The Portland daily press., 1881-12-28

Every Government, including the British, i
obliged to make use Of political spies; but Con
| tinental States spend far more on secret-serVic
money than England does, and their organiza
tions for the detection u criminal offenses are
much completer. The political spy must nee,
be everywhere mysterious being-suspecteC
by none, known only to those who employ him
From the moment when his profession is re
vealed he ceases to be of any use to his masters
| and must drop out Of society with more or less
| ignominy. Deservedly or not, there is no pro
fession, except that Of executioner, to which SC
| much reprobation attaches as to that of politi-
| cal informer. Some years ago Frenchwoman
prayed for judicial separation from her hus-
band on the ground that she had accidentally
| discovered him to be clerk in the Cabinet
Noir" OF the Post Office. 1t was not alleged
that he had been an unkind husband; but his
wife could not surmount the horror occasioned
in her by learning that he earned his bread by
opening and copying letters addressed to sus-
pected persons. The curious part of this affair
was that the lady had endeavored to bring her
action during the Second Empire. but had been
stopped "by superior orders.'' She tried to fly
that if she caused any scandal she would be
put into private lunatic asylum. After the
empire had fallen she came into court with all
her grievances and easily won her suit. Mean
while her husband had disappeared He had
probably changed his name and gone to live in
doleful retirement, not daring to show his face
in the haunts of former friends. This case
shows wnat grim protectlcIs tsio
the political spy for reasons of State" Here
was man whose malpractices had been de-
teeted by his wife, and yet the poor woman
treated as insane. It would have bsen much
the same If the spy had committed some offense
at common law. Had his employers dreaded
that by some means his true profession might
transpire at his trial, they would have provid-
ed for his escape sooner than allow him to be
brought to justice. Viscount de Beaumont, in
his Souvenirs du Second Empire" tells
strange story of an unpunished murder COM
mitted by Corsican nlouchGrd. A young ltal-
ian nobleman named Count Camerata fell in
love, it seems, with o very illustrious lady of
the imperial Court, and. during a ball at the
Tuileries, he was so foolish as to slip note in
to her hand. The lady concealed her annoy
ance, but handed the note, unopened, to the
Court Chamberlain. requesting him to caution
the Count not to repeat his offense, as it might
lead him into trouble. The Chamberlain,
puzze-headed person, instead of discharging
his errand in person, turned to Corsican spy
who was present at the ball disguised as gen.
tleman, and, explaining what had happened,
ordered him to take the Count home and give
him severe lecture A few minutes later the
Corsican and the Count left the Tuieries to-
gether and drove to the Counts house in the
latter's brougham, the spy fiercely abusing. his
companion all the way. When they reached
the Counts house the Corsican continued his
revilings, and gradually worked himself up in
to mad passion. The Count, getting exas
perated, ordered him out, imprudently adding,
II shall know your face in future and shall
unmask you wherever you cross my path.
Upon this the spy drew a stiletto, plunged 1t
between the Counts shoulders, and, leaving
him dead on the floor, ran off to the Prefecture
to tell what he had done. M. Pietra the elder
was then Prefect of Police, and in great dis
may he gave the Corsican passport and told
him to fly to London. 1t was the only thing
he could do under the circumstances, for if the
man had been brought to trial the scandal
would have been immense. On the other hand
If the Count had murdered the spy, this crime
would have been hushed up, too. Spies carry
their lives in their hands and il they lose them
no fuss is made. All naouchdrds are not SO
wanting in tact as the Corsican just mentioned,
who would appear to have been brute OF low
degree Savary, Duke de Rovig0, relates in
his memoirs how surprised he was on succeed
ing Fouche at the Prefecture to find what
number of ladies and gentlemen OF nign posi-
ton were enrolled in the secret service force.
His predecessor had spitefully taken away with
him his list of those persons, and all the papers
that might have enabled Savary to ascertain
who they they were SO that the new Prefect
thought for while that he should have the
trouble of forming new staff. But gradually
the ladies and gentlemen put out timid feelers
foften in the most roundabout and ingenious
ways) till at last Sayary got the old staff into
working order again. Some of its members
were rich and worked apparently for the pleas
ure of playing part in political affairs; but
the greater number were persons whose IN
appearance which they desired to keep up.
These mere mercenaries, according to Savary,
were more useful than the others, for they
were more-amenable to control, and less liable
to be carried away by excessf 0 zeal, or by mo-
tiyes of private vindictiyeness But of course,
working only for money they harbored no very
chivalrous loyalty toward the empire, and
when it fell they transferred their services
without scruple to tho new dynasty.