The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-25
HOW NlHlLIsTs CORRESPOND.
Their Secret Code Explained by Leo Hart
man. Exile from Russia.

Their Secret Code Explained by Leo Hart
man. Exile from Russia.
Especial Correspondence.l
New YoRK, April III had an interview
the other day with Leo Hartman, the famous
| Nihilist, who escaped from the clutches of the
| tzar's officials some years ago, and who is now
living quietly in New York, wheEe he is ex-
| perimenting with electricity. 1t will be re-
! membered that 1t was for his connection with
the attempt to blow up the late tar at Mos
| cow that Mr.. Hartman was wanted" by the
| Russian police, but it IS not generally known
| that at the time a reward of 100000 rubles,
| or S250, coo, was offered for his capture.
| This will be sufficient authority for the
statements am about to make and which
received from him concerning the methods Of
secret correspondence used by the Russian
| NihiIists. When / saw Mr. Hartman he
was in his workshop and in state of high
| glee over the receipt of some cipher letters
from Russia and Siberia.
asked him how he managed to get them,
but this he would not tell; however he volun-
teered to explain how the secret correspond
ence was carried on. When first it became
necessary for the Nihilists to send secret let
ters invisible writing fluid was the method
adopted. This fluid was changed according
to the exigencies Of the case.
If the letter was destined TO be destroyed
the moment it was read, milk, sugar dissolved
in water, or, when in prison, even saliva was
used. These leave no trace on the paper, but
on holding it over the flame Of an oil lamp
until 1t is nearly scorched the writing of the
slowest iquid-the saliva-becomes jet black.
But the officials of the third section Of his
imperial majestys own chancellerie," who
deal exclusively with political OfRenses, soon
discovered this plan, and another had to be
adopted. This time ferro-cyanide Of potas-
sum was used and the writing only became
visible by brushing it over with solution of
ter-chloride of iron. Even this the officers Of
the tar discovered. And now the scientists
among the Nihilists were puzzled, for it was
clear that by no chemical process could they
for long keep secret the writings which fell
into the hands Of the officials.
Accordingly they put their heads together
and invented the most perfect system OF
secret correspondence that has ever been con-
ceived. But before explaining this system
shall tell how the Nihilsts celebrated their
departure from the old methods. They stepped
several sheets of paper in gun cotton, and,
writing simple letters on them with black
ink, left spaces between the lines as formerly,
for it was between the spaces of such harm
less letters that their invisible ink was always
used These they forwarded in such a man
ner that they must fall into the hands Of the
officials.
The officers Of the tar did not hold the let
tors over a lamp to bring out the writings;
they wished to preserve them. so instead they
used a hot smoothing iron. And then came
the crash. The moment the hot iron was APP
piled to the gun cotton soaked paper there
was a terrific report and the unfortunate Of
ficer was horribly mangled by the explosion.
But, although this accident might deter the
police for a time from examining their let
ters the Nihilists would not trust them, and
they devised this plan:
Each two desiring to correspond select a
''parole" or word, generally Of three letters,
and this word, and this only, is the key to
the cipher, which can be read only by those
corresponding. or course, one man may
have a hundred correspondents, but with
each one he has different parole"
The way in which it is worked is this
Leaving out the letter J, the alphabet is ar
ranged as follows: