Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-07-16
RUSSIA'S POLICE SYSTEM.
1t Extends to All Parts of the Empire
and Has Agents Throughout the
World.

and Has Agents Throughout the
World.
This coronation, to which the ma
lions of the world will send their alb
lest men, enhancing its splendor and
Importance, will be The engine of more
misfortune and misery than any hap
pening in Russia in years. 1t will
swell the Siberia colony to untold fig
ures, and heap thousands of prisons in
the empire with armies of unhappy
men and women. Already, the cable
informs us, the third section has it's
drag net out gathering in suspects on
all sides. This work will go on day
/ after day, increasing in it's scope as
the date of the coronation nears
The merest shadow of suspicion is
all that is necessary to land some I'M
fortunate in prison. Nine-tenths of
these suspects are as innocent of the
crimes attributed to them as citizen
in this far-off country. But that
makes no difference If the Russian
police arrested guilty people only there
! cars domain. Innocence counts for
naught when brought face to face with
the third section.
The third section is one of the three
divisions of the Russian police system.
The first division, or section, is the
ordinary street police force, the mem
bers of which are uniformed and patrol
= ,o of l.; ~
do in this and other countries. They
arrest the petty offenders, the thieves,
thugs, murderers and blacklegs in gen
eral, who always infest cities of i'm
portance. There is nothing unusual
about them except their willingness to
be bribed on every occasion. They are
miserably paid; in fact, the members
of the three divisions are underpaid,
and, as result, blackmail, bribery and
eXtortion thrive in Russia to an extent
unknown in any other country the
world over.
The second section is made up of the
rural police, the chiefs of which are
appointed by the state and the ordin-
airy officers of the different villages.
! These are the most rapacious wretches
on the face of the earth, and the way
they grind down the helpless people in
their control would bring tears to the
eyes of man of stone.
The third section, whose chief is
| spoken of in whisper as the white
terror, is made up of the dreaded secret
police. The organization of this force
is well-guarded mystery, and therein
lies it's vast power. 1t is under the
immediate control of the minister Of
the interior, and its one particular
| business is to ferret out the enemies
! of the czar and of the imperial govern
| ment.
| Much has been written about the
third section, but no complete story of
| its organization has ever been told.
Even the cleverest and most relied
upon detectives in its employ do not
know the real facts of the matter
Americans who have lived in the prin-
cipal Russian cities and who have writ.
ten about it have only been able to
obtain the barest skeleton of it's for
nation, but that is as much as anyone
knows.
Secrecy and mystery form its founda-
! ton. How many men compose it's
! fierce is unknown. They may number
500, and possibly $4,000. The section
includes men placed in every walk of
/ life, from the humblest to the most
powerful artisan and the diplo-
mat, the high army officer and the
common soldier, the labOrer and the
society man, the merchant and the
thief. In every big city the world over
are men of the third section. They are
in New York, Chicago, Boston, Phila-
delphia and all the large towns of the
country. They swarm in London,
Paris, Berlin, Vienna, COnstantinOple
and the great capitals of Europe. The
cities of Asia are full of them.
Those in the Russian cities have no
regular hours for reporting for duty,
as is the case with members of the de-
tective force in the ordinary city.
They are on duty all the time. Few
of the agents know one another. This
is regarded as a great advantage. An
agent could be in the company of nine
other agents and not one in the group
Of ten would know that he was in the
presence of fellow officers. Their SUI
perior confer with them in secret, and
they never meet at one place. 1t is
an everyday occurrence for an agent
to turn in report accusing another
agent of suspicious conduct. The latter
is simply following up some case, and
the other, not knowing him to be a
secret officer, makes his report. So
elaborate, complete and extensive is
f this organization that little goes on
, that does not reach the ears of some OF
, the spy system officials.