Poem ~ Invisible Ink of Spy Kuepferle - Saturday, 22 May 1915

Impression sketch of Mabel Elliott - by Jamie. Mabel worked as a censor in 1915 discovering the method of invisible ink used by Anton Kuepferle

The original can be seen at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-15679088

With varied spy trials gone before,

Came another that went on for some

Time - the events surrounded arrival

Of Anton Kuepferle - who was to say

He was Swiss and naturalised

American travelling from New York.

On14 February 1915 Kuepferle

Travelled onto Dublin then London -

The reason he would provide was

Purely business - his story to say

His trade was wool importer,

Based back in Brooklyn New York.

While travelling to Ireland and

England he had posted business

Letters - addressed to a neutral

Country on the continent - what

Had given him away was

Interception of a postal censor.

The letters had been investigated

And found between written English

Lines were other lines in German,

Written in invisible ink - descriptions

Were of British ships along with

Certain movements of allied troops.

An arrest was made within five

Days on 19 February, by DI Buckley.

The passport Kuepferle held was

From New York, as he swore travel

Was purely commercial based -

Kuepferle was to be put on spy trial.

With his valise searched on arrest,

Was found to contain elements

For creating invisible writing, along

With the same paper type as letters

Stopped - Kuepferle in military

Custody was held at London Tower.

Kuepferle was moved to Brixton

In favour of a civil court - during

Times of exercise, he interacted

With another German - a letter

Found on Kuepferle intended

To be passed onto that prisoner.

Written down were references

To war acts - the German uses

Of gas and how Kuepferle wished

To be at the front again - contents

Were obviously by a soldier,

Not a commercial business man.

In intentions to pass information

Useful to any enemy, of naval

Manoeuvres, Kuepferle charged

Under the Defence of the Realm,

Act - On Tuesday saw public

Hearing - Wednesday in secrecy.

The reason being for all interests

Of National safety - the trial was

Under a Civil Court, but Kuepferle

Was fearful of an outcome of death.

Inspections of his cell confinement

Were carried out every 15 minutes.

Within this time space Kuepferle

Wrote a message on a slate, then

Tied a scarf to a grill he stood on

A library book - with the other end

About his neck, he kicked book

Away - he could not be revived.

Kuepferle's last words said trial

Had been carried out fairly - all

He had done was for his country -

But could no longer take strains.

His ideal to be shot as a soldier
of rank, not to meet a spy's death;
So he took life by his own hand.

 by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Dramatic End to Spy Trial. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 21 May. P.9. Col.7. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11608898/Daily-Telegraph-May-21-1915.html [Accessed: 22 May 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 22 May 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11608898/Daily-Telegraph-May-21-1915.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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Poem ~ Centre of Spy Ring - Wednesday, 11 November 1914

84 persons had stood,

Before the old Bailey

On 4 November - the number,

Seen as average amount

For an autumn trial.

A first for many years

Were the cases that proved,

Less serious than murder charges.

The sessions did include,

One of manslaughter

Four of bigamy, two of perjury

One of libel and one concerning

Information being given to an

Enemy; involving a hairdresser

Karl Gustav Ernst.

Ages 43, Mr Ernst,

Of Caledonian Road,

Was charged of conspiring 

With the master Spy,

Steinhauser of Berlin – Mr Ernst

Was one of a ring of spies -

To include Armgaard Karl Graves,

Heinrich Grosse, Frederick Augustus,

George Charles Parrott, 

William Klare F. Ireland,

Gould Schrodder, along with others,

Then unknown.

This spy ring had set out

To gain much information

Regarding armaments and all

Movements with the dispositions,

Of ships of the Royal Navy -

Such knowledge would prove

Useful to the German enemy.

In the charges, stated to the jury,

Sir Forrest Fulton KC,

Said that Ernst had been

Under suspicion since 1912.

All correspondence for the accused,

Since that time, had been opened

By the Post Office - when,

By order of Secretary of State,

The contents were carefully copied.

By this process, it was clear

That Ernst stood at the centre

Of an Espionage system,

For the German Government.

Such gathered evidence,

Suggested Germany’s intentions -

Dating back even before 1912.

Mr Asquith referred to 1912, 

When the British Government,

Had been invited to unconditional

Neutrality -

That in this position - no attack

Would be made on this country.

On Arrest, Ernst moved

From his statement

Of knowing nothing - to great

Regret, for his involvement,

In any such affairs.

Adding to this he had given

Up spying, at start of 1914.

The Court Recorder stated, 

An intolerable situation.

Further to inform the jury,

That the official Secrets Act,

Allows authorities

To deal with such offences -

That it would be the courts duty

To find a ‘bill against him.’

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Naval Secrets – Spy Case at Old Bailey –Centre of Espionage. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 11 Nov. p.3. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11214348/Daily-Telegraph-November-11-1914.html [Accessed: 11 November 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 11 November 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11214348/Daily-Telegraph-November-11-1914.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered

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