Mata Hari(1876-1917)
Born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle on August 7 1876, the only daughter of
a Dutch hat-maker, she seemed unlikely to later become the Mata Hari,
the most infamous double agent in spy history. She answered an
advertisement in the local paper placed by Rudolph MacLeod, a career
military man in need of a wife. Enchanted by the tall, dark, and lovely
Margaretha, MacLeod married her in 1895, and moved her to
Dutch-controlled Java. His wife fell in love with Java, and wore native
sarongs, learned the local language, and watched local dancers.
MacLeod's philandering and bad temper strained their marriage, and even
the birth of their second child could not repair the damage done. After
their move to Sumatra, a terrible tragedy occurred that would finally
end their marriage. While getting ready for bed on June 27 1899,
Margaretha heard her children screaming. Racing to their nursery, she
found her son and daughter had been poisoned, probably by an angry
servant. While their daughter Jeanne Louise (called "Non", a Malay
name) survived, her elder brother Norman was not so fortunate.
Margaretha fell into a deep depression that was only worsened by
MacLeod's blaming her for Norman's death. Finally, the tension
exploded, and MacLeod beat Margaretha brutally before kidnapping their
daughter and fleeing to Europe. She obtained a divorce and had her
child returned to her, but MacLeod refused to pay any support. Unable
to care for Non, Margaretha reluctantly left the girl in her father's
care and left for Paris. There she became an exotic dancer, choosing
the Malay term "matahari" (Eye of the Sun) as her stage name.
Concocting a fanciful tale of being a half-Javanese temple dancer
devoted to the god Shiva, Margaretha first appeared on stage as her
alter-ego Mata Hari in 1905. Her erotic dancing (that included shedding
veils, sarongs, and most everything else in the course of her
performance) made her an instant sensation, and traveled all over
Europe. She also made several unsuccessful attempts to regain custody
of her daughter Non, even plotting with a servant to kidnap the girl
from her school in Velp. While trying to visit her lover, a Russian
officer named Vadim Maslov, Margaretha was approached by Georges
Ladoux, a French army captain, who asked her to spy on the Germans. She
agreed and planned to seduce a German General and get him to spill
military secrets. However, she was arrested by British intelligence and
interrogated by Scotland Yard, who were convinced she was actually a
spy for the Germans. Finally she was released, and as 1916 drew to a
close Margaretha made her way to Spain where she romanced a German
Major called Kalle. He caught onto her and sent false messages claiming
that she was in fact a German spy. The French arrested Margaretha on
February 13 1917 and imprisoned her. She was convicted that summer of
spying for an enemy nation and sentenced to death. On October 15 1917,
Margaretha Geertruida Zelle faced the firing squad. She refused a
blindfold and blew one last kiss to her killers. Mata Hari was killed
by a bullet to the heart, and her body was donated to medical science.
