New-York tribune., 1896-05-04
THE STORY or 4 SPY.
JACOBSON. ONCE RUSSIAs SECRET AGENT
IN BULGARIA, DEAD IN OBSCURITY.

Vienna correspondence of The London Standard.
NJ Jacobson. the notorious Russian agent and
lonely and forsaken, after ten days Illness HIS
name Will be familiar TO every newspaper reader
in Europe the author OF the famous compila ton
Of secret documents In reference 10 Russian plots
in bulgaria. and as for a time the right hand man
OF Stambulon, and the assistant and conidant OF
II. Htrovo, the Russian agent n; Bucharest. His
origin was OF the obscurest. According TO the Rus
SLAMS. his Noises Abramuvch. and ms
family Is stll 10 be found among the Jews OF South
ern Russia. But when he first obtained employment
as clerk In the Russian Consulate In Sofia. under
Consu-General Itrovo. he called himself Michat'
Ivanovtch Jacobson and. 1t Is believed. was con-
vert 10 the Orthodox faith. lie very acquired
such si an Intimate knowledge OF men and things in
choose his insrnments by degrees took him nov into
his confidence. and made his reports and observa-
Asiatic Department in ST. Petersburg jacobson
was 80 versatile so modest. and. at the time.
so honest in money matters. that when NJ Htrovo
had 20 lcfve bulgaria and promoted to the rank
OF Minister In bucharest. while the centre OF the
Russian agitation Transferred TO Rustchuk the
services there Of man like Jacobson were consid-
cred indispensable, and he accordingly appoint
Ell TO the ono al post Of Dragoman TO the Rustchuk
Consulate. lie was privy. from a distance to the
Grnen -benderen plot to kidnap Prince Alexander.
General Kauibars f Mission III a''er the '"'"re OF
on the withdrawal OF all the Russian Consulates
from bulsar'a ne was pei.toned for by his
former i chief NJ. Htroyo. and made dragoman OF
70 act as secret Intermediary between the Bul-
garian refugees In Rumania and Russia and their
sides among them; II has been proved beyond all
question that he helped TO organize the plots against
NJ. later. against Prince
Ferdinand. and assisted In the smuggling Of arms
and ammunition, including dynamite into Bulgaria.
In word. he took upon himself the lrtlest work
or the Russian propaganda. the finds for which
were placed at the disposal OF VI; ilitrovo. and
department. well the Slavonlc Benevolent
Society. entered into direct correspondence with
him
He was at ono time within an ace of receiving
Russian honors AMI distinctions. the appointment
iinciiy been promised to him But. unforiunatey
for his prospects. he quarrelled with NJ. Htrovo
or 10 IieQ IN fha ysfn MI ,Hn
from ST. Petersburg. OF which, he asserted. a
considerable portion found It's way into his chiefs
pockets. while he himself expected to render
a detailed account. The quarrel lasted long enough
9 sge m H ms 10 P5spSro ,9r MS mss dis
OF documents In the archives Of the esaton-n
some cases only hasty copies, which accounted for
Ward singled on, in Russ,an reply to to his s5s book
ments he s1bseanently published were genuine ana
they told tale Of Russian methods OF agitation at
with a number Of original documents. which he
left Rumania for London. where he made offers
to a publisher tha, declined. Thence he went
in VI. stambulon. he found the man who could ap-
preciate him and his manuscripts at their true
value. The first six Of his papers were published
by the 'svoboda." and made sensation through
out Europe before the remainder were put together
o1N % e "' @ rancs BY ha
Editor OF the "Syoboda'-that Is to say, by STAN
bulon-but actually never received more than about
1900 francs. being compensated with a small post
under the Bulgarian Government His real posi-
| ton. however. was that OF Government spy,
whose duty IL to find and give warning OF
plots and only dli he than once save
the lives OF Prince Ferdinand and NJ Stambuloff
but he even enabled the latter to warn the King
OF Servla Indeed thanks to his vigilance and
acuteness. the secret police OF Bulgaria was at
that time the best In Europe.
NJ. Stambulof fell. and with him departed the
glory OF Jacobson. He stayed in Bulgaria too long
and when he fed TO Belgrade arrested at the
demand OF the Russan Minister but released after
the papers In his possession had been taken from
him and sent TO 81 Petersburg. About "A fortnight
ago he arrived In budapest. III and destitute
recognized only by former acquaintance a
writer on Balkan affairs. TO whom, II is said he
conf1el the rest OF his documents and his Will He
died OF phih.sss, from which he had been suffering
for some time. Prince Ferdinand In Constantlnople
and NJ. Iiitrovo In Toxic. Will learn OF his death
with curiously mixed feelings.