Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-09-14
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 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. the
"NIouchard" Works.
Moro curious than all its strange coli.
lnEs and It's strange customs is the police
system in Paris. Every hotel must Keep u
register of all foreigners and hand it over
daily to the special officers who uro scnt
fround to collect them. In the case of tho
english or American citizen little interest
Is taken unless their expenditure is no
ticcahly extrnvagant, and then u friendly
interest Is taken i'll them and their do
scription sent to Scotland Yard
1t is almost impossible to conceive tho
thoroughncss of the French police spy sys-
tenn. You never know who is u mouchurd
IN Franco. The waiter who serves YOU,
the man who shaves you, tho cocher who
drives you, arc aslikcly rs not to be in the
police pay. They know everything, and
they know everybody. Here is an instance
that occurred to IL friend Of mine only tho
other day. He received fl$m the prefecture
an order to appear on the following day.
So fur as he knew, he had done nothing
particularly out of the way, and oven if ho
had he had dono it unintcntiounlly. Tho
magistrate invited him into his private
room and put him Mt his case at once bv
explaining that tho 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 wcro perfectly satisfactory and in
leaving no turned to the magistrate and
said laughingly, NOW, why don't you
ask mo something about myself" "But
know oil nbouty ou, y lie replied. tWould
you like to know what you did on any
particular day within tho last three
montllsp
My friend replied at random: "Tako
last Friday week. I haven't tho rcmotest
knowledge as to what happened
The magistrate turned over his dossier
and replied: You got homo at half past 9
In cab that you had taken at tho Made
line. You rodo out on your bicycle at half
past g. You lunchcd ut the CATO dc l'Esper-
ance And so on throughout the day he
rccounted everything that had passed.
There was no reason to havo made tho in
quiry. as there was not the slightest mark
on his dossier, but 1t suited tho police to
know just how he passed his time
"A casserole-that is to say, a nlouchar,l
WHO has by some indscrcton let his con
ncction with the police become known and
is accordingly valuclcss once told mo u
lot about the working of tho system. 1
had pointed out to him that it seemed to
mo thoroughly impossible that I could
have my footsteps logged during q whole
day without becoming aware Of tho fact
Ho answered: Naturally This, for in
stance, Is how 1 should have acted il had
wanted to find out all about your move
ments. When you loft this csfe, should
hnve followed you until such time us 1
kncw you had noticed that I was at your
heels Then l should have passed tho
signal" TO whom?' suggested 'aHave
Els'' ,aNor. poticed,' he said, that around
scanning closely tho faces Of 1t Gn offering
s;n,,n, well, I should have nnss ~ ~ INC
hnyn f on 70 one of those mon. H. a' Inc
and -, ,oiioWed you In cab, If neco LTD
folloO.,s seelhg you enter cafo Womb 10y,
and bnndns elie pfetense of selling ,yoros
And 50 II 49, 10 IN TO another of tho ban6
r, tsleer all, arc tho French ,,o,,o
49, nv aorelsnor comes here and insor; n,ongf
not I;,. ns inc prefecture of police tWs ms
i,,st tIAe you In England. Wo i,, We are
Nc ~. eiiough money for our own $50 only
tho ~, noe encourage the out of 49, anu
~ "orlo to come hero. Noi,h o.hs OF
~ an1 20 harbor criminals. Annn,' 40 wo
tho H. puiice trace tho man, and II ~ |
10 i, ler. - lohorably earning his exis+. 1..Iu
# sns,l;o ~ peace, but if there is n shn5ae
,cavio, 'o.on against him his dossiar 10y.
nds th,t t,ery day, and ono mornin,ss I h
ho conntr ~ h1,s 10 hours in which to n,,i.
hat tho no1io, IS owing to this systom
,t asres1 criminals Tho yilest 10y ei easy :
't thn and the painted women ne olass OF
isL1 cafes are all usefuI ~, .neeo
,i Ial,oeialiy. Your own servan. 49, Won $
= :. 'h you Your CONCIERGE oa Icy DC a
~ nesltated for a minute ana 49,, a
non - =, scnlwhisper, Watch That t ss'lo b.
IN Of Ho ron! With tho ribbon Of tbo s ~ y
at ~, , IN his buttonhole y 49, y.
,ept th,t w ~ noticed nothing particn,an u
~ ..n seemed very intcnt in hi.
tlnurd ..1, that's o mouchard. hs
I'd every u,a,l ~ prepared to bet he bas =
eyed him M 'hae has pissed. If Won n
~ haSo noticed that he bas haa, .e, you NJ
: q" ~ Inc ne, same paragraph for 80 aook- PC
T. 80 Inc man paid for his drinI "a. an
~ out. Next morninr T s.' uiiiih ana Jal
ort was sent in. suppose his an,
ons syhe 81 These men in finding o,,t P.
~ " a no arc wanted" have M T;,n ~ ton
s.e oLher day the English nn,ica .i LIZ; sou
y, d'1 81, me description Of a man t hao T
% E- .Ae 60 put in the dock uney for
no - ~. "ichout tho slightest nccan+ sun
Used Wa ",'s certain that he would ha "A
In ouS OF all recognition, the tos ~ voa
dctacti lS one. One afternoon two OF ~ Fir,
and sns,,oa, =, noticed well dressed
is overe oput'eu MIN Ono of them took FRS
With he A' ana hung it up side hv
~ - us. few minutes latcr Thy Stee
~ " leave, and the wrong con+ 10y ST.
- In the most fluent 80 was field
:" 1lo suspected man no,n4a., poiite cept
/, The mcuchard tno1. :. ont the leav,
I at the nanle of tho ~. - OH end ever.
- was London firm srh ,nu say