
established throughout the United
Kingdom. as on the fact that ho Is
the only German spy—unless one
chooses to regard the Kaiser himself
as one—Who ever spent a night under
the roof of Buckingham Palace! This
was when he was presented as one of
the suite of his Imperial master dur-
ing Wilhelm lies visit to London in
May, 1911.
Steinhauer comes of good burgher
stock, and the early part of his career
,differed in no wise from that of 'hcu-
sands of other civilian servants of
the 'German Empire. After serving
his time in ., the army he became a
non-commissioned officer and eventu-
ally graduated into the Berlin Police
Department., From the first mouth
of- his employment as a policeman,
however, he displayed so marked a
talent for detective work that it
speedily attracted the attention of
high Governmental authorities and he
was' drafted into the Intelligence D e-
partment of the German navy.
Had Talents For Spying
Recognizing that Great Britain was
the power from whom the Fatherland
had the most fear, Steinhauer con-
centrated his energies on the British
t 'ane' -t of espionage to such good ef-
fect that within little more than a
Tear he was placed in charge of all
matters concerned with the secret
investigation of British armaments
That was about five years ago. It
Was not until two years later, how -
'ever, when he had the' opportunity
to demonstrate his skill under the
very eyes of the Emperor himself,
that he attained the unique position
he holds to -day. Officially the Kaiser
went to England in 1911 to attend the
unveiling by the Kiug of the Queen
Victoria Memorial His real purpose
was intimately concerned with the �w
mans. iu this kind of safe signalling,
fact that Steinhauer was a member but they find that one flag -wagger in
This unobtrusive gentleman was
of his suite.•
the firingline is often worth a dozen
--ee `,.Mile in evidence at the grand care- telegraph and telephone clerks a safe
monies and entertainments held in way, ay, A good deal of the sic -
honor of Wilhelm 11.'s visit to George' cess of the British In France all
ideLweerk
TYPES OF SOUTH AFRICAN SOLDIERS
AN ITALIAN VIEW
Professor Declares Britain Will Gain
Regardless of Outcome of War
That Britain stands to win most
should the allies succeed is the opin-
ion of Prof, M. Pantoleoni, a well
known Italian, who writes in the
Giornale d'Italia on some of the Prob-
able- results of the war. He believes
that no matter what disasters might
overwhelm the allies' armies, Britain
would emerge triumphant so.long as
her fleet was not destroyed. The
supreme issues of the war will depend
Ia the upper left-hand corner is a trooper of the Imperial Light Horse;
upper right, an officer of the Pietermaritzburg Light Horse; lower
left, a trooper of Damant's Horse, and lower right a member of the
South African Scottish Horse.
South Africa produces splendid soldiers—men of fine physique, hard
riders and crack shots. Thousands of South Africans volunteered for
service in Europe, but the Imperial Government considered that prior-
ity should be given to the colony's own military requirements and to
the force commanded by General Botha was allotted the task of 'sup-
pressing' the Boer rebellion and filling the gaps left in the Union's
defences by the withdrawal of the garrisons of the British army.
upond
the fleet. If it cannot be e-
stroyed by Germany it is impossible
for Germany to win, no matter what
her armies might accomplish in
France and Belgium and Russia. In
the long run the British fleet will
prove to be the ruin of Germany.
Already it has done much to destroy
Germany's industries and commerce,
and even without a general engage-
ment the British., fleet could slowly,
strangle Germany to death, so that she
would be obliged to choose between
starvation and capitulation.
While the war lasts. Britain cap.
turing German colonies and trade.
As well she is capturing French and
Belgian trade, for the war is being
fought on Belgian and French soil,
with the result that many of their
great industries are at a standstill.
Belgium has no trade left. Former
customers of Belgium must either
supply their o. 'n wants or buy else-
where. Germany and Austria cannot
supply them. Russia is not a manu-
facturing nation, There remains, then
Britain, and she is getting most of
the business that formerly went to
France and Belgium as well as to
Germany. If Britain was the greatest
colonial and commercial power before
the war, says the professor, she will
continue to be so in an increased
degree after the war is over.
France's position, he says, is exact-
ly the reverse of Britain's. Whether
the war is lost or won, or ends in a
draw, in the case of France the dif•
Terence will be between greater or
smaller ruin more or loos lasting.
Germany has flooded the iron mi -es
in Lorraine, which enabled France to
stand second in Europe to Germany
alone in the production of iron. Af-
ter the war these mines will be pump-
ed out, "but the time will be long,
the capital will be dear, and the mar-
kets will have been lost." •
the he north. of France the ruin has
been as great. Here were the coal
and the textile industries. France
may have her revenge when the allies
destroy German mines in Westphalia,
and demolish German factories; but
this will not help France. It will
only mean that she will consolidate
British supremacy by destroying a
British industrial rival.
DANG[ROUS WORK
DONE BY SI6NAII[RS
British Army Depends More Upon Flag-waggers in the Field
Than Upon Telephones—Germans Rely Chiefly Upon the
Wires Even While Battle Rages
Much of the hardest and most dan-
gerous work of the British army is
done by the flag signallers of the
Army Signal Service. They have
often to stand. in the fighting clue,
wagging their flags or working their
flash mirrors, while the German rifle-
men mass their fire against the men
who are directing the movement of
guns, infantry, and horsemen.
The German army does not use the
British methods of signalling. The
Germans rely on field telephones and
wireless apparatus, , kept mainly be-
hind the battlefront, The British
troops are just as good as the Ger-
V. His duties were of 0 character
that took him to strange haunts in
the East' End, and to quiet, Ltti, e -
tellies in molt to�v is an eel l2
the naval Zscs .i�{n��9c6tland. Alter
each of these yips- he returned to-
Buckingham Palace an freighted to
his monarch, He had put a new code
into effect, he had received exhaustive
reports from every German spy in
England—(200 known spies were ar-
rested at the outbreak of the war)---
and
ar)-and he had arranged, with the Kais-
oval to have every item of,
Flanders is due to>the,,splen
of their signaliejL I9
tom�any becomes de
aims in
u
u
e
co ' a r ' otib i la
Ila" ' to th m n bow.
a di�tance o two nr three miles.
A Ailed on 3f scout 'o&Malbr or
half a battalion of a v Aga t�?y
cannot, in the rush and eat of a
critical action, take a mile of wireand
an .electrical apparatus with t&em."
But even in a charge, one man can
carry, a flag, and if the charge is systemtrinng �pli aocidene
military or naval information collect- up suddenly by as antrenoh-
»�. ,--_ of a gunners knew all about
ed in the'United Kingdom sent by "
direct or indirect route to "Stein-
hauer, Potsdam ""4111,r
r ge Thorough in Details
General Henderson Organized
ritain's
Fine Aerial Fighters
STUNNED BY HONOR
Lieut. Diminer, of the King's Royal
Rifles, who .has just been awarded
the Victoria Cross, learned the news
of his good fortune in the following
dramatic manner: The young officer,
lunching with a brother officer, bought
an English newspaper.
Suddenly Dimmer turned pale and
fell back in his chair. The other
officer rushed forward, saying: "What
is the matter? You are ill?" Dimmer
answered in a weak ' voice: "It is
nothing; but I have just read that I
have got the Victoria Cross."
ed host of the enemy, the flagman can
at once signal for help. If he basn't
brought flags with him, he can tie a
heedkerebief on his rifle. He can ask
the gunners to rake the trench with
shrapnel and give them the range and
tell them if they hit or miss; or he
can ask for supports to be hurtled up
to strengthen the charging column.
The work of the flag signaller is
very simple. He takes a flag in each
hand and strikes various attitudes—
right flag held high up, left flag held
straight down; right flag held side-
ways, left flag struck up, and so on.
Each movement stands for a letter of
the alphabet. This is known as the
semaphore system. But a message
can be sent almost as quickly with one
flag. This is waved in ,two ways—
one a long wagg1e, the other a chart,
a_Vekey JAW, - he long waggle 7epre-
se e, s orae gale; the
it t gut er�dso dot,
tia�ir t ve' .gek
o
battle
The I
was ehooting his gunners down.
'rhrie'''Vfirifirdeld phone
and Insfore ,n one • lt run or rile
egre captured S. '.-tatIf.:
But in ac,cordance with the aplentU
aneee wanted
GATHERING SOUVENIRS }
I have quite a collection of relics,
wrote Private .:. H. Williams of the
Royal Army Medical Corps, . A Ger-
man soldier's knife,, given to me by a
Frenchman who had killed bim, an
ivory ornament, a crucifix from the
Holy Well .:t Lourdes, some old docu-
ments from Bruges, and a priest's cap
given to me by one of the caretakers
of Ypres Cathedra);. I also had two
German helmets and a Chian lance,
besides other things, but they were
so bulky I had to abandon them.
Special Food Supplied
To the Indian Soldiers
A peculiar problem had to 'De met
by the British commissariat in supply-
ing the 'various castes and sects of
the Indian army with meat food.
The Gurkha, the Rajput, and other
Hindus will eat goat or mutton, pro-
vided the animal, has been killed in
a special or orthodox way. The dis-
gust which the strict Hindu feels at
physical contact with beef is so in-
tense that he will sometimes vomit
at the sight of it; the prejudice is so
inveterate that Mohammedans who
are the descendants of Hindu converts
cannot reconcile themselves to the
taste. Happily, pork, the Moslem
abomination, does not complicate the
question of army rations.
But the crux is not so much the
nature of the meat to be provided as
the manner in which it is killed and
cooked. In the case of sheep the Sikh
villager's gorge will rise when he sees
meat prepared by the Mohammedan
butcher, who kills by his halal or
throat -cutting stroke, just as the Mo-
hammedan feels it an outrage that
meat should be hung up for sale that
has been killed by the jatka--the
stroke at the back of the neck. af-
fected by the Sikhs. A certain amount
willingly
f
t
finned
mutton
is
eaten
0
by the troops, but the great bulk of
commissariat meat must be sent alive
to railhead and slain there in accord-
ance with prescribed rites.
That the men may know whether
they are eating clean or unclean flesh
units are detached to a point near
THE KING'S WAR NEWS
railhead, where each man, be he Mo-
hammedan, Sikh, or Hindu, despatches
his beast by his own peculiar sacri-
ficial stroke, marks it as clean and
sends it on to his comrades in the
trenches,
No beef is killed at the front, as
the mere proximity of a Mohammedan
slaughter house might carry pollution
to the Hindus.
For drink the army rations of the
Indian troops is rum, but the Moham-
medan, being debarred by the Prophet
from all fermented liquor, is given an
extra ration of sugar and tea.
Even the transport animals have
their ingrained fads, a kind of caste
fastidiousness. Indian mules and
countrybreds who might be having
the. time of th-ir lives nose suspicious-
ly sweet Englnsh hay, preferring their
own chopped straw, the dryest of pro-
vender.
The Gurkha is proverbially an ac•
,commodating person and gives his
British officer, with whom he is on the
friendliest possible terms, as little
difficulty as possible. But in Bombay
when a regiment was embarking the
question arose as to whether they
would eat frozen meat. A conclave
of officers decided that it would be
better to put the ease
to the
men.
The Subadar was called, and, after a
little wrinkling of the eyebrow, said:
"I think, Sahib, the regiment will be
willing to eat the iced sheep provided
one of them is always present to see
the animal frozen tee death."
Not Satisfied With Mere Theor-
etical Knowledge of Aviation
Became a Licensed Pilot—Fore-
saw 'Usefulness of Flying
Branch,
General Sir David Henderson is the
link between the vast machinery of
the British army and the delicate
machinery or flight. '
Not every master of an old -estab-
lished craft—a craft :eased upon cen-
turies of military experience—was
ready to take the leap into the blue,
and the. British War Office was fortu-
nate in finding a highly trained sol-
dier ready to volunteer for the labor-
ious, difficult, and speculative task of
bringing the brilliant achievement of
the individual and independent British
aviator into line with military usage.
Sir David set quietly to work and
got his pilot's certificate. He was
never anxious to do the fancy tricks
that have been the ambition o: the
civilian aviator, but a working know-
ledge of air -craft he deemed necessarY
to the proper superintendence of the
Royal Flying Corps. Flying came
easily to him; he has the hand that
instinctively gets to the right lever,
and the sense of touch which runs,
it is' said, through all the fibres of a
flier's body.
But it is not as a practical aviator
Sir David is valued, but because he
was one of a very few soldiers who
grasped the aerial situation before the
outbreak 09 war. "From the time
that troops leave ship or railway,"
he had said, "they will be under ob-
servation. If they move by day, the
most stringent precautions will not
suffice to conceal them, and such pre-
cautions are certain to cause delay.
Even if they move by night, large
stationary forces are not easy to con-
ceal by day: Aerial scouts will no
doubt make mistakes; troops may be
reported in places where there are
none, troops i -t other places will re-
main undiscovered. But it must be
expected that the principal disposi-
tions and movement will be disclosed,
and the fog which formerly obscured
the initial strategic design will be
cleared away."
We know the
result. Sir John
French paid this tribute: '1 wish par-
ticularly to draw attention to the ad-
mirable work done by the Royal Fly-
ing Corps under Sir David Henderson.
Their skill, energy, and perseverance
have been beyond praise. They have
furnished me with the most complete
and accurate information, which has
been of incalculable value in the con-
duct of operations. Fired at constant-
ly both by friend and foe, and not
hesitating to fly in every sort of
weather, they have remained un-
daunted throughout. Further, by ac-
tually fighting in the air, they have
succeeded (at the time of writing) in
destroying five of the enemy's ma -
To these lines must be added Gen-
eral Joffre's testimony: "The precis -
len, exactitude, and regularity of
news brought in by members of c'he
Royal Flying Corps are evidence of
their perfect orgaiization, and also
of the perfect training of pilots and
observers."
The organizer is Sir David, He is
the so -between. On the one hand, you
"Slave fire general, with every sort of
thing to think about except the exact
capabilities, or limitations, of the all -
daring aviator who possesses every-
thing but the larger knowledge of a
general's strategy. To both of these
,91r•15av1 Tis invaluable
A soldier o over twenty years' ex-
p'ecieTLrr e, with distinguished service
in Egypt and South Africa to his
credit, he 10 able at a moment's notice
to bring nee deDiandand the �su-pra�*"
Into" king ri„ tionshle Me-
riot observer of vital econo•
mm Lens. and does not squander useful
Ep.l�m�� ri
men.; � rai�Yi. , r%a7d,� °
fi
U/y..Ke y.Y•_ J.
His Majesty immediately Learns of
Every New Movement at Front
When King George visited a mili-
tary hospital on a recent occasion the
wounded with whom he chatted were
astonished at his Majesty's extensive
and accurate knowledge of the officers
under whom they had served, and also
the information he possessed of the
moveme__ts of the troops on the Con-
tinent, As a matter of fact, King
George and Lord Kitchener undoubt-
edly know more concerning the activ-
ities of the iritish troops than any
men in England. Sir John
French's
private; despatches to Lord Kitchener
are shared by King George. Almost
every day £he naWspapers report that
Erre ecer'tary of State for War has
Wit c h = King, and it is during these
nsultations that the vital facts' con-
cernin tr'ova are laid le fore Meal
Ma est
That WS18 hOW he was known to the
less iraportant agents—simply as
Steinhauer of Potsdam.. Beyond that
they knew rothing whatever of him,
except tbat he was a well-groomed
teen of about 40, who always wore
an affable manner and the best clothee
that London tailoring can produce.
Even his hats were made to order in
London. Like every cog in the Ger-
man wheel of Government, he is ab-
solutely thorough in his methods.
The devices originated by Stein-
hauer to aid the activities of his
subordinates were too numerous to
,dwell upon in any detail. It was he
'who -invented the system of signaling
by automobile and bicycle headlights'
fxtun points on the Eaglish or Scotch
in the North Sea. It was ha who'. le s, ftg fer
realized the' value of disguising gttyot 'The' distant British hts97,.
tn. the uniform of Boy Scouts or .ecOut. the signalling, trained-iti-guics-On
masters—a scheme which has caused enemy,, and saved the situation, ,
eigniel by hidaea wireless from the
very heart of London and to conceal
stores of petrol for German aeroplanes
in the Scottish Highlands. He stope
at no obstacle, and the means placed
at his disposal are practically limit -
Despite the fact that ,practically
every word oe instruetion Bent to
spies in Gteat Pritain emanates from
Steinhauer, his means of communica-
tion are so guarded that only one
letter bearing his signature has fel-
len into the hands of the English
authorities since the outbreak of war,
iieimeSeeeeesawareavremarimviowstaiiWinelusa
One of the most serious spiritual
effects of the war, says the Miesionary
Review. of the World is the dismem-
berment of many international Chris-
tian organizations.' "The Christian
Endeavors of different lands have been
obliged to break off friendly, corres-
pondence and to become enemies."
Over 200,000 meinbers of the Y.M.C. A ,
are in the various aemies of Ettrope.
The Crown Prince sent a picture
of himself. to every German in the
trenches, That ought to make them
fighting mad,
e
of elehjetleta. s oecurred at these meet-
ings fifer leaks out. Directly the King
ha t his private apartments a sec-
retary enters and deatroys the con -
odd scrap of paOr which might at-
ve a elle as to what took place .dur-
ligliiilookelliilis safe and dinW—M..
which there are but shigirilic'ye,
which his Majesty carries with him.
that Ge0M7a carried the army
„liat in his head," but the enthusiastic
'tanner in question would probably
be more surprised if he knew the full
extent of his Majesty's knowledge of
military and naval affairs. During
his many years in the navy the King
had ample opportunity of studying
British and foreign coast defences.
He knows every weak and strong spot
on the North Sea and Channel coast,
and of recent years he has especially
concerned himself with the growth of
English coast defences. Nang George
has also obtained extensive practical
knowledge of naval tactics by taking
an active part in ail tee big naval
00.
•
THE ANGLER
The Lunatic: "What are you doing?"
The Prussian Fisherman: "Fiehing f or Africa."
The Lunatic: "Caught it?"
The Prussian Fisherman: "Not yet"
The Lunatic: "How long have you be en trYing?"
Tho Prussian Fisherman: "Many ye ars."
'years ago, in thi South _of England,
Ogee men wrlazaiS travelling were
interested in the enffance of a stran-
ger just as the train was starting.
His bag and d -case indieated that
a a military man, and after' a
mom-ent he said: "That was a close
shave; I've come from Gibraltar, and
specially wanted to catch this son-
nection." Said one of the other men,
"I am glad you have joined us, for
we have been warmly diecussing the
edtaParative merits of Napoleon and
17Vellingtoe. As a military man, we
sluellld like your opinion as to whieh
of theee ,IVELS the greater general
etrategicallY. We now are of opinion
that Wellington wag the greater."
With considerable Skill and gracious-
ness the stranger peeved that strate.
KicallY Napoleon held the first place.
"Ali! Then who woh Waterloo?"
r:Phe Lunatic: "Come inside. Waterloo," and the speaker was
—London Opinion, with acknoWledgethents to the famous Phil May drawing ; General per ,Yotte French.