From the News

Dated: January 2, 1915

Was She a Spy?

Woman Who Posed as an Artist, is Discredited

During the latter part of last July shortly before the arrival here of the Duke of Connaught and vice-regal party, a woman registered at the Banff Springs hotel as Mrs. Caleb Keene, F.R.P.S.  Her neatly engraved cards, which she distributed freely among prominent men of the town, conveyed the information that she was a member of the London Salon and of the Lyceum Club, London.

One of the avowed purposes of her visit was to obtain pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught with the magnificent scenery of Banff for a background.  She endeavoured to secure photographs of Superintendent Clarke, Dr. R. G. Brett¹, H. C. McMullen and others.  A sitting was arranged with Mr. and Miss McMullen to be photographed  on horseback as typical westerners.

She exhibited trunks full of photographs and negatives of scenery along the C.P.R., including bridges, culverts, snowsheds, etc.  She explained that she was collecting these photographs for a photo art studio in New York, the proprietor of which was anxious to add to his already large collection.

The ci-devant Mrs. Keene, who claimed to be married to an Englishman and to have two brothers in the German army, was a brilliant conversationalist. She recited interesting tales of German fortresses, statistics of food supplies, ordinance and ammunition manufacture, etc., using technical terms to give point to her stories with which ordinary woman are supposed to know little or nothing about.

A letter addressed to Mrs. Keene at the Lyceum Club, London, by Mr. McMullen, was returned to Banff on Dec. 24 with the indorsation across the face of the envelope:  "Not a member." 

There appears but little doubt that Mrs. Keene was a link in that vast chain of spies organized and maintained by the German government, and her visit to Western Canada made solely for the purpose of gathering all information possible which might be used to advantage by the kaiser and his counsellors when the war cloud burst.