| Show e I C 1 Lt 4 I lit Over Tragic Fate o of f the Beautiful French Film f Actress Who Took Her Life When She T Learned Her Revelations to Secret Service Had Resulted in Her Own i Jf J f I Beloved Kin Being Executed aI k F t Y S i h A u- u k x f. f f fy j f r y ns u i u 4 t l S ks S Ss s u u n 11 1 Mile Ie Claude France actress whose activities as a spy for forthe forthe forthe the Allies during the war culminated in tragedy Ji By Carl de Vidal Hunt Paris A ALL LL Paris was shocked when the news was published publish d that Mile Mlle Claude France Prance the beautiful French film star had killed herself but only a few of those who followed her to her last Testing resting resting rest Test ing place knew the tragic circumstances which had driven her into the arms of death With the exception of two or three friends the world at large believed that the physical strain at the studio coupled with the mental anguish of an unhappy love affair had been the cause of the rising elsing film stars star's desperate deed This theory was partly substantiated by a letter she addressed to one of her friends Is In which she said she was too tired to go on living in a world that held nothing but disillusions Two other letters which she addressed to her husband and to her mother and which have Just been dade public throw an entirely different light on the amazing amazing amazing ing tragedy UDE was a German by birth Her ller J 1 real name was and her place of birth Cologne on the Cologne the When she came to Paris with her parents Claude was 2 years old That was exactly thirty years ago She had a brother Albert three years cars older than herself Just before the war the blond young beauty won on an International con contest cst held at Paris earls to discover the best formed and most st beautiful girl in the world As a result of Jf lier er victory she entered the moves es m under uDder the name of Claude France She had Just finished her second picture when the war ar broke out Being an alien she was as listed fisted for internment but love stepped in and saved her from sharing the prison life lUe of thousands of others The wan was a French officer of good family and excellent standing as a soldier It was a case of love lo at first sight on both sides On the day Claude was to be betaken betaken betaken taken to Meudon for internment the man manof manof manot of ot her ber choice led her to the altar thus making her a French citizen whose hose patriOtic patriotic patriotic pa pa- integrity he ho vouched for with his hb h honor Dor as an officer But Claude really did not need any one to speak for tor her patriotism At heart she was as as much French as the most rabid Chauvinist politician pol pol- She would have donned mens men's attire and volunteered for the trenches trenches' if her friends had let her And this despite the fact that her brother was fighting on the theother theother theother other side At least that Is what Clau Claude e thought Albert was doing As the war progressed the young girl girlon girlon girlon on several occasions showed her sincerity sincerity sincerity sincer sincer- ity by working with the nurses under tire fire Being of an adventurous turn of mind Claude eventually drifted into the most dan dangerous erous of war work work that that of the Second Second Second Sec Sec- ond Bureau meaning Bureau meaning the French Secret Service She was charged with counterespionage counterespionage counterespionage counter counter- espionage at a time when the notorious Mata Hari was under secret surveillance Claude France often called upon her and soon noticed among the friends of Mata- Mata Hari lIari a a. strange gayety whenever German arms had been reported victorious It aroused her suspicion and she reported the matter to her superiors But nothing was found to w warrant the arrest of Mata- Mata lIar Hari at that time Then came the Incident that was to prove directly responsible for Claudes Claude's suicide At a patriotic reception in the home of one of her friends she noticed a middle-aged middle man whom she thought she had seen at Mata Harl's apartment While everybody was listening to a speech Claude saw the man stealthily making his way toward another part of the house She waited a few minutes and then followed him Looking through a crack in the back wall all of a clothes closet she got a good view of the lighted bathroom The middle-aged middle man was as writing with witha a whIte pencil upon the bare back of ot another man whose face Claude could not see because his hb shirt had been pulled over ove his hb head The writing left no markson marks on the Hie skin of the man It was all done dODe in less than two minutes Claude France had Iud Just time enough to return to the drawing room where the reception was being held to tell her ber friend the hostess what hat she had seen The two men were promptly locked in the bathroom and later taken to Sante Saute prison where a chemical substance was used to bring out the writIng writIng writing writ- writ Ing on the back of the man It was a ap p partly rUy effaced message in code to the enemy Claude France Franco never saw that man AU All she heard later was that he was well ell known knO to the Paris Secret Service police poUce as u 68 and that he had been in con- con i 1 a A o. o l t. t C iL J Spy No whom Mile l France had delivered to the firing squad at the old Vincennes castle was a German n named med Albert her own brother b x tf f ay 4 s Y i ii X Russian prison scene taken from a French photoplay in which Mlle Mile France starred showing the arrest of her screen lover loveras as a spy stant communication with H 21 which was the number under which Margarete Zelle Zelie known as Mata Hari the dancer was registered in the German Secret Service In February 1917 two days be before before before be- be fore the arrest of Mata Hari the spy was taken to the moat of the old Vincennes castle and shot The war ar went on and Claude continued her work in the service of the Bureau Sometimes she entertained the at the front in comp company ny of other French stars but always she had an eye on the German spies After the war she resumed her film work having received big offers on account of her rare beauty and unusually light blond hair Claude was a distinct success in French films films' and the picture pictures In which she appeared were very popular in speaking French-speaking coun coun- tries But the young artist was never really happy not even In the performance of ot other her artistic duties A strange restlessness always haunted her r NE day she eloped with a married mamed man J ONE leaving her own 11 husband In Algiers where he was wu stationed with his regiment regi regi- ment meat At last she thought she had found happiness but her lover lo soon left her and returned to his Ws family For several se months Claude France was unable to work worle She sought forgetfulness forgetful forgetful- ness hess In the night life We of Montmartre dancing and spending her money recklessly recklessly reck reck- lessly until one d. d v she again ft fell in love This time the object r r her de dr df ution was wasa a handsome and young man who was apparently sincere In his love for her immediately Claude Claudo resumed her acting for the screen She was happy again and did everything to accomplish the sort of success that would sell seU her pictures in America In this she failed although several of the richest men in France placed their wealth at the disposal disposal disposal dis dis- dis- dis of her directors Undismayed the young woman went on working Her liaison lasted five years and would ha have hae e been ideal in the French way ay of thinking if Claude had not been so restless and at times so hopelessly dis dis- dis- dis Something always seemed to weigh upon her some strange foreboding of evil that was to visit her at the very apex of her artistic career IN TN TN THIS TIllS frame of mind she was engaged 1 to film Maurice sensational novel La Madonne des Sleeping a astory astory astory story dealing with ith the reckless love af affairs affairs affairs af- af fairs of a woman oman of the world in search of the bluebird of happiness During the making of the film Claude fell In love lo again this time with her own husband whom hom she had left seven years ago A reconciliation took place and for fob a little while things seemed to go smoothly In the up patched-up menage But it did not last Some mysterious shadow seemed to cloud the brightest hours In her newly found happiness six months after being re reUnited reunited reunited re- re united the couple became estranged again The husband went back to Africa and Claude again went in for the gay life We oi of Montmartre It wasn't t that she liked that sort of gayety but it afforded her a diversion dJ- dJ di diversion version a relief from the weight of her ber brooding thoughts Then came the tragedy Claude France ce Iud had been out of work for several weeks She was to start on a new picture and was as waiting walling for the day to report at the studio If U she did not work she had bad to dance herself tired It was always one or the other On this particular mo morning returning r Mata lata Hari Had the notorious woman spy of the German Secret Secret Secret Se Se- cret Service ice who was c. c executed at the time of the World War Var from an night all dancing madness Claude entered her little private te villa about dawn On passing the doorkeepers doorkeeper's lodge she asked if there had been a letter Jetter from the studio but the sleepy concierge answered in the negative Claude went wentlo to lo her bedroom without waking her maid maJd She sat down do at her small ebony writing desk and penn penned d several letters Jetters which she placed In envelopes and addressed one toa toa to toa a friend one to tier ber husband and another to her mother That night while conversing conversing con con- with a friend of the war days she had discovered that the spy 4 8 whom she bad had delivered to the firing squad w was s a German named Albert Wit Wit- Ui tig her own 11 beloved brother for whom she had searched these thee last nine years rears That and her unhappy love life was too much for the young womans woman's shattered nerves She got into one of her loveliest dressing gowns and bade a tearful adieu to lo her little UlUe pet Pekingese dog she opened the door of the Uie hall to let the animal out of the room which soon was to be filled ruled with the gas from rom the neater heater by her be bedside It was her farewell toa to toa toa a world of l heartache and disillusions i s w The letter Jetter addressed to her husband was short It read In spite spit of mj my mylove love for tor you rou I have driven you rou away Now I learn leam that It was I who slew my mr brother the being I loved more than I Ican can tell you I am his hU slayer as clearly as though I had fired the fatal tatal shot my my- self If I have not the courage to put an end to my own 11 We life I know I will mn go mad HE letter to the friend said I 1 am THE unable to face the world after what 1 learned today It Is bad enough that I 1 should have lost the love of the man who after all aU was everything to me but when there Is added to that the realization that my love of this thU man roan moved me to undertake undertake undertake under under- take work that sent my loved brother to cruel death at Vincennes I feel that there thera Is nothing for me to do but to end this miserable existence Immediately The letter to her mother who arrived In Paris with her father from the RhIneland Rhineland Rhineland Rhine- Rhine land to attend her funeral was the most pathetic Dear Little Mother I am thinking of at you In this supreme hour and hope you rou and father will forgive me I want to sleep a lon long long time Everything li is driving me to leave this world Will I find happiness In the beyond Will Albert Al Albert Albert Al- Al bert forgive me I am so tired of every every- thing Hard work was my only tion I was waiting for it praying for It even today as a means to escape from myself and from those hideous thoughts thought But the ghastly discovery of ny my deed today toda Is more than I can an stand Adieu When the doorkeeper entered the servants servants' am- am ants' ants quarters about noon to fled find out where the gas odor was coming from he had In his hand a letter for Claude France It was from the film studio requesting re requesting requesting re- re questing her to start work that morning MLLE FRANCES FRANCE'S career Is a strangely contrasted with that of Mata Hari probably the greatest woman spy In all aU history Mile France served her country for patriotic reasons alone Mata Mata-Hari's numerous love affairs with men of Illustrious fame showed her selfish selfIsh selfish self self- ish Interest Before she met her death duth facing a firing squad she had dragged one man from a won hard-won eminence and left another with a secret knowledge of ol guilt She was arrested In Paris In February 1917 and Incriminating letters were found in her apartment My friends shall free me me she exclaimed ex ex- ex claimed But no one came to her aid Her Iler German sweetheart and the Secret Service Bureau In abandoned abandoned aban aban- her When Paris learned that it was Mata Hari who had betrayed to the Germans a detailed account of the tanks which the English had privately constructed for use uee against the enemy the French tradesmen refused to supply her with food The German anti anU tank anti corps had killed many French soldiers and thus the tradesmen tried to avenge their death Her lIer attorney was obliged to purchase food far away from the St. St Lazare prison and smuggle It to her Her guilt was established beyond beyond- all aU doubt She was tried convicted and sentenced sentenced sentenced sen sen- to be shot For eight months she languished In prison Some efforts were made to free her but they were vain aIn On the morning of October 15 Mata Mats emaciated s by her incarceration dried dressed gayly Through the foggy dawn a sad ad little procession wended to the Forest of Vincennes which has witnessed so many tragedies tragedy Twelve grim men were wait wait- ing mg HI m be all right my friends You'll see how bow Mata Hari can die Splendidly as she bas has lived The adjutant lifted his sword and twelve shots rang raDi out Mats Mata crumpled at the foot of the execution post The Javanese dancer would trouble France no more Such a vision as that with her brother in m the leading lading role may have disturbed Mile Frances France's mind in fn those last troubled moments That she had been the un unwitting unwitting un- un witting wiLting cause of at it all an even for her beloved belo adopted country was knowledge too terrifying to bear bean c Si h 10 |
