The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-05-23
NEW YORK LETTER.
The Latest Gossip Of the Great
Metropolis.
The Cars Agents In New York-How
Kipiing Has Repsid Our Kindness
Senator ETH a. Social Being
Gr. olevelandss Prospects.

ASS@~~oOA ELI 8S SOCIAL 6ck0S-
Gr. oleveiandss Prospects.
tooPYR1aar, 1891
One OF the most extraordinary epi-
sodes that have come under my obser-
vation In the strange, fascinating, cos
mopoltan life of New York city is the
story OF Mrs. Kraemer, the Red Cross
society and the Russian secret police.
Is there 'secret police in existence
here In this great American city, where
even the scullions boast of their free
don--a regularly organized system of
PAID spies who report to uniformed
superior, who in turn advises the great
spy system of the Russian despot in his
own seEni-barbaric realm Of moujiks
and droshlSies? The story Of Mrs.
Kraemer seems to establish it beyond a
reasonable doubt. There's a pastoral
looking little town out beyond Bowery
bay, on Long Island sound, called
Steinway, after the great firm of
piano manufacturers whose head,
William Steinway, has. of re-
cent years, been potential fig
ure in democratic politics here
abouts. In Steinway is quiet-looking
little country house where friend Of
mine not many days since called on and
had the pleasure Of meeting and talk
ing with the handsome young Pole who
who is the heroine Of this story A
woman has to be handsome to be able
to wrap men about her fingers. And
this is what Mrs. Kraemer must do to
deserve her reputation. She Is tall,
dark-haired and deep-eyed, the kind Of
creature a writer with adjectives to
spare would call distingue He might
also use lissom and shapely and, per-
haps, svelte itself on Mrs. Kraemer.
She is beautiful and intelligent, and ad-
vanced enough to have come under the
espionage Of the Russian secret service
In New York. Mrs Kraemer had
expected to sail a short time since
for Russia, among the Red cross
relief ENJOYS, but the secret police
nipped her plans in the bud and warned
the ladies and gentlemen who were in
terested in her and Mrs. M. Louise
Thomas, the Sorosis speaker and writer,
who was to have accompanied her, that
Mrs. Kraemer would be stopped at the
Russian frontier. All this was in New
York, remember. So Mrs. Thomas
sailed alone, and Mrs. Kraemer's name
was struck from the list of Red Cross
ENJOYS. The interior of the Steinway
residence where this lady found seclu-
sion at this time showed the home of
refinement if not Of luxury. There was
an essential absence Of the common
place If Mrs. Kraemer is the head
center of the most powerful Nihilist
group in America, there was no evil
dence of it in her surroundings. But
the fact that she sat there among
her books and paintings and cushions
instead Of being on the relief steamer
Tynehead. in which she was to
have sailed with Red Cross on her
bosom, was conclusive evidence that
ten Thousand miles from the head
quarters Of their chief Of police, now
dying Of slow poison, the Russian bu-
reaucracy is powerful enough to keep
an American citizen from even starting
for Russia. The Russian consulate in
New York consists Of several apart
ments in the lower end Of the city, spa
cious enough, rather gloomy in their
dignity and apparently free from the
atmosphere Of espionage. Gen. Olav-
owsky, the Russian consul here, seems
to have abundant means, animate and
monetary, to find out all he wants to
learn about the sixty odd millions OF US
who have never paused to consider
possible encounter with Russian spy.
Olavowsky knows all about Mrs.
Kraemer, or thinks he does. He sent
for Mrs. Thomas and cautioned her
against going to the czars country with
such a travelling companion. ''She is
o professed socialist said he-there
is something in the word nihilist
which hurts the CLOTHS Of a
loyal Russ--and he casually observed
that he, Olavowslsy, had forwarded
"Mrs. Kraemers biography to the Third
Section" the technical name Of the po-
litical secret police. Mr.. Alexander
Greger, the dashing diplomatic bachelor
who has for some years been in demand
Rs beau in Washington society, had al
ready called on Mrs Thomas In Wash
ington and cautioned her against Mrs.
KraeIner. So she started without Mrs
Kraemer, whose connection with the
Red Cross Relief association has now, it
is said, been formally severed by Mr.. F.
B. Tillinghast, of Davenport, Ia, who
Superintendent the loading Of the relief
steamer Tynehead. Here comes in not
the least remarkable thing about the
whole affair. As soon as Mr.. Tilling-
hast heard the 'srumors" about Mrs.
Kraemer's pronounced SOCIALISM,
from the Russian spies, Of course-he
set his own spies to work and he
learned enough from his detectives in
three days time to make it his duty to
cross her name from tho list of
ENJOYS So far, the only charge made
against the lady is pronounced social
ISM" The word nihilist has not been
associated with her. She is charged
with having associated with the Poles
of New York who want to ''free Po-
land" some time or other in some way
or another, and to have actually at
tended their meetings and made
npeech to them in Polish. And for this
she must not even visit Russia with