BOLO, Paul, or BOLO PASHA, French adventurer: b. Marseilles 1871; d. 16 April 1918. After a checkered career which took him to Spain, South America, and again to France, including two marrigges and a prison term, he turned up in 'Switzerland in the beginning of 1915. Here he renewed his acquaintance with the former Khedive of Egypt, Abbas Hihni, whose financial adviser he had once been and who had conferred the title of upon him. For the next two and a half years Bolo disposed of large sums of money and made frequent trips to Spain, Italy, Switzerland and one — in 1916— to America. His financial ac tivities meanwhile, had aroused the suspicions of the French authorities and an elaborate investigation was made, which resulted in his arrest in September 1917 on the charge of hav ing received huge sums from German sources with which to corrupt or purchase French newspapers with a view to discourage the prosecution of the war and to inculcate a desire for peace. He was admitted to bail but a close watch was kept on his movements. His re-arrest followed on 29 Sept. 1917 on the presentation of additional evidence — this time by the American authorities, who had been asked by the French government to investigate Bolo's activities during his stay in America in 1916. At the trial, which began in Paris on
4 Feb. 1918, evidence was adduced showing that Bolo had received all told about $8,000,000 from German sources, of which sum 1,000,000 francs ($200,000) . had been turned over to Senator. Humbert, proprietor of the Paris Jour nal, for an interest in the paper. A feature of the evidence was the telegrams intercepted by the American authorities, in which the former German Ambassador to Washington informed his government of the possibility of influencing France in a pacifist direction with the aid of an important political personage. Monseignerr Bolo, a prelate and elder brother of the accused made an impassioned appeal to the court for the latter's acquittal expressing the conviction that his brother was insane. The trial ended on 14 Feb. 1918, when the jury returned a verdict of _guilty, and Bolo was sentenced to death. He was executed at Vincennes. The disclosures of Bolo's activities also brought about the arrest of M. Caillaux, ex-premier of France, and several French editors on charges of treason able commerce with the enemy.