The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-08-17

erous and unsuspicious and had been
impressed by his zeal and enthusiasm.
That sort of thing went on for four
or five months. Then one night, my
friend the Nihilst came to me in great
excitement and told me the new re-
cruit was a Russian spy. I couldn't
believe it! it sounded too melodramat-
ic: but he showed me a letter that
was convincing. 1t came from a re-
liable correspondent in Germany, in
closed the fellows photograph and
gave his complete record. He was Il
secret agent of some note. Luckily
he hadn't been taken into full conf
dence, so he had learned nothing
worth telling, and while the others
were debating what to do with him,
he suddenly took the alarm and de-
camped between suns. Had he re-
mained. he would undoubtedly have
met with an accident and 1 suppose
would have been an accessory be-
fore the fact. That was one case that
came under my personal observation.
On another occasion Russian spy
came here to locate a couple of Mill
lists who had been journalists in st.
Petersburg. He found one of them
working in a shoe shop, disclosed his
identity frankly and told the refugee
to be perfectly tranquil. He said he
was sending in fake reports to the
government, simply to get expense
money and proposed that they work
up a big Nihilist scare and divide
what they could squeeze out of the
secret service bureau. The proposition
was politely declined. l saw the fell
lows papers and credentials myself;
they were undoubtedly genuine.
1.-The expense Of maintaining such a
service must have been enormous, and
since New Orleans was so closely
watched, one can imagine the elabor-
ate espionage that was no doubt
maintained in some of the northern
cities which have large Russian coll
onies. There We're very few traitors
among the Nihilists themselves. ant
during my acquaintance with the local
group l knew of but one instance OF
that kind. 1t had a most dramatic
denOuement. A man who had betrayed
several of his comrades in Russia
came to this country for safety, and,
if / remember rightly, first settled in
Mobile. His presence was known to
the brotherhood, which simply ignored
him, and, as a matter of fact, he was
in no danger whatever, but the villain
was tormented by the fear of retribu-
tion and the idea finally developed into
an absolute mania. He left Mobile
and went from one place to another,
occasionally appealing to the police
for protection and finally landed at
Galveston. / heard Of the case
through the newspapers and asked my
friend onfidentially whether the man
was really apt to be molested. Not In
the least he replied, we can't afford
to get into trouble over him and, be-
sides, we feel safe in leaving him
to his conscience AS events proved
they were quite right. The badgered
phantom-haunted wretch crept into
the corner of a vacant lot and shot
himself through the heart. So you sec
there is a good deal Of unsuspected
drama and tragedy beneath the pro-
sale surface of everyday life, and If
We knew only a fraction of what Is
going on all around us l dare saydwe
would lose our taste for the theatre
and the novel. l speak somewhat
freely of these experiences because my
little friend the matchmaker has been
dead these half a dozen years, poor
| fellow, and l doubt whether a single
one Of his old companions in misfor-
tune Is still living in New Orleans"