Morning journal and courier., 1885-02-19

Every Glass OF Society Under the Most
Active and Ensidious Vigilance.

Active and Ensidious Vigilance.
Paris Letter in Chicago Timesl
M. Audrieux, late Prefect of Police, is con-
tributing to his newspaper, La LEgne, very
interesting series of papers on the inner
ways and working of the French detective
system. AS anything from such man on
such subject is well worth studying, it may
not be considered out of place in this cor
respondence to give the substance of what
he has lately written on this question. M.
Andrieux takes care to classify the secret
agents into two distinct bodies, to wit, those
who are enrolled in the four different brig
AIDES and those who are not enroll@d in any
brigade public or private force whatso-
ever. The former have their cards, which,
in cases of danger, will insure them the pro-
lection of the regular police. They are
strictly forbidden to show these cards to any
one save to State officials OF high standing
(when the indirect services of such officials
are require2), or to the sergeants de vile, to
whom l have Just alluded and under the cir
cumstances referred to. They frequent clubs
and other meetings, the wine-shops of the
exterior boulevards and houses and streets of
ill-fame, and also attend at the Senate and
Chamber of Deputies during the parliament
ary session. In the morning they prepare
their reports, generally speaking, at the Pre-
lecture in the archives of which are to be
found detailed accounts of the career and
character of hundreds of thousands of indi-
viduals in France. These records form CO.
lossal pyramids in thelumber-rooms, and are
alphabetically arranged according to the
names of the persons whose histories they
chronicle, so that when anyone comes sud
denly to the front or is compromised in any
criminal affair the librarians can have no
difficulty in laying their hands on the official
summary of his or her antecedents. So COM
plete is the collection that the name of the
most obscure rag-picker in Paris has its
chronicle as well as the President of the re-
public.
In regard to those secret agents of the sec
ond category Mr.. Andrieux is as explicit as
he is indiscreet GA mans coachman," he
says ga mans mistress, mans barber,
mans valet may belong to this battalion"
Many saloon keepers and house-porters are
actually compelled, under pain Of forfeiture
of their licenses and positions, to act as the
spies of the prefecture. Several journalists,
who are the bitterest political opponents in
opposition newspapers of the powers that be,
and not few frantic orators who do" the
stump at Socialistic gatherings and denounce
the criminality of capital amid the cheers of
the workingmen, are in the pay of the po-
lice authorities. The high-born and respect
able Imperialist, who mixes in Prince Napo-
Icons society and calls him 'sMy Lord"
'sYour Majesty and sports a violet in his
buttonhole on the occasion of the anniversa-
rv mass for the repose of the soul of Napole-
on III at the Church of St. Augustine,
keeps up his gorgeous equipages and pays for
his Bonapartist dinners out of the public
funds The sinpering royalist, who carries
about with him over his heart tattered
fragment of one of the old white flags OF
France, and who is gushingly tender and en-
thusiastic in his defense of the throne ana
altar, is ''rigged OUT at the expense OF the
State, and is paid to spy on the movements
and actions of the Royalists, just as his BON
apartist colleagues to look after the lmperi-
aIists. The few journalists and public speak
ers who attack the government with the
greatest violence, who are more or less in the
confidence of these dupes, are in receipt of q
fixed salary. The others paid by results.
The master mouchards, who ''do' the draw
ing-rooms of the Faubourg st. Germain and
the Bonapartist dinners, draw heavily on the
public purse, owing to the expenses they are
forced to incur in such aristocratic surround
ings. Each of these agents must have some
ostensible trade or profession at which he
| may occasionally employ an hour or two of
| his time in order to avert any suspicion that
| may be entertained of him. Thus every
| class of society in Paris is under the most
| active, although the most insidious, vigil
| lance. AS much precaution is taken against
| a revolution to subvert established authority
| under the republic as during the reign OF Ma
| poleon I'LL, when any twelve people-taml!y
| circles apart-could not sit down to table
| without having at least one mouchard among
them.