June 27, 2023 • 29 mins
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Espionage adventures, Covert operations, Thrilling missions, International intrigue, Spy thriller, Government agents, Undercover work, Secret intelligence, Political espionage, Intriguing conspiracies, High-stakes espionage, Intelligence gathering, Hidden identities, Espionage secrets, Political thrillers, Spy network, Secret missions, Classified operations, Intrigue and suspense, Government secrets
Espionage adventures, Covert operations, Thrilling missions, International intrigue, Spy thriller, Government agents, Undercover work, Secret intelligence, Political espionage, Intriguing conspiracies, High-stakes espionage, Intelligence gathering, Hidden identities, Espionage secrets, Political thrillers, Spy network, Secret missions, Classified operations, Intrigue and suspense, Government secrets
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Chapter three, the Ipiranga Case Mexico, said Bill Quinn, who now holds
a soft berth in the Treasury Departmentby virtue of an injury received in the
line of duty during a raid oncounterfeiters a few years ago, to be
precise, is back on the firstpage of the papers again, after being
(00:22):
crowded off for some four years becauseof the World War. Funny coincidence that
when you remember that it was thissame Mexico that gave us our first indication
of the way we might expect Germanyto behave Huh, I said, a
bit startled. What do you meanthe first spark of the war was kindled
(00:44):
in Serbia, not Mexico. Outsideof the rumblings of the Algerisis case and
one or two other minor affairs,there wasn't the slightest indication of the conflict
to come. No, and Quinn'seyebrows went up in interrogation. How about
the Epiranga case, the which theEpiranga case, the one where Jack Stuart
(01:10):
stumbled across a clue in a Mexicocity cafe, which led all the way
to Berlin and back to Washington andthreatened to precipitate a row before the Kaiser
was quite ready for it. No, I admitted, that's a page of
underground history that I haven't read,and I must confess that I don't know
(01:32):
Stuart either. Probably not, saidthe former Secret Service man. He wasn't
connected with any of the branches ofthe government that get into print very often.
As a matter of fact, thevery existence of the organization to which
he belonged isn't given any too muchpublicity. Everyone knows of the Secret Service
(01:55):
and the men who make the investigationsfor the Department of Justice and the Post
Office Department. But the Department ofState, for obvious reasons, conducts its
inquiries in a rather more diplomatic manner. Its agents have to pose as commercial
investigators or something else equally as prosaic. Their salaries are as a general thing,
(02:17):
paid out of the President's private allowanceor out of the fund given to
the Department for use as it maysee fit. Less than half a dozen
people know the actual status of theorganization or the names of its members at
any one time, and its exploitsare recorded only in the archives of the
(02:38):
State Department. But who I persistedas Quinn stopped. Was Jack Stewart and
what was the nature of the affairupon which he stumbled in Mexico City.
Stewart replied, Quinn was just aquiet, ordinary sort of chap, the
kind that you'd expect to find behinda desk in the State eight Department,
(03:00):
sorting out consular reports and handling routinestuff. Nothing exceptional about him at all,
which was probably one reason for hisbeing selected for work as a secret
agent of the department. It doesn'tdo, you know, to pick men
who are conspicuous, either in theirdress or manner, too easy to spot
(03:23):
and remember them. The chap whoswallowed up in the crowd is the one
who can get by with a wholelot of quiet work without being suspected.
When they sent Jack down to Mexico, they didn't have the slightest idea he'd
uncover anything as big as he did. The country south of the Rio Grande,
(03:43):
if you recall, had been nonetoo quiet for some time prior to
nineteen fourteen. Taft had had histroubles with it ever since the end of
the Diaz regime, and when Wilsoncame in. The Mexican question was a
legacy that caused the men in theState Department to spend a good many sleepless
nights. All sorts of rumors,most of them wild and bloody, floated
(04:10):
up through official and unofficial channels.The one fact that seemed to be certain
was that Mexico was none too friendlyto the United States, and that some
other nation was behind this feeling,keeping it constantly stirred up and overlooking no
opportunity to add fuel to the flame. Three or four other members of the
(04:32):
State Department secret organization had been wanderingaround picking up leads for some months past,
and upon the return of one ofthese to Washington, Stewart was sent
to replace him. His instructions weresimple and delightfully indefinite. He was to
proceed to Mexico City posing as theinvestigator for a financial house in New York
(04:57):
which was on the lookout for asoft concer session from the Mexican government.
This would give him an opportunity toseek the acquaintance of Mexican officials and lend
an air of plausibility to practically anyline that he found it necessary to follow.
But once at the capital, withhis alibies well established, he was
(05:19):
to overlook nothing which might throw lightupon the question that had been bothering Washington
for some time past, just whichone of the foreign powers was fanning the
Mexican unrest and to what lengths itwas prepared to go. Of course,
the State Department suspected, just aswe now know, that Berlin was behind
(05:42):
the movement, but at that timethere was no indication of the reason.
In the light of later events,however, the plan is plain. Germany,
feeling certain that the greatest war Europehad ever known was a matter of
the immediate future, was laying herplans to keep other nations out of the
conflict. She figured that Mexico wasthe best foil for the United States,
(06:08):
and that our pitifully small army wouldhave its hands full with troubles at home.
If not, she intended to letJapan enter into the equation, as
shown by the Zimmerman note. Sometwo years later, when Stuart got to
Mexico City, it did not takehim long to discover that there was an
(06:28):
undercurrent of animosity to the United States, which made itself felt in numberless ways.
Some of the Mexican papers, apparentlyon a stronger financial basis than ever
before, were outspoken in their criticismof American dollars and American dealings. The
people as a whole, long dominatedby Diaz, were being stirred to resentment
(06:54):
of the gringos who sought to purchasethe soul of a nation as well as
its general wealth. The improvements whichAmerican capital had made were entirely overlooked,
and the spotlight of subsidized publicity wasthrown upon the encroachments of the hated Yankees.
(07:15):
All this Stuart reported to Washington,and in reply was politely informed that,
while interesting, it was hardly news. The State Department had known all
this for months. The question waswhere was the money coming from and what
was the immediate object of the game. Take your time and don't bother us
(07:38):
unless you find something definite to report, was the substance of the instructions cable
to Stuart. The secret Agent thereforecontented himself with lounging around the very inviting
cafes of the Mexican capital and makingfriends with such officials as might be able
to drop scraps of information. Itwas November when he first hit Mexico City.
(08:05):
It was nearly the middle of Aprilbefore he picked up anything at all.
Worthwhile. Of course, In themeantime he had uncovered a number of
leads, but every one of themwas blind. For a day or two,
or a week at most. Theywould hold out glowing promise of something
big just around the corner. Thenwhen he got to the end of the
(08:28):
rainbow, he would find an emptypail in place of the pot of gold
he had hoped for. It wasn'tsurprising, therefore, that Stuart was growing
tired of the life of continual mystery, of developments that never developed, of
secrets that were empty, and surprisesthat faded away into nothing. It was
(08:50):
on the thirteenth of April, whileseated in a little table in front of
a sidewalk cafe in the Caille deVictoria, that the American agent obtained his
first real clue to the impending disaster. When two Mexicans whom he knew by
sight but not by name, satdown at a table near his, he
(09:11):
pricked up his ears purely by instinct, rather than through any real hope of
obtaining information of value. The arrivalof the usual sugared drinks was followed by
a few words of guarded conversation,and then one of the Mexicans remarked,
in a tone a trifle louder thannecessary, that the United States is a
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nation of cowardly women, dollar worshipperswho were afraid to fight, and braggarts
who would not dare to back uptheir threats. It was an effort for
Stuart to remain immersed in the newspaperpropped up in front of him. Often
as he had heard these sentiments expressed, his Southern blood still rose involuntarily,
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until his logic reminded him that hismission was not to start a quarrel,
but to end one. He knewthat no good could ensue from his taking
up the challenge, and the veryfact that the speaker had raised his voice
gave him the tip that the wordswere uttered for his special benefit to find
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out whether he understood Spanish, forhe made no attempt to disguise his nationality
with a smile which did not showon his lips. Stuart summoned the waiter,
and an atrocious Spanish, ordered anotherglass of lemonade. His complete knowledge
of the language was the one thingwhich he had managed to keep entirely under
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cover ever since reaching Mexico, forhe figured that the natives would speak more
freely in his presence if they believedhe could not gather what they were discussing.
The trick worked a perfection. Pigheaded Yankee commented the Mexican who had
first spoken lemonade. Pah, theyhaven't the nerve to take a man's drink,
(11:05):
and he drained his glass of pulqueat a single gulp. The other,
who had not spoken above a whisper, raised his glass and regarded it
in silence for a moment. Thenpros it, he said, and drank.
Non di Dio warned his companion,be careful. The American hog does
(11:26):
not speak Spanish well enough to understandthose who use it fluently, but he
may speak German. Stuart smothered asmile behind his paper. Spanish had always
been a hobby of his, buthe only knew about three words in German.
I understand, continued the Mexican,that Victoriano is preparing for the coup,
(11:52):
just as I always figured he would. Stuart knew that Victoriana was the
familiar form in which the populace referredto Victoriana huerta self appointed president of Mexico,
and the men who had steadfastly defiedthe American government in every way possible,
taking care not to allow matters toreach such a hot stage that he
(12:16):
could handle them through diplomatic promises tosee that things improved in the future.
El Presidente has always been careful toprotect himself, the speaker went on.
But now that you have brought definiteassurance from our friends that the money and
the arms will be forthcoming within thefortnight, there is nothing further to fear
(12:39):
from the Yankee pigs. It willbe easy to stir up sentiment against them
here overnight, and before they canmass their handful of troops along the Rio
Grande, we will have retaken Texasand wiped out the insult of forty eight.
What is the latest news from theship, the inquired the man across
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the table, But his Teutonic intonationof what was evidently a Spanish name was
so jumbled that all Stuart could catchwas the first syllable, something that sounded
like eep is that the name,asked the Mexican, Yes, replied the
other. She sailed from Hamburg onthe seventh, allowing two weeks for the
(13:28):
passage. She isn't fast, youknow, that would bring her into Vera
Cruz about the twenty first. Oncethere, the arms can be landed,
and the events of the next fewminutes moved so rapidly that when Stuart had
time to catch his breath, hefound it difficult to reconstruct the affair with
(13:50):
accuracy. He recalled that he hadbeen so interested in the conversation at the
next table that he had failed tonotice the approach of the only other man
he knew in the State Department secretorganization, Dawson, who had been prowling
around the West coast on an errandsimilar to his Before he knew it,
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Dawson had clapped him on the backand exclaimed, Hello, Jack. Didn't
expect to see you here, thoughtyou'd be looking over things in the vicinity
of the palace. The words themselveswere innocent enough, but they were spoken
in fluent, rapid Spanish, andStewart had shown that he understood. Sapristy
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hissed the Mexican did you see,and he bent forward to whisper hurriedly to
his companion. Stewart recovered himself instantly, but the damage had been done.
Hello, Dawson, he answered inEnglish, trusting that the men at the
next table had not noted his slip, sit down and have something weather isn't
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it and not a lead in sight. These Mexicans seem to be afraid to
enter into any contract that ties themup more than a year and eighteen revolutions
can happen in that time. AsDawson seated himself, Stewart gave him a
hasty sign to be careful, watchingthe Mexican and his companion out of the
(15:22):
corner of his eye. He steeredthe conversation into harmless channels, but a
moment later, the parrot the nexttable, called the waiter, gave some
whispered instructions and left. What's thematter, asked Dawson. Nothing except that
I involuntarily registered a knowledge of Spanishwhen you spoke to me just now,
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and I've spent several months building upa reputation for knowing less about the language
than anyone in Mexico City. Asluck would have it, there was a
couple seated at the next table whowere giving me what sounded like the first
real dope I've had since I gothere. I'll tell you about it later.
(16:07):
The question now is to get backto the hotel before that precious pair
get in their dirty work. Acode message to Washington is all I ask.
But if I'm not mistaken, weare going to have our work cut
out for us and the way back. Scott serious as that is, it
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muttered Dawson. Well, there aretwo of us, and I'd like to
see their whole Damn army try tostop us. Let's go. Wait a
minute, counseled Stuart. There's noreal hurry, for they wouldn't dare try
to start anything in the open incase we get separated, or if anything
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should happen. Why are the Departmentin code that a vessel with a Spanish
name, something that begins with EEP, cleared Hamburg, loaded with guns and
ammunition expected at Vera Cruz about thetwenty first. Germany's behind the whole plot.
(17:11):
Now I'll settle up and we'll move. But as he reached for his
pocketbook, a Mexican swaggering along thesidewalk deliberately stumbled against his chair and sent
him sprawling. Dawson was on hisfeet in an instant, his fists clenched
and ready for action. But Stuarthad noted that the Mexican had three companions,
(17:36):
and that one of the men whohad occupied the adjoining table was watching
the affair from a vantage point halfa block away. With a leap that
was catlike in its agility, Stuartseized the swaggering native by the legs in
a football tackle and upset him againsthis assistants. Quick this way, he
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called to Dawson, starting up thestreet away from the watcher at the far
corner. As he ran, hishand slipped into his coat pocket, where
the small but extremely efficient automatic withwhich all government agents are supplied usually rested.
But the gun wasn't there. Apparentlyit had slipped out in the scuffle
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a moment before. Hardly had herealized that he was unarmed before he and
Dawson were confronted by five other nativescoming from the opposite direction. The meager
lighting system of the Mexican capital,however, was rather a help than a
detriment, for in the struggle whichfollowed it was practically impossible to tell friend
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from foe. The two Americans,standing shoulder to shoulder had the added advantage
of team work, something which thenatives had never learned. Don't use your
gun if you can help it,Stewart warned. We don't want the police
in on this. As he spoke, his fist shot out, and the
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leader of the attacking party sprawled inthe street. No sound came from Dawson
beyond a grunt as he landed onthe man he had singled out of the
bunch. The ten seconds that followedwere jammed with action, punctuated with the
shill cries for reinforcements from the Mexicans, and brightened here and there by the
(19:32):
dull light from down the street,which glinted off the long knives, the
favorite weapon of the Latin American fighter. Stewart and Dawson realized that they must
not only fight, but fight fast. Every second brought closer the arrival of
help from the rear. But Dawsonwaited until he could hear the reinforcements almost
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upon them before he gave the wordto break through. Then, come on,
Jack, he called, let's go, heads down. Fists moving with
piston like precision, the two Americansplowed their way through. Dawson swore later
that he felt at least one ribgive under the impact of the blows,
(20:19):
and he knew that he nursed asore wrist for days. But Stewart claimed
that his energies were concentrated solely onthe scrap, and that he didn't have
time to receive any impression of whatwas going on. He knew that he
had to fight his way out,that it was essential for one of them
to reach the telegraph office or theembassy with the news they carried. It
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was a case of fight like thedevil, and trust to luck and the
darkness for aid. Almost before theyknew it, they had broken through the
trio in front of them and hadturned down the Kyeansha, running in a
form that would have done credit toa college track team. Behind them,
they heard the muffled oaths of theirpursuers as they fell over the party they
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had just left. They don't wantto attract a police any more than we
do, gasped Dawson. They don'tdare shoot. But as he spoke,
there came the zip of a bullet, accompanied by the sharp crack of a
revolver somewhere behind them. Careful warnedStewart, We've got to skirt that street
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light ahead, duck. And butwith that he crumpled up a bullet,
threw his hip Without an instant's hesitation, Dawson stooped, swung his companion over
his shoulder and staggered on his righthand, groping for his automatic. Once
out of the glare of the arclight, he felt that he would be
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safe, at least for a moment. Then clattering toward them, he heard
a sound that spelled safety, oneof the open nighthawk cabs that prowl around
the streets of the Mexican capital.Shifting Stewart so that his feet rested on
the ground, he wheeled and rakedthe street behind him with the fusillade from
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his automatic. There was only adull mass of whitish clothing some fifty yards
away at which to aim, buthe knew that the counter attack would probably
gain a few precious seconds of time, time sufficient to stop the cab and
to put his plan into operation.The moment the cab came into the circle
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of light from the street lamp,Dawson dragged his companion toward it, seized
the horse's bridle with his free hand, and ordered the driver to halt Before
the cabby had recovered his wits.The two Americans were in the vehicle,
and Dason and had his revolver pressednone too gently into the small of the
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driver's back. The weapon was empty, but the Mexican didn't know that,
and he responded instantly to Dawson's orderto turn around and drive as if seventy
devils of Hades were after him.Outside of a few stray shots that followed
as they disappeared up the street,the drive to the embassy was uneventful,
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and once under the shelter of theAmerican flag, the rest was easy.
Stuart had developed had sustained only aflesh wound through the muscles of his hip,
painful but not dangerous. Within tenminutes after he had reached O'Shaughnessy's office,
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he was dictating a code wire toWashington, a cable which stated that
a vessel with a Spanish name commencingwith something that sounded like eep had cleared
Hamburg on the seventh, loaded witharms and ammunition destined to advance the interests
of Mexican revolutionists and to hamper theefforts of the United States to preserve order
(24:11):
south of the border. The wirereached Washington at noon of the following day
and was instantly transmitted to Berlin withinstructions to Ambassador Gerard to look into the
matter and report immediately. Vessel inquestion is probably the Ipiraga. Stated a
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code the following morning cleared Hamburg ondate mentioned, presumably loaded with grain.
Rumors here of large ship and ofarms to some Latin American Republic. Practically
certain that Wilhelmstras is behind the move, but impossible to obtain confirmation. Motive
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unknown. Ten minutes after this messait had been decoded. The newspaper correspondence
at the White House noted that aspecial cabinet meeting had been called, but
no announcement was made of its purposeor of the business transacted, beyond the
admission that the insult to the flagat Tampico had been considered Promptly. At
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noon, the Great Wireless Station atArlington flashed a message to Admiral Mayo,
in command of the squadron off theMexican coast. In effect, it read,
proceed immediately to vera cruz awight arrivalof Steama Ipianga loaded with arms,
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prevent landing at any cost blockade uponpretext of recent insult to flag. Atlantic
Fleet ordered to your support. Therest of the story concluded, Quinn is
a matter of history how the fleetbottled up the harbor at Vera, Cruz,
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how it was forced to send alanding party ashore under fire, and
how seventeen American sailors lost their livesduring the guerrilla attack which followed. All
that was spread across the front pagesof American papers in big black type,
But the fact that a steamer namedthe Ipianga had been held up by the
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American fleet and forced to anchor ata safe distance offshore under the guns of
the flagship was given little space.Apparently it was a minor incident, but
in reality it was the crux ofthe whole situation, an indication of Germany's
(26:48):
rancor, which was to burst itsbounds before four months had passed. Another
case in which the arm of UncleSam had been long enough to stretch halfway
across a continent and nip impending disaster. But I inquired, as he paused,
what became of Dawson and Stuart.That I don't know, replied Quinn.
(27:14):
The last time I heard of Jackhe had a captain's commission in France
and was following up his feud withthe hun that started in Mexico City four
months before the rest of the worlddreamed of war. Dawson I believe is
still in the Department and rendered valuableassistance in combating German propaganda in Chile and
(27:37):
Peru. He'll probably be rewarded witha consular job in some out of the
way hole, for now that thewar is over, the organization to which
he belongs will gradually dwindle to itsprevious small proportions. Strange, wasn't it
how that pair stumbled across one ofthe first tentacles of the World War in
(28:03):
front of a cafe in Mexico City. That's one beauty of government detective work.
You never know when the monotony isgoing to be blown wide open by
the biggest thing you ever happened upon. There was little Mary mcnillis who turned
up the clue which prevented an explosioncompared to which the Black Tom affair would
(28:26):
have been a Sunday school party.She never dreamed that she would prevent the
loss of millions of dollars worth ofproperty and at least a score of lives,
but she did without moving from herdesk. How I asked, But
Quinn yawned, looked at his watchand said, that's entirely too long a
(28:52):
story. To spin right now.It's past my bedtime, and missus Quinn's
likely to be fussy if I'm nothome by twelve at least, She says
that now I have an office job, she can at least count on my
being round to guard the house,something that she could never do before.
(29:14):
So let's leave Mary for another time. Good night, and he was off
end of chapter three.
Chapter three, the Ipiranga Case Mexico, said Bill Quinn, who now holds
a soft berth in the Treasury Departmentby virtue of an injury received in the
line of duty during a raid oncounterfeiters a few years ago, to be
precise, is back on the firstpage of the papers again, after being
(00:22):
crowded off for some four years becauseof the World War. Funny coincidence that
when you remember that it was thissame Mexico that gave us our first indication
of the way we might expect Germanyto behave Huh, I said, a
bit startled. What do you meanthe first spark of the war was kindled
(00:44):
in Serbia, not Mexico. Outsideof the rumblings of the Algerisis case and
one or two other minor affairs,there wasn't the slightest indication of the conflict
to come. No, and Quinn'seyebrows went up in interrogation. How about
the Epiranga case, the which theEpiranga case, the one where Jack Stuart
(01:10):
stumbled across a clue in a Mexicocity cafe, which led all the way
to Berlin and back to Washington andthreatened to precipitate a row before the Kaiser
was quite ready for it. No, I admitted, that's a page of
underground history that I haven't read,and I must confess that I don't know
(01:32):
Stuart either. Probably not, saidthe former Secret Service man. He wasn't
connected with any of the branches ofthe government that get into print very often.
As a matter of fact, thevery existence of the organization to which
he belonged isn't given any too muchpublicity. Everyone knows of the Secret Service
(01:55):
and the men who make the investigationsfor the Department of Justice and the Post
Office Department. But the Department ofState, for obvious reasons, conducts its
inquiries in a rather more diplomatic manner. Its agents have to pose as commercial
investigators or something else equally as prosaic. Their salaries are as a general thing,
(02:17):
paid out of the President's private allowanceor out of the fund given to
the Department for use as it maysee fit. Less than half a dozen
people know the actual status of theorganization or the names of its members at
any one time, and its exploitsare recorded only in the archives of the
(02:38):
State Department. But who I persistedas Quinn stopped. Was Jack Stewart and
what was the nature of the affairupon which he stumbled in Mexico City.
Stewart replied, Quinn was just aquiet, ordinary sort of chap, the
kind that you'd expect to find behinda desk in the State eight Department,
(03:00):
sorting out consular reports and handling routinestuff. Nothing exceptional about him at all,
which was probably one reason for hisbeing selected for work as a secret
agent of the department. It doesn'tdo, you know, to pick men
who are conspicuous, either in theirdress or manner, too easy to spot
(03:23):
and remember them. The chap whoswallowed up in the crowd is the one
who can get by with a wholelot of quiet work without being suspected.
When they sent Jack down to Mexico, they didn't have the slightest idea he'd
uncover anything as big as he did. The country south of the Rio Grande,
(03:43):
if you recall, had been nonetoo quiet for some time prior to
nineteen fourteen. Taft had had histroubles with it ever since the end of
the Diaz regime, and when Wilsoncame in. The Mexican question was a
legacy that caused the men in theState Department to spend a good many sleepless
nights. All sorts of rumors,most of them wild and bloody, floated
(04:10):
up through official and unofficial channels.The one fact that seemed to be certain
was that Mexico was none too friendlyto the United States, and that some
other nation was behind this feeling,keeping it constantly stirred up and overlooking no
opportunity to add fuel to the flame. Three or four other members of the
(04:32):
State Department secret organization had been wanderingaround picking up leads for some months past,
and upon the return of one ofthese to Washington, Stewart was sent
to replace him. His instructions weresimple and delightfully indefinite. He was to
proceed to Mexico City posing as theinvestigator for a financial house in New York
(04:57):
which was on the lookout for asoft concer session from the Mexican government.
This would give him an opportunity toseek the acquaintance of Mexican officials and lend
an air of plausibility to practically anyline that he found it necessary to follow.
But once at the capital, withhis alibies well established, he was
(05:19):
to overlook nothing which might throw lightupon the question that had been bothering Washington
for some time past, just whichone of the foreign powers was fanning the
Mexican unrest and to what lengths itwas prepared to go. Of course,
the State Department suspected, just aswe now know, that Berlin was behind
(05:42):
the movement, but at that timethere was no indication of the reason.
In the light of later events,however, the plan is plain. Germany,
feeling certain that the greatest war Europehad ever known was a matter of
the immediate future, was laying herplans to keep other nations out of the
conflict. She figured that Mexico wasthe best foil for the United States,
(06:08):
and that our pitifully small army wouldhave its hands full with troubles at home.
If not, she intended to letJapan enter into the equation, as
shown by the Zimmerman note. Sometwo years later, when Stuart got to
Mexico City, it did not takehim long to discover that there was an
(06:28):
undercurrent of animosity to the United States, which made itself felt in numberless ways.
Some of the Mexican papers, apparentlyon a stronger financial basis than ever
before, were outspoken in their criticismof American dollars and American dealings. The
people as a whole, long dominatedby Diaz, were being stirred to resentment
(06:54):
of the gringos who sought to purchasethe soul of a nation as well as
its general wealth. The improvements whichAmerican capital had made were entirely overlooked,
and the spotlight of subsidized publicity wasthrown upon the encroachments of the hated Yankees.
(07:15):
All this Stuart reported to Washington,and in reply was politely informed that,
while interesting, it was hardly news. The State Department had known all
this for months. The question waswhere was the money coming from and what
was the immediate object of the game. Take your time and don't bother us
(07:38):
unless you find something definite to report, was the substance of the instructions cable
to Stuart. The secret Agent thereforecontented himself with lounging around the very inviting
cafes of the Mexican capital and makingfriends with such officials as might be able
to drop scraps of information. Itwas November when he first hit Mexico City.
(08:05):
It was nearly the middle of Aprilbefore he picked up anything at all.
Worthwhile. Of course, In themeantime he had uncovered a number of
leads, but every one of themwas blind. For a day or two,
or a week at most. Theywould hold out glowing promise of something
big just around the corner. Thenwhen he got to the end of the
(08:28):
rainbow, he would find an emptypail in place of the pot of gold
he had hoped for. It wasn'tsurprising, therefore, that Stuart was growing
tired of the life of continual mystery, of developments that never developed, of
secrets that were empty, and surprisesthat faded away into nothing. It was
(08:50):
on the thirteenth of April, whileseated in a little table in front of
a sidewalk cafe in the Caille deVictoria, that the American agent obtained his
first real clue to the impending disaster. When two Mexicans whom he knew by
sight but not by name, satdown at a table near his, he
(09:11):
pricked up his ears purely by instinct, rather than through any real hope of
obtaining information of value. The arrivalof the usual sugared drinks was followed by
a few words of guarded conversation,and then one of the Mexicans remarked,
in a tone a trifle louder thannecessary, that the United States is a
(09:35):
nation of cowardly women, dollar worshipperswho were afraid to fight, and braggarts
who would not dare to back uptheir threats. It was an effort for
Stuart to remain immersed in the newspaperpropped up in front of him. Often
as he had heard these sentiments expressed, his Southern blood still rose involuntarily,
(09:56):
until his logic reminded him that hismission was not to start a quarrel,
but to end one. He knewthat no good could ensue from his taking
up the challenge, and the veryfact that the speaker had raised his voice
gave him the tip that the wordswere uttered for his special benefit to find
(10:18):
out whether he understood Spanish, forhe made no attempt to disguise his nationality
with a smile which did not showon his lips. Stuart summoned the waiter,
and an atrocious Spanish, ordered anotherglass of lemonade. His complete knowledge
of the language was the one thingwhich he had managed to keep entirely under
(10:39):
cover ever since reaching Mexico, forhe figured that the natives would speak more
freely in his presence if they believedhe could not gather what they were discussing.
The trick worked a perfection. Pigheaded Yankee commented the Mexican who had
first spoken lemonade. Pah, theyhaven't the nerve to take a man's drink,
(11:05):
and he drained his glass of pulqueat a single gulp. The other,
who had not spoken above a whisper, raised his glass and regarded it
in silence for a moment. Thenpros it, he said, and drank.
Non di Dio warned his companion,be careful. The American hog does
(11:26):
not speak Spanish well enough to understandthose who use it fluently, but he
may speak German. Stuart smothered asmile behind his paper. Spanish had always
been a hobby of his, buthe only knew about three words in German.
I understand, continued the Mexican,that Victoriano is preparing for the coup,
(11:52):
just as I always figured he would. Stuart knew that Victoriana was the
familiar form in which the populace referredto Victoriana huerta self appointed president of Mexico,
and the men who had steadfastly defiedthe American government in every way possible,
taking care not to allow matters toreach such a hot stage that he
(12:16):
could handle them through diplomatic promises tosee that things improved in the future.
El Presidente has always been careful toprotect himself, the speaker went on.
But now that you have brought definiteassurance from our friends that the money and
the arms will be forthcoming within thefortnight, there is nothing further to fear
(12:39):
from the Yankee pigs. It willbe easy to stir up sentiment against them
here overnight, and before they canmass their handful of troops along the Rio
Grande, we will have retaken Texasand wiped out the insult of forty eight.
What is the latest news from theship, the inquired the man across
(13:03):
the table, But his Teutonic intonationof what was evidently a Spanish name was
so jumbled that all Stuart could catchwas the first syllable, something that sounded
like eep is that the name,asked the Mexican, Yes, replied the
other. She sailed from Hamburg onthe seventh, allowing two weeks for the
(13:28):
passage. She isn't fast, youknow, that would bring her into Vera
Cruz about the twenty first. Oncethere, the arms can be landed,
and the events of the next fewminutes moved so rapidly that when Stuart had
time to catch his breath, hefound it difficult to reconstruct the affair with
(13:50):
accuracy. He recalled that he hadbeen so interested in the conversation at the
next table that he had failed tonotice the approach of the only other man
he knew in the State Department secretorganization, Dawson, who had been prowling
around the West coast on an errandsimilar to his Before he knew it,
(14:11):
Dawson had clapped him on the backand exclaimed, Hello, Jack. Didn't
expect to see you here, thoughtyou'd be looking over things in the vicinity
of the palace. The words themselveswere innocent enough, but they were spoken
in fluent, rapid Spanish, andStewart had shown that he understood. Sapristy
(14:35):
hissed the Mexican did you see,and he bent forward to whisper hurriedly to
his companion. Stewart recovered himself instantly, but the damage had been done.
Hello, Dawson, he answered inEnglish, trusting that the men at the
next table had not noted his slip, sit down and have something weather isn't
(15:01):
it and not a lead in sight. These Mexicans seem to be afraid to
enter into any contract that ties themup more than a year and eighteen revolutions
can happen in that time. AsDawson seated himself, Stewart gave him a
hasty sign to be careful, watchingthe Mexican and his companion out of the
(15:22):
corner of his eye. He steeredthe conversation into harmless channels, but a
moment later, the parrot the nexttable, called the waiter, gave some
whispered instructions and left. What's thematter, asked Dawson. Nothing except that
I involuntarily registered a knowledge of Spanishwhen you spoke to me just now,
(15:46):
and I've spent several months building upa reputation for knowing less about the language
than anyone in Mexico City. Asluck would have it, there was a
couple seated at the next table whowere giving me what sounded like the first
real dope I've had since I gothere. I'll tell you about it later.
(16:07):
The question now is to get backto the hotel before that precious pair
get in their dirty work. Acode message to Washington is all I ask.
But if I'm not mistaken, weare going to have our work cut
out for us and the way back. Scott serious as that is, it
(16:27):
muttered Dawson. Well, there aretwo of us, and I'd like to
see their whole Damn army try tostop us. Let's go. Wait a
minute, counseled Stuart. There's noreal hurry, for they wouldn't dare try
to start anything in the open incase we get separated, or if anything
(16:49):
should happen. Why are the Departmentin code that a vessel with a Spanish
name, something that begins with EEP, cleared Hamburg, loaded with guns and
ammunition expected at Vera Cruz about thetwenty first. Germany's behind the whole plot.
(17:11):
Now I'll settle up and we'll move. But as he reached for his
pocketbook, a Mexican swaggering along thesidewalk deliberately stumbled against his chair and sent
him sprawling. Dawson was on hisfeet in an instant, his fists clenched
and ready for action. But Stuarthad noted that the Mexican had three companions,
(17:36):
and that one of the men whohad occupied the adjoining table was watching
the affair from a vantage point halfa block away. With a leap that
was catlike in its agility, Stuartseized the swaggering native by the legs in
a football tackle and upset him againsthis assistants. Quick this way, he
(17:57):
called to Dawson, starting up thestreet away from the watcher at the far
corner. As he ran, hishand slipped into his coat pocket, where
the small but extremely efficient automatic withwhich all government agents are supplied usually rested.
But the gun wasn't there. Apparentlyit had slipped out in the scuffle
(18:22):
a moment before. Hardly had herealized that he was unarmed before he and
Dawson were confronted by five other nativescoming from the opposite direction. The meager
lighting system of the Mexican capital,however, was rather a help than a
detriment, for in the struggle whichfollowed it was practically impossible to tell friend
(18:45):
from foe. The two Americans,standing shoulder to shoulder had the added advantage
of team work, something which thenatives had never learned. Don't use your
gun if you can help it,Stewart warned. We don't want the police
in on this. As he spoke, his fist shot out, and the
(19:08):
leader of the attacking party sprawled inthe street. No sound came from Dawson
beyond a grunt as he landed onthe man he had singled out of the
bunch. The ten seconds that followedwere jammed with action, punctuated with the
shill cries for reinforcements from the Mexicans, and brightened here and there by the
(19:32):
dull light from down the street,which glinted off the long knives, the
favorite weapon of the Latin American fighter. Stewart and Dawson realized that they must
not only fight, but fight fast. Every second brought closer the arrival of
help from the rear. But Dawsonwaited until he could hear the reinforcements almost
(19:56):
upon them before he gave the wordto break through. Then, come on,
Jack, he called, let's go, heads down. Fists moving with
piston like precision, the two Americansplowed their way through. Dawson swore later
that he felt at least one ribgive under the impact of the blows,
(20:19):
and he knew that he nursed asore wrist for days. But Stewart claimed
that his energies were concentrated solely onthe scrap, and that he didn't have
time to receive any impression of whatwas going on. He knew that he
had to fight his way out,that it was essential for one of them
to reach the telegraph office or theembassy with the news they carried. It
(20:45):
was a case of fight like thedevil, and trust to luck and the
darkness for aid. Almost before theyknew it, they had broken through the
trio in front of them and hadturned down the Kyeansha, running in a
form that would have done credit toa college track team. Behind them,
they heard the muffled oaths of theirpursuers as they fell over the party they
(21:08):
had just left. They don't wantto attract a police any more than we
do, gasped Dawson. They don'tdare shoot. But as he spoke,
there came the zip of a bullet, accompanied by the sharp crack of a
revolver somewhere behind them. Careful warnedStewart, We've got to skirt that street
(21:33):
light ahead, duck. And butwith that he crumpled up a bullet,
threw his hip Without an instant's hesitation, Dawson stooped, swung his companion over
his shoulder and staggered on his righthand, groping for his automatic. Once
out of the glare of the arclight, he felt that he would be
(21:56):
safe, at least for a moment. Then clattering toward them, he heard
a sound that spelled safety, oneof the open nighthawk cabs that prowl around
the streets of the Mexican capital.Shifting Stewart so that his feet rested on
the ground, he wheeled and rakedthe street behind him with the fusillade from
(22:18):
his automatic. There was only adull mass of whitish clothing some fifty yards
away at which to aim, buthe knew that the counter attack would probably
gain a few precious seconds of time, time sufficient to stop the cab and
to put his plan into operation.The moment the cab came into the circle
(22:41):
of light from the street lamp,Dawson dragged his companion toward it, seized
the horse's bridle with his free hand, and ordered the driver to halt Before
the cabby had recovered his wits.The two Americans were in the vehicle,
and Dason and had his revolver pressednone too gently into the small of the
(23:03):
driver's back. The weapon was empty, but the Mexican didn't know that,
and he responded instantly to Dawson's orderto turn around and drive as if seventy
devils of Hades were after him.Outside of a few stray shots that followed
as they disappeared up the street,the drive to the embassy was uneventful,
(23:27):
and once under the shelter of theAmerican flag, the rest was easy.
Stuart had developed had sustained only aflesh wound through the muscles of his hip,
painful but not dangerous. Within tenminutes after he had reached O'Shaughnessy's office,
(23:47):
he was dictating a code wire toWashington, a cable which stated that
a vessel with a Spanish name commencingwith something that sounded like eep had cleared
Hamburg on the seventh, loaded witharms and ammunition destined to advance the interests
of Mexican revolutionists and to hamper theefforts of the United States to preserve order
(24:11):
south of the border. The wirereached Washington at noon of the following day
and was instantly transmitted to Berlin withinstructions to Ambassador Gerard to look into the
matter and report immediately. Vessel inquestion is probably the Ipiraga. Stated a
(24:33):
code the following morning cleared Hamburg ondate mentioned, presumably loaded with grain.
Rumors here of large ship and ofarms to some Latin American Republic. Practically
certain that Wilhelmstras is behind the move, but impossible to obtain confirmation. Motive
(24:55):
unknown. Ten minutes after this messait had been decoded. The newspaper correspondence
at the White House noted that aspecial cabinet meeting had been called, but
no announcement was made of its purposeor of the business transacted, beyond the
admission that the insult to the flagat Tampico had been considered Promptly. At
(25:21):
noon, the Great Wireless Station atArlington flashed a message to Admiral Mayo,
in command of the squadron off theMexican coast. In effect, it read,
proceed immediately to vera cruz awight arrivalof Steama Ipianga loaded with arms,
(25:42):
prevent landing at any cost blockade uponpretext of recent insult to flag. Atlantic
Fleet ordered to your support. Therest of the story concluded, Quinn is
a matter of history how the fleetbottled up the harbor at Vera, Cruz,
(26:04):
how it was forced to send alanding party ashore under fire, and
how seventeen American sailors lost their livesduring the guerrilla attack which followed. All
that was spread across the front pagesof American papers in big black type,
But the fact that a steamer namedthe Ipianga had been held up by the
(26:27):
American fleet and forced to anchor ata safe distance offshore under the guns of
the flagship was given little space.Apparently it was a minor incident, but
in reality it was the crux ofthe whole situation, an indication of Germany's
(26:48):
rancor, which was to burst itsbounds before four months had passed. Another
case in which the arm of UncleSam had been long enough to stretch halfway
across a continent and nip impending disaster. But I inquired, as he paused,
what became of Dawson and Stuart.That I don't know, replied Quinn.
(27:14):
The last time I heard of Jackhe had a captain's commission in France
and was following up his feud withthe hun that started in Mexico City four
months before the rest of the worlddreamed of war. Dawson I believe is
still in the Department and rendered valuableassistance in combating German propaganda in Chile and
(27:37):
Peru. He'll probably be rewarded witha consular job in some out of the
way hole, for now that thewar is over, the organization to which
he belongs will gradually dwindle to itsprevious small proportions. Strange, wasn't it
how that pair stumbled across one ofthe first tentacles of the World War in
(28:03):
front of a cafe in Mexico City. That's one beauty of government detective work.
You never know when the monotony isgoing to be blown wide open by
the biggest thing you ever happened upon. There was little Mary mcnillis who turned
up the clue which prevented an explosioncompared to which the Black Tom affair would
(28:26):
have been a Sunday school party.She never dreamed that she would prevent the
loss of millions of dollars worth ofproperty and at least a score of lives,
but she did without moving from herdesk. How I asked, But
Quinn yawned, looked at his watchand said, that's entirely too long a
(28:52):
story. To spin right now.It's past my bedtime, and missus Quinn's
likely to be fussy if I'm nothome by twelve at least, She says
that now I have an office job, she can at least count on my
being round to guard the house,something that she could never do before.
(29:14):
So let's leave Mary for another time. Good night, and he was off
end of chapter three.
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