The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-10-31
PARIS POLICE SPIES.
THEY KEEP TAB ON EVERY STRANGER
IN THE FRENCH CAPITAL.

Where and How You Go, who You Meet
and Even What You Say Are All Re-
corded at Police Headquarters How the
"NIouohard" Works.
More curious than all its strange call.
lngs and its strange customs is the police
system in Paris Every hotel must keep n
register Of all foreigners and hand IL over
daily TO the special officers who are sent
around to collect them. In the case Of the
English or American citizen little interest
is taken unless their expenditure is no
ticeably extravagant and then friendly
interest is taken in them and their de.
scription sent to Scotland Yard
1t is almost impossible to conceive the
thoroughness Of the French police spy sys-
tenn. You never know who is II mouchard
in France The waiter who serves you,
the man who shaves you, the oocher who
drives you, are as likely as not to be in the
police pay. They know everything, and
they know everybody. Here is an instance
that occurred to q friend of mine only the
other day He received from the prefecture
an order TO appear on the following day.
So far as he knew, he had done nothing
particularly out of the way, and even II he
had he had done it unintentionally. The
| magistrate invited him into his private
room and put him at his ease at once by
explaining that the affair did not concern
| him personally, but he wanted some in
| formation on two or three of the English
colony with whom he was associated. The
answers were perfectly satisfactory, and in
leaving he turned to the magistrate and
said laughingly, "Now, why don't you
ask me something about myself" "But
know all about you, " he replied. Would
you like to know what you did on any
particular day within the last three
months2"
My friend replied at random: "Take
last Friday week. haven't the remotest
knowledge as to what happened"
The magistrate turned over his dossier
and replied; "You got home at half past Q
in a cab that you had taken at the Made
line. You rode out on your bicycle at half
past 9. You lunched at the Cafe de l'Esper-
ance" And so on throughout the day he
recounted everything that had passed.
There was no reason to have made the in
quiry, as there was not the slightest mark
on his dossier, but it suited the police to
know just how he passed his time.
A casserole-that is to say, a mouchard
who has by some indiscretion let his con
nection with the police become known and
is accordingly valueless once told me a
lot about the working of the system.
had pointed out to him that it seemed to
me thoroughly impossible that l could
have my footsteps dogged during a whole
day without becoming aware of the fact
He answered Naturally. This, for in
stance, is how / should have acted if haC
wanted to find out all about your move
ments. When you left this cafe, l should
have followed you until such time as
knew you had noticed that was at you
heels. Then l should have passed tn
signal. ITO whomg' suggested. "Hav
you ever noticed" he said, that aroun
all the big cafes there are men Offering
novels out of date but who are alway
scanning closely the faces of those on tn
terrasses2 Well, should have passed tn
signal on to one of those men. He would
have followed you in a cab, If necessary
and on seeing you enter cafe would hav'
followed on the pretense of selling ware!
and handed you on to another of the band
And SO it would have gone on.
after all, are the French police wrongi
The foreigner comes here and inscribes his
name at the prefecture of police, We are
not like you in England. We have only
we do not encourage the out Of works OF
the world to come here. Neither do we
want to harbor criminals. Accordingly
the police trace the man, and if they find
that he is honorably earning his existence
he is left in peace, but if there is shadow
of suspicion against him his dossier getI
heavier every day, and one morning M
finds that he has As hours in which to qui
the country 1t is owing to this system
that the police find it comparatively cas-.
to arrest criminals. The viles5 class o
ruffian and the painted women you NEE
in the night cafes are all useful, the WON
en- especially. Your own servant may b
spying on you Your concierge certainl
is"
He hesitated for q minute and then sal
to me in a semiwhisper, Watch that gen
tleman in front with the ribbon of the LIZ
: gion of Honor in his buttonhole." " look
ed at him, but noticed nothing particular
except that he seemed very intent In hi
newspaper "That's a mouohard," b
continued I'm prepared to bet he hs
heard every word that has passed. If yoI
had eyed him as closely as 1 have, yol
would have noticed that he has been look
ing at the same paragraph for over al
hour" The man paid for his drink ant
report was sent in.
Tho ruses of these men in finding ou
persons who are wanted have no limit
Only the other day the English police ha
sent over the description of man the
: would like to put in the dock. AS h
spoke French without tho slightest accent
and as It was certain that he would
disguised out of all recognition, the tas
was a difficult one One afternoon two G
these detectives noticed well dresse
man and suspected him. One of them too
off his overcoat and hung it up side b
side with his A few minutes later the
got up to leave, and the wrong coat wa
put on In the most fluent and polit
French the suspected man pointed out tn
error The mouchard took it off an
looked at the name Of the maker and say
that it was a London firm. They ha
found their man.-Today.
Remarkable Rescue.