New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1878-09-04
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THE PRIVATE SECRETARY. i

III u 3f9E lf1G31J:3 kJtt3 99Gl3ECH3sR 9affig +
THE PRIVATE SECRETARY. a.,.-
An In cident of Napoleon's Threatened
ytt1 About the beginning of this century,
while the Revolutionary Wars were ragg7
ing, communication in cipher was anal ur..
ally very prevalent; and ling enuity was
taxed to the utmost on one hand to in
!. vent, and on-the} other to detect, the
q medium, used in secret correspondence
AS rule, the decipherer had beaten the
cipher; and no known method was secure
Of detection. Unconventional signssmer
ly were used, the recurrence Of the. differ
ent symbols gave a key easily followed
out. Some ingenious spirits correspond
ed by reference to the pages and lines
particular editions of particular books
others by anfagreedson vocabulary. But
these last methods, although they might
preserve the secret, disclosed what was
often quite as dang that there was a,
secret. \ am abobtsto tell you Of a. plan
which. for, a long time. was not onl y, unde-
stected, but unsuspected. slss}J}I 9ffj
It was at that time when the first Ma ;
poleon had assembled his fleets and tran
ssportsat Brest,y with the sostensib.e , and
asis generally believed the real, lviewSSof
making a descent on England. The.
greatest precautions were observed BY
the English Government in regard to
corresponds with France, fand ar
am cunt sofs pionage was practiced at the
post office which, left Sir James Graham,s
., subseQ uent performances in that line far
behind. The national excitement was
intense, and the political department MAS
administered With an iron sway.
Il SMy|uncle, Sir George Trevor, vas yass Is
ali the world then knew, high III the Ad-
miralty;; and q, as it was :, from him that I
u' Rhs dispatches S u and from the IA
miraIty werethe subject Of 1 the greatest
vigilance and the most stringent 1egula-
TONS The clerks were not permit ted sto
send or receive letters which were not
first submitted to- the chief clerk, and it
}wasTbeEeYed that letters addressed even
to theft private residences were frequent.
ly. opsned at the post Office
At the time speak of, the chief clerk
was an elderly man of the name of Park
era wizened, wiry, dapper individual,
so imbued withsgtheS official tlncture of
Whitehall that it had becom E. second ma
ture to him. He was q genial and kindly
soul, keen and energetic in the affairs Of
his oficbhnd insall Others mere child.
He hadsengag ed4asS "a private secretary
a young fellow by the name of Beaumont,
IF ho NM X
ordinates in the establishment. He was
modest, unassuming man, very good
looking, with 2 countenanceE and an air
He was evsidaenntly Of good education, ana
probably well-born also, for his manners
were easy, and indicated good breeding.
!. He was native of Jersey, and had been
! introduced to the notice of the Admiral
,r.ty authorities by some influential mem
I Der of Parliament. He was much liked
3 in the office, and sdichargedI his duties to
perfection. M
One morning Parker presented himself
4 before my uncle with q visage pale with
woe, and Memb bling with excitement
"Why, what is the matter, Parker? Has
Bonapartes Gomez {
He may have, fol. aught I know said
Parker. Things are all wrong, Sir
George ~
what are wrong '' Il
s ".The letters are wrong There "a spy
amongsus.E have known ii. for lone;
:nowl am quite sure; but can not find
him OUT, sss' (
4 Parker went On to explain that he had
for some time suspected that some one IA
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