Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-26
FRANCES SPY SYSTEM.
How the Visitor to Paris Is Kept Under
Espionage.


Espionage.
A Paris correspondent of the Philadelphia
Times says:
The third republic is no freer than were any
previous French regimes from this deep faint
of what the French call mouchardise. Never
before ut any period of Frances history has
the reign Of spydom been 80 widespread and
absolute in Paris now. There has been lat
terly much discussion in the worlds press of
the extraordinary degree to which official espi-
onagc obtains in Russia and very interesting
details have been forthcoming on the subject.
l am now in position to affirm that in Paris =
l do not say throughout the whole of France
the meshes of the detective net are woven even
more closely round the entire population than
has ever been the case in ST. Petersburg. Evil
dence of this fact might easily be found in the
secret history of the Boulangist conspiracy.
From first to last every detail Of this move
ment was known to the police, more than three
fourths Of the BOulangists themselves being in
formers
The instant you arrive at Paris station you
are in the midst Of spies. You are driven to
hotel in a cab. In half an hour the cabman
will furnish the police with any particulars he
may have been able to gather concerning your
position, destination, business. &c. Arrived
at your hotel you become the object of scrutiny
as close as it is secret on the part of divers per-
sons. who though attached to the place in the
capacity of manager or cashier or even porter
or boots are in reality enrolled soldiers of
the great detective army. And here NAV
mention special characteristic of the French
detective system, its faculty of recruiting adj
herents in all classes of society. French spies
for the most part are not simple spies and
nothing more. They have trade or occupa-
ton of their own, to which they seem wholly
and solely devoted. while yet assiduously pur-
suing sub rosa their spying operations.
The unsuspectlng stranger in Paris has din
ner at his hotel served by garcon, who. as
matter of course. is in the pay of the police and
will subsequently report to them what CONVEX
sation he Overhears during the meal. He then
sallies forth, primed with glass or two Of fine
champagne, for an evenings amusement Of the
true Partisan sort. First he repairs to one of
the brilliant boulevard play houses. few
stalls away from him sits q gentlemanly looking
man with steady, observant eyes, who glances
now and again at our friend in such way as
to make the latter think: Il wonder where
have seen that man before" He never has seen
him before, but it doesn't enter his head for
moment to suspect the man of being what he
really is, police spy.
The play over there is just time for half an
hour 8 stroll under the horse chestnuts in the
Jardin de Paris. Here nine-tenths of the at
deed be both at once, for French police author
tiles are not very squeamish in choosing their
instruments and seem to have sort of prefer
ence for scoundrels over others. Their theory
runs that the greater villain man is the bet
ter spy he will make; moreover, the most
effcacious means Of keeping a man under spy
surveillance is to have him become spy him
self. for spies spy upon each other quite as
much as on the rest Of mankind.
But our foreigner finishes up the evening by
turning into the Cafe Americana for supper,
where he has for next-door neighbor
seductive young woman with whom he enters
into conversation. She has sweet smile which
displays two rows of glittering teeth and puts
many. questions to him concerning France and
the French Naturally enough our visitor
imagines this is all done out of that bright, easy
Gallo politeness he admires SO much. for how
Is he to know thatevery word he has said in reply
will come to the car Of the police not later than
the following afternoon?
II our friend be fond Of sport he will soon
be finding his way to the race courses near the
capital and into the baccarat clubs, with which
Paris abounds, and here he will be hourly in
contact with police spies in greater number
than there are racers on the course or cards in
the pack. And so the game goes on in every
sphere Of Paris life and socie ty.