Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 170, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 August 1917 — The Italian Secret Police [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Italian Secret Police

They discover a nest of German spies and use patriotism of two criminals to get vital evidence by theft:: Story of the nobleman who > stole a million dollars and more —

Y __ |WQ striking romances have lately been disclosed by the ■ Italian police, one the Monte M Cristo tale of a bogus count who dwindled banks out of a ft ft million and a quarter of dolwJ lars and spent the money as If it were water; the other an utterly different story of the operations of the Italian secret police in detecting and breaking up a vast espionage conspiracy operated from neutral soil. Some fragments of> both stories have been given to the public^even in Italy not nearly all the details of either are yet known. Both stories testify to the skill of the Italian secret police. The tale of the robbery of the Austrian consulate at Zurich has all the makings of a novel of adventure. The Italian authorities had Information, even- before Italy’s entrance Into the war, that -from some neutral quarter a great conspiracy of espionage was being engineered in Italy. It became more and more apparent that this conspiracy had its agents in very high places, where they enjoyed access .to the most confidential Information. % Ultimately suspicion was directed agaihst Mjr. Gerlaeh, the pope’s German private chamberlain, who had been allowed to remain in Italy despite his nationality, because of his relations with the Vatican. Month after month of Investigation led finally to the conviction that the Austrian consulate at Zurich was the clearing housa and headquarters of the whole Austrian espionage In Italy. Secret agents of the Italian office for special police investigations watched the establishment at Zurich and Its agents in Italy until they were satisfied of the correctness of their suspicions regarding Zurich and the implication of Mgr. Gerlach. The rest would - have been easy if Zurich had not been neutral territory, and If there had not been very special reasons to avoid giving offense to the Swiss government. Above all things. Italy could not afford to do this because there Is a_ strong pro-German sentiment in Switzerland, and the Aus-tro-Germans would have all the advantage if Switzerland should be drawn into the war and its territory thus opened -for a movement of their forces against Italy. , Expert Burglars Employed.

The story goes that when long-con-tinued observation had established beyond reasonable question the character of the operations that were being conducted from the Austrian consulate in Zurich the Italian secret police decided not only that they would break up the business but that they would make a desperate effort to get possession of papers which would fix the guilt upon agents In Italy. Accordingly, two highly expert safe blowers and bank robbers who were serving life terms in an Italian prison were made agents of the secret police. If the story as it is accepted and believed in Italy Is correct, these two expert criminals were taken into conference by the police. They proved, as so many criminals |n all the warring countries have proved, that in their somewhat irregular fashion they were just as patriotic as people who had managed to keep out of jail. They convinced the authorities that they could be trusted with a great state secret, and finally were promised their freedom if they would go to Zurich, examine the Austrian consular establishment, and rob It of the documents that were desired.

The two expert safe blowers promptly accepted the commission. They were equipped with every detail of Information that the police could give them, and provided with plenty of money and means to disguise themselves and their business. Then they went away to Zurich, took their own good time and did a patriotic job In high-class safe blowing that must be set down as unique. They discovered that the coveted and incriminating documents of the consulate were kept in a building adjacent to the consular establishment and not supposed to be occupied by It. It developed not only that the big strong-box of state secrets was thus entirely separated from the consular office, but that very ingenious methods had been adopted to prevent a robbery. ' Not only were electric burglar alarms Installed but the room in which the big safe stood was piped for asphyxiating gas In such fashion that Interference with the safe would open the valves and Instantly fill the place with gas. It was necessary first for the burglars to learn all about this method of protection so that they might thwart it. Amazing Revelations Secured. The ingenuity of the Expert cracksmen was equal to the occasion. They developed ultimately a plan for tun-

nellng into the house where the safe was deposited, and then of cutting the electrical connections In some cases and switching off the current to false ground wires in other cases in such fashion that all danger would be avoided. When everything was ready, they put their plan into execution. They wore the most approved and effective gas masks, and were disguised in artful manner. At any rate they actually succeeded in blowing the safe, and although some of the gas mains were opened and the room filled with gas. their masks andi oxygen tanks saved the operators, were able to get away with a large proportion of the most Incriminating documents. The whole performance was so engineered that the Italian authorities could not possibly have been held responsible for it if there had been a fluke, or if the expected revelations had not been forthcoming. When the thing was finally accomplished and the Italian authorities held the papers, which proved a wide-reaching conspiracy had been carried on from Swiss soil, it was of course Italy, not Switzerland. that had the grievance, and the necessity for secrecy was at an end.

The documents that were thus secured contained amazing revelations. Not only Mgr. Gerlach but other people of only slightly less'eminence, some of whom had never been under suspicion in Italy, were Involved. Mgr. Gerlach escaped just in time to avoid arrest, though there has been suspicion in some quarters that the Italian authorities, without actually conniving at his escape, Were quite satisfied at not having him in their custody. A great number of arrests followed, and it has been apparent from developments. recently that this nest of plotters had been the headquarters of about all the AUstro-German spies in Italy. A Swindler or a Spy?

The of “Count Luca Cortese.” the bogus Neapolitan nobleman who carried on an astounding series of swindles, was very different. Count Cortese was arrested nominally for swindling a Roman bank out of $365. As a matter of fact, it Is very well understood that his operations amounted to vastly more and • his booty is estimated at $1,250,000. * There is still much mystery about the case, many people being convinced that the count was in fact an espionage officer of the enemy countries, and the funds advanced to him under the guise of frauds were somehow or other provided by either Vienna or Berlin. The Italian government has refused to accept this view, and all comment on the case has been required studiously to avoid even the suggestion that espionage was Involved.

~ Ope. of his first ventures was <the creation of a trust Including practically all the Italian dramatic Interests. He paid unreasonable prices for control of many concerns, and not only subsidized the companies but doubled the ..salaries of actors, supplied actresses with expensive clothing and jewelry, leased theaters for long runs, bought newspapers, founded a new publishing house to bring out a dramatic review suited to his own special performances, negotiated the purchase of Italian rights on foreign plays with the object of monopolizing their production in Italy and encouraged playwrights to Compose Italian plays and operas for him. By way of ingratiating himself with the moral sentiment of the community, he was particularly strong for the moral regeneration of the stage. He devoted much attention to projects of this sort, winning the support of influential Catholics by his projects for excluding actors and actresses of dubl-

ous moral repute from the Italian stage. All this time the “count” was traveling about Italy in a private car, staying at the most expensive hotels, giving valuable presents to scores of people, unfailingly contributing generously to all charitable purposes and war relief. He fitted for himself elaborate offices in the chief Italian cities, and engaged a numerous staff of agents, secretaries and servants, in eluding a big Moor as valet. It was noted that the spectacular “count” was highly eccentric; but then, it was argued, all wealthy people are likely to be more or less eccentric; and there, was no doubt that the people who were most familiar with his operations thought he was of perfectly sane mind and a highly clever individual. Where the man had acquired his wealth was a mystery quite beyond solution until after the whole plot was exposed. Then everybody marveled at Its simplicity sis well aslts ingenuity.

Cortese had two accomplices, one a notary public and the other g poor devil from Como, who served his purpose because they bore remarkable likeness to two Piedmontese automobile magnates. Cortese carefully cultivated these resemblances, costuming and making up his accomplices with the greatest care to preserve the illusion. One of them was got up to resemble Signor Dlatto of Turin, owner of an automobile factory, while the other was the image of Signor Dante 7 Ferraris, manager of the Fiat Automobile company. Two Spurious Financiers. Accompanied by them, Cortese would go to a bank, commonly the most important and iiffluential institution in the community where he was operating, would have himself introduced by them to the management of the bank, and'would stand modestly by while directions were given to the bank officials that he should be provided with such sums of money as he required on conditions which were carefully indicated. Usually the money thus supplied was deposited in the bank from which it was being drawn.

So perfect was the illusion that the thing went on for many months before suspicion was aroused despite the spectacular operations in -which the “count” was notoriously wasting vast sums. The banks appeared not seriously to have concerned themselves about what was happening to the money they were advancing so freely. He seems invariably to have got all the money he wanted without the slightest difficulty.

When the police at last investigated the case, and called upon Cortese to explain where he got his money, he well-nigh convinced them that he really was an Intimate friend of the two automobile magnates. It Is said that he even conceived and at times carried out the plan of getting himself into association with the two genuine financiers in order that he might be seen publicly with them. They of course were quite ignorant of his purpose. The Italian censorship has been instructed to suppress any hint at espionage and complicity on the part of the banks. Cortese and his two accomplices have been arrested. It was assumed that a sensational trial would follow Tn due course, but there were those who had! doubts. They suspected that if the matter were forced to, a trial. Cortese would make revelations ns a result of which the scandal •would widen. Ip partial confirmation of this view is a recent cable dispatch which announced that Cortese would be tried before a military tribunal. From this it is inferred that there is evidence was a spy.—New York Sun.