Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-02-28
A MILITARY SPY.
Nicely Taken in by a Man He At
tempted to Bride.
wounded


tempted to Bride.
All sorts of peculiar folk turn up at
Simla, says the Chicago Record, the
summer headquarters of the British
government in India, where both the
viceroy and the commander in chief
are wont to spend in the cool noun
tain air the period when the plains of
Hindoostan are rendered most endur-
able by damp heat. Some time ago
there arrived there unexpectedly a
titled Fxenchman provided with excel
lent letters of Introduction, which
described him as travelling for his
pleasure and led to his being put UP
at the United Service club. He often
played at cards, and seemed to have
plenty of money, besides possessing
the faculty of making himself very
agreeable.
One night the play was heavier
than usual, and when the game ended
one of the officers found himself loser
to the tune of several thousand rupees
Early on the following morning this
officer, who was captain in the in
relligence department, found note
from the Frenchman asking him to
call around at the Stoneyrock hotel,
where he was staying, and knowing
that the Frenchman was on the eve
of his departure he went around as
soon as he dressed.
After some beating about the bush
the Frenchman came to the point.
He appeared to know that the captain
had a promissory note bearing the in
dorsement of a brother officer coming
due on the following day, likewise
the fact that he was particularly hard
UPON his last financial legs, in fact
and would experience the utmost
difficulty in paying the losses of tht
night
He then went on to say that when
calling on the captain he had noticed
or his table a little book bound in
blue called ga Report on the Route
Leading to Afghanistan," marked
secret"
CHOW, I have a fancy for that kind
of literature the Frenchman con-
tinued. eff you will get me copy
of this report, pop it in an envelope
and bring it down before I leave to-
night I will hand you a package OF
notes to the amount of 5000 rupees,
which will clear off your Indebtedness
to me and at the same time enable
YOU to meet your promissory note to-
morrow.
The captain, who, like SO many hard
| PLAYERS. had good control of his TEA
lures, did not move a muscle. He was
PERFECTLY we'll aware that his condl-
ton was a desperate one, and that
unless he could pay up within forty
eight hours he would be forced to re-
sign his commission in the army, Q
ruined man. Rising, he remarked
ST think perhaps I shall do as you
wish Till this evening all cevO1r.
The captain made his way to his Of
/ fee. and asking to see the deputy
quarter-master-g general, who was al
the head Of his department, he made
/ 2 clean breast of the whole affair. A
curious result of the Capitalization
was the calling in Of the officer book
! hinder and the issuance to that
/ fl1nctionary of some important in
| structions.
At 5 %. M, just as the Frenchman
was about to enter the conveyance
which was to take him away from
| Simla and down to the plains, the
captain dashed UP on a pony, handed
him an official-looking envelope, ex-
claiming: ''Here is the French move
Won lent me- A scratch with his
! thumb nail showed the Frenchmar
that it contained the familiar little
book bound in blue, whereupon he
handed to the captain parcel, with
the words, ''And here are your
photos, cher anil"
There is not much to add, save that
with the consent of the commander
: in-chief the captain retained the notes
| in the F,renchman's envelope and
paid all his debts; that the blue cover
of the book which he handed to the
titled Frenchman contained nothine
but blank pages, fact which the
count did not discover until he had
reached Kalka, and that the French
mans name has now been communi
/ Gated to most of the leading service
/ end social English clubs, in orde
that their committees may be warned
in time of the fact that he is actins
as a secret agent of the Franco-Rus'
| sian alliance.