Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-04-01 | Page 28 | Private Detective has Trying Season

PRIVATE DETECTIVE IIS TRYING SEASON Undergoes a Sensational Trial in Switzerland on Espionage Charge. GENEVA, March 31. After a rather sensational trial a Swiss police official, Sergeant Depassel, and August Virot, a private detective, have been convicted here of violation of the neutrality pf Switzerland, and espionage. Depassel, -who had the reputation of being the shrewdest and most successful success-ful sleuth of Geneva, was detailed several sev-eral months ago to watch a band of French propagandists and spies who had anade their headquarters here. He approached ap-proached the leaders of the band, but instead of collecting evidence against them he entered their service and became be-came a French spy himself. In the course of six weeks he ar-1 ar-1 rested sixteen alleged German spies and 1 went to Germany twice to collect mili-j mili-j tary information. For this activity he : received about $4000. He was sentenced sen-tenced to five years' imprisonment and a fine of $500. Virot, who got off with three months' imprisonment and a fine of $20, entered the service of the French agents at the ; instigation of Depassel and was sent to I Germany repeatedly. While there he i offered himself to the German secret ; service officials, with the result that ; they also employed him as a spy and j sent him to France to get information , about movements of the allied armies, j the transport conditions and the muni- 1 i tions supplies. j I