This week Sabine’s battlefield guide Saturday
Leo Mac Ghastley and Maria Biehl spies for the Germans or not ?
Leo was born in Sacramento( US) in 1870 and his wife Maria Biehl in Trèves( Germany) in 1874.
At the time of their arrest they lived in Chateau Thierry , he worked as an electrician in the sugar factory. Before they had lived in Rombach(Germany at the time now it is known as Rombach le franc in France) When the German troops arrived in Chateau Thierry on the second of September 1914 Maria and Leo seemed to have been too close with them. When the French troops recaptured the town on the 9th of September these two had it coming from other civilians .
On the 11thof September1914 special agents Pirard and Roch start interrogating locals .
These are the words of madame Meyer épouse Boetain, 61 years old living at 37 avenue de la republique à Chateau Thierry. The American and his wife were living in the hotel Leroy on ‘avenue de la republique’ at the time of the arrival of the Germans. These people were very eager to meet the soldiers, especially the woman, because the passing of the cars made them stop the Germans who then greeted them, and she was very happy about this. I have to say that this attention seemed to me to be all the more suspicious because all the inhabitants of the district were not to be seen, because of fear of the Germans.
another statement from Camille Bouyer 55 years old, avenue de la republiqiue 32. The American told me on the 11th that he had just saved the Thoraillez house and the other houses from being looted by the Germans. I answered him: your wife and you do make a difference at the moment and I also added : I do not get along with the Swiss who lived at the Thorailler house, I leaft to guard the David house at 36 Avenue de la Republique. In this last house an inscription in German was written in the following terms: ‘do not touch this house, they are poor and good people. This inscription was affixed before the arrival of the Germans!
Köchli Ernest Leon who worked for the director of the sugar factory in Chateau , married with Eugenie Thibout gave the following statement : I’m local born in Rozet Saint Ablin, been working here for over a year. I did my military service in Switzerland , I know the American electrician, he arrived in the factory on the 10thof august, I started working again that day after being absent for 2 months due to an accident . I know him as colleague from work. On the second of September Mr. Thorailler leaves town because of the arriving German troops. The American and his wife came to guard the house. German officers entered the house and it was his wife who welcomed them. She ordered me to show them the rooms. Me and my wife had to run the kitchen under supervision of a German soldier. She served them in the dinner room. On the Sunday a German general arrived, then it were his ordinances who served the food. The American and his wife were always with the officers. On Thursday morning when the French troops arrived they both left and moved to the house of Mr. David . During the German’s stay here, the American in question was in possession of a two-horsepower motor car, a motorbike, which he put in my boss’s garage. I can’t give you any details about the relationship they had with the German officers, but all I can say is that they seemed to be well connected with them.
Several more statements followed giving the same facts to inspectors Pirard and Roch
Yet the witnesses provide no evidence for their suspicions:
It is difficult to know what could have led to the unanimous conviction of the five military judges for having ‘provided the enemy with information likely to harm the army’s operations’, as noted in the judgement of the council of war of the Fifth Army SED in Romigny on 15 September 1914.
The 15th of September 1914 at 10.30 am in Romigny, Marne, Leo and Maria were executed Lecointe George is a bit of a mystery , all three were charged with espionage and the named Mac Ghastley further charged with theft from individuals. But no file on Lecointe
No interrogations found from the three accused in the files either.
Sources :
images : Memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr