Evening Star Newspaper, July 12, 1931, Page 73

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JULY 12, How Mme. Victorica, German Spy, Was Captured o — For Three Years She Escaped the Best Spy- Catchers of Europe, but When She Began Operations in America She Met Her Maitch in Cunning, and the Truth About Her Plots Against the United States Now Is Revealed by the Chief of the Black Chamber. BY HERBERT O. YARDLEY. Author of “American Black Chamber.” GREAT deal of remance has been written about the famous German spy. Mme. Maria de Victorica, alias Maric de Vussiere, the “beautiful blond weman of Antwerp,” but the authentic stery ef her activities, detection and arrest has never been told. Though she had been seught by the British Secret Sorvice since 1914, it was the Secret- Ink Bureau of MI-8 that gnally proved her nemesis. Mme. de Victorica was the most daring and dangerous spy encountered in American his- tory. Her activities in the United States be- tween her arrival and arrest comprise a story of ruthless espionage and wholesale destruc- tion that surpasses the wildest fantasies of the most imaginative fictionists. But, like many other German spies, Mme. Victorica did not reckon with our skilled chemists, whose glass test-tubes and varicolored liquids at last un- did her. On November 5, 1917, the British authorities gave us information which, though it had no direct bearing on Mme. Victorica, finally led {ndirectly to her identity. We were informed that a German agent of uanknown name and nationality had recently left Spain for th2 United States with in- structions to pay $10,000 to A. C. Fellows, 21 Sinclair avenue, Hoboken, N. J, and, if not feasible, to K. Lamb, 43 East avenue, Wood- side, Long Island. (Names and addresses have been changed all through this story.) yn at these addresses shewed that s had disappeared. The addres:es were then placed under continuous and care- ful observation. Two months later, in January, 1918, we intercepted a letter addressed to Fellows, which, though mailed in New York, bore the legend “Madrid, November 3rd, 1917.” This was two days before the cate of the British warning. HE letter itsell was vague, and though the chemists worked over it feverishly, they failed to develop secret writing. This was very discouragirg, for as yet the Secret-Ink Laboratory lfi not distinguished itself. Four days afterward, late in the afterneon, one of our agents, breathless with excitement, rushed into the laboratory. «Another letter addressed to Fellows!” he exclaimed. After both sides of the envelope had been photographed, it was steamed open and a letter, written in English, was extracted. The letter was headed “Dear Mrs. Gerhardt” and was signed “Maud.” On the face of it, it was harmless enough; it told how ‘“our mutual friend, Frank,” had been ill for some time, but added that he had recovered and was now about to resume his business. “Maud.” the writer, said that she would write to «Prank” in the near future. That was all. However, it must be remembered that spy fetters were usually written in this tenor. In the jargon of spies, illness means that one is under observation and cannot carry on his activities; to recover means that he has eluded observation or is no longer under suspicion. Furthermore, the envelope was addressed to Fellows, but the letter was addressed to Mrs. Gerhardt: th~ letter was signed “Maud.” but the envelope bora the return address of D. Crain, 932 East 108th street, New York. On top of that, the letter had to be tested for secret ink. The chemist dip a brush in chemicals and traced it acr the letter. At the third attempt faint traces of invisible writing appeared. $1|T'S written in ‘P ink—here’s secret writ- ing.” he exclaimed, “in German script!” “How long will it take to develop all the Jetter?” “It may take all night. This is an important spy letter and we will have to work carefully in order not to injure the paper. We may wish to restore the secret writing.” While the chemists carefully developed the secret writing and prepared a translation our agents in New York were discovering some very curious things. The return address on the envelope, 932 East 108th street, was a rooming house, but no one by the name of D. Crain lived here. However, quiet investigation of the roomers . revealed one Allison, a steward on the S. S. Christianiafjord, which was now docked in New York. Under severe grueling he gave the fol- lowing story: Just before he sailed from Christiania, Nor- way, a porter in the Metropole Hotel gave him two letters to smuggle into the United States and mail in New York, one to A. C. Fellows and the other to Mrs. Hugo Gerhardt, 830 West Ninety-sixth street. After arrival he obtained new envelopes, the original ones being badly damaged, and readdressed the letters. And now occurred one of those fatal co- fncidences which, though not permitted in fiction, nevertheless shape the lives and destinies of everybody. Allison, after readdressing the Iletters, in- advertently placed them in the wrong emvelopes! The one intended for A. C. Fellows 1R} pl Vi A X The woman who handled Germany's war plots in America. Madame de Victorica, photographed after her arrest had broken her spirit. Caught through the skill of Herbert O. Yardley. was addressed to Mrs. Gerhardt. This was never recovered. The ore intended for Mrs. Gerhardt was addressed to Fellows—and inter- cepted! Now for the translation of the secret writing in the letter. It read: “Please examine both sides of the sheet of paper for secret writing. I confirm my letter No. T of October sent in several copies. You are now free to take up your business affairs in South America entirely, and to invest capi- tal in the great war industries, docks and navigation as you judge best. “The works for obtaining quicksilver in the west were particularly recommended to me by well informed persons. In view of the enormous shipbuilding program of the United States, capital should preferably be invested in the docks over there, but the firm must not become known to the banks as a stockholder in ship- buflding companies. “Your Irish friends will surely not lose the opportunity of speculatig in such a good thing. It will, therefore, be all the easler for these friends to play dummy in this affair. “Remittances are on the way. Furthermore, sufficient credit has been cpened for you in South American branch companies. Therefore get into communication with South America. In Argentina business is to stop until further notice. On the other hand, Brazil is now a very good place to invest capital in, to which I call the special attention of the branch offices in Brazil. Mexico naturally does not interest mé on acoount of the confused political condi- tions now prevalent there. “You must leave no stone unturned to get a good neutral, or, better still, a good American, 19810 o o B e —— not German-American, cover-address, and (ot me know it at the first opportunity. The use of such unsuspected cover-addresses should facilitate cable communications. Cable com- munication is to be provided in the following cases: “If business with the United States is to be stopped, I will cable over ‘cancel order,’ ‘to be followed by a close description of the business to be canceled. If the firm over there, owing to losses, for instance, should no ionger be alle to take care of my interests as heretofore, you cable ‘advise selling,’ here to follow name of shares, etc., of a well known Awmericun enter- prise dealt in in Europe. “It must under all circumstances be avoid>d that possible losses or unlucky speculations should lead to the breakdown of my whole en- terprice over there. Therefore a second firm must be established entirely independent of the present one, which, pursuant to the commercial law there, cannot in any way be made re- sponsible for the operations of the present firm and which will be in a position to deal with me directly.” 5 Ll face of it, this looks harmless enough, but to one familiar with the language of spies—made purposely obscure so that convic- tion in a court of law would be harder to get— it is all very plain. The reference to investing in war industries, docks and shipping means to find means (o de- stroy such things. It is suggested that anti- British Irish patriots might be induced to join in such schemes. In Latin America nothing is to be done to offend the Argentines or Mexico, but no care need be taken in regard to Braal', which had already declared war on Germany. The instructions regarding cables provided for a censorproof method of rapid communica- tion; and it was evident that German spy head- quarters, realizing that their whole plan for sabotage in America was being handled by only one group, wanted another “independent firm" set up to act in case the first group w=3 broken up by counter-espionage. The reader may imagine the consternation that this message at once caused in American espionage circles. Though we had arrested many suspects, it was obvious that the master spy The questions on every one’s lips were: Who is he? Where is he? How find him? All the names comnected with the “Maud” letter had been thoroughly investigated except Mrs. Hugo Gerhardt, 830 West Ninety- Careful inquiry here revealed the had moved; also that the letter intended for Fellows, but \inadveflzndy ad- i £Uy»Y Ve N = “Madame de Victorica, an aristocratic and cultured woman of noble birth, held out under quagon- jng until we confre.:ted her with documentary proof of her espionage ace- tivities. Then she broke down and had to be taken to a hospital prison ward.” dressed to her, had been returned by the post- man to Allison's rooming house and destroyed by the landlady. AREFUL investigation finally revealed Mrs. Gerhardt's present address, also the fact that she had received a number of mysterious letters not for her. It seemed too much to ex- pect that this woman, a widow and in appar- ently destitute circumstances, could be the mas- ter spy for whom we were seeking. Oflen German spies used perfectly innocent Amer< icans as cover addresses for their spy letters, having sonie unknown person closely connected with the addressee who could obtain the letters after they arrived. We discovered that though Mrs. Gerhardt had not received any of these mysterious let- ters for several months, she had seen the name Victorica in some of th2 earlier ones. This was something definite to work on and we imme- diately cabled this information to the British authorities. The British had some good material bearing on Mme. Victorica in their files, and they soon informed us that In the Winter of 1917, just after America had broken diplomatic rela- tions with Germany, a German firm had cabled $35,000 to her in New York. We learned, also, that she had reached Amer- ica from Berlin only a few weeks before that date and she was described as “a stunning bionde, about 35.” Her husband, one Manuel Gustave Victorica, had been arrested by the French and was now awaiting sentence by the Council of War. HROUGH her banking firm we traced Vic- torica to & New York address, only to find that she had moved. Evidently she had been frightened by the outbreak of war between the United States and Germany. However, we did get at this address some letters that had ar- rived for her after her departure. With our chemicals we developed the invistble writing in them and—among other things— translated the following startling message: “Advise immediately where U-boat or sailing boat material sacks can be sunk on American coast—perhaps between New York and Hate teras. Position must be free of currents, watee depth not more than 20 meters. Can a mese senger be landed there? “The marking of sinking positions with buoys is successfully carried out in Spain. Wire agreement and where material is to be sunk, Indicate in writing at once how plan is te be carried out.” proves that the German secret service ag ¢+ Contivwed ow Fifteenth Page- - ,;3. 1 » Y1199 08 3