Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-08-31
FRENCH POLICE SPIES.
How the Government Manages to Secur
Information Privately.

aow the Government Manages to Secure
Information Privately.
After all that has been said about the
rileness of the police system under the
,mpire, which rendered it almost impos-
ible for any one to be safe from espion-
ige, even in private life, it might well
De supposed that the republic had done
Iway with this machinery for discover
ng and weaving plots so much more
ruited to the age of Louis X1 than to the
nineteenth century. 1t remains, how
ver, very much what it was 80 years
lgo. These things do not change in
france.
Governments go, and the forms of gov
.rnment, and these are succeeded by 9TH
srs, but the good old abuses-they must
be thought good by some people-cling
20 the ship with barnaclelike tenacity.
French official organization is about the
most steedfast thing in the world, al
;hough all French people to whom you
may speak on the subject agree that it
very bad. It Is almost as difficult now
ss 1t was under the empire to be certain
hat a man whom you may meet. either
n society or out of it, does not belong to
he secret police.
All over the country there are mou-
,hards-e term expressing something
stronger than spies. have been incon-
7enienced by them myself in the prov
noes. On one occasion / made rather
ong stay in little place where there
we're two hotels In fierce rivalry. One
lay brigadier of gendarmes came over
trom a neishboring town on purpose to
make inquiries respecting me.
He did not trouble me, but he ques-
honed various people as to how passed
ny time, about how much l spent a day,
what sort Of meals had, and whether l
appeared to have more money than l
knew what to do with. The fact was /
was suspected Of being spy In the pay
1 foreign government. As / consider
bold front to be the best whenever
here Is anything Of this kind in the air,
got myself driven over the gendarmery,
which was about eight miles off, and
here had ID out with the brave briga-
neg.
soon discovered that an informer had
been at work and that the informer was
20 other than the keeper of the rival
hotd, who Tor years had been receiving
pay as 9 member Of the secret police.
Situated where he was he must have
been absolutely useless In that capacity,
but at one time be must have done a
,ervtcs TO somebody.
It Is especially In Paris. however, that
hat the secret police Is supposed to be In
fspensable. Every government wishes
70 be kept well informed as to all that
goes ON In an enemy's camp. Such in
formation can only be obtained from
hose who are willing to play the part of
\ TRAITOR OF whose position enables them
10 observe what Is going forward with
out exciting suspicion. They are tech
ideally termed indicators" and may be-
ong 30 either sex When the Boulan-
siss movement wes oonvulsing France,
She government had great advantage
over Its opponents by handling of the Sc
sret fund and the secret police.
Bou}angers footsteps were dogged ev-
WnCICs o1d cOllSlOW III. SOuSUctub
earned all that he wished to know con-
oerning the plans and doings Of the con-
sparatocs. An important point In this
system Is 10 make the indicator feel
sure that whatever happens he will not
be betrayed. The minister of the inte-
dor or OF justice never asks the names of
hose by means Of whose espionage GER
,ain political information has been gath
sred.
The money given for dark services is
paid from hand to hand IN cafes or other
aonoRcial places by commissionnaires,
md the name of no auxiliary outside of
he ranks Of the regular police ever ap-
bears In book. Is it impossible for the
government 10 do without this abom-
nabie system, so opposed to the ideal Of
! democratic state? The Cottu-Soinoury
scandal has led to much discussion on
his question. Transcript