The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-08
HOW FOREIGN SPIES PURSUE
FUGITIVES in AMERICA

Is a political fugitive, whose offense
Is not recognizable as being extradit-
able, safe in this country? Can a for
eigner fleeing from the police authori-
ties of his native land in order to es-
cape punishment, but who has been
guilty Of nothing recognized as crimi-
nal by the laws of the United States,
feel that he is secure from all further
persecution when once ne sets his foot
on the free soil Of America? Nine per-
sons u Of ten would be disposed to
answer in the affirmative, and vet this
is far from being the case. True, the
law here, as well as the regularly con-
stituted authorities and public opinion,
may be relied upon to do everything
IN their power to protect those who
have sought an asylum beneath the
folds of h American flag. But this
protection is not always efficacious. For
the disposition among English-speak-
ing nations is to take no judicial cog
nizance Of a crime until it has actually
been committed. and, inasmuch az the
vengeance wreaked upon the fugitive
is generally accomplished by methods
that are criminal, it is not until then
that the law Of the land interests itself
in the behalf of the victim.
The idea that a man who has been
guilty Of no extraditable Offense should
be pursued to this country, should feel
that his life and liberty are constantly
threatened. eve though ne acquire
American citizenship, and should re-
main subject TO the terrOrisms Of some
foreign government or society, in spite
Of his complying with the requirement
of the laws and customs Of the United
States, may seem at first sight to par
take Of the nature Of the melOdrama
Of the imagination Of the sensational
etory- writer. and to be not only i'm
probable. but likewise impossible. Yet
no one knows better than the principal
police authorities. the secret service
agents Of the United States and the
heads OF such detective bureaus as Pin
kertOns, that America literally swarms
with emis5aries OF the car, whose at
tentiOn is devoted to the nihilists; with
agents Of the Pekin government. who
endeavor to keep track Of the various
Chinese societies here, and with Ital-
ian detectives, who do their best to
keep in touch with the large Italian
population in America. In fact. there
is nc exaggeratiOn in asserting that
there is hardly a foreign government Of
any Importance which does not main
tain in the United States a number Of
secret agents for the purpose of watch
ing, influencing, terrorizing and often
furnishing those Of it's subjects who
have either sought a refuge or eetab-
lished a home in the new world.
In addition to these agents of foreign
governments. the various political and
secret societies abroad, such as the
Italian Malta and CamOrra, the vafiOus
secret political societies Of Austria. the
nihtliSts of Russia, the anarchists of
Spain and Of Germany, the Hetairia of
Greece. are each of them represented
by numerous agents hero, intrusted
with the task of watching and terroriz-
ing their fellow countrymen. and thus
II happens that a man who has Joined
a political association abroad is likely
10 suffer here from the vengeance Of
the authorities of the country from
which he has fed, while. on the other
hand. he is equally subjected
to the tyranny Of the societies
which he has Joined, and who do
not hesitate 20 punish him, even though
he be in this country, if he does not