The Washington times., 1902-12-04
KNOW HOW TO KEEP SECRETS.
Trusted Government Servants Might
Make Fortunes by Talking.

London News.
The maxim which tells that silence Is
golden often errs on the side OF acCu-
racv. for some secrets. the market value
of which runs well into thousands. are
owned by poor men whose wages do not
induce any little attentions on the part
of the income tax collector.
This is especially the case with gov
eminent secrets. on the Thames
marshes there Is small cottage which
hides the secret Russia offered 100000
for a few years ago. namely, that con-
corning the situation of the submarine
mines which guard the metropolis. The
cottage is stationed among dozens Of
similar structures. and five men, VINO go
TO and from their daily work like or1i-
nary beings alone know which DO ls and
how the electric switchboard BE- contains
can be so manipulated as 60 sink a pow
crful feet IN ten minutes. Either OF
these trusted servants could sell MS
secret for O. fortune without the slight
est difficulty and yet is content 90 toll
for q pound OF Two a week and preserve
an unbrokeu silence.
At certain seaport on the east coast
there lives a. grocer who could let his
premises to q European power at rem
tai of thousands % year if hU chose The
reason for this is that adjoining his cell
lars are the passages commun eating
with the mines which control the en-
trance 90 the harbor, and even me- rs not
permitted 10 crafty his curiosity. for
several sets of doors. fitted With secret
locks. defy the intrusion of any unau-
thorlzed individual The key 90 the mine
chamber will probably Doe found attached
TO the person OF a commissioned of
fcer of the local garrison. for such
al .=n #sa.r e.r % Do
reliable ron-coms. passing rich on halt
a crown a day.
Whenever IA secret treaty is arranged
between this country and foreign power
il is duly "sct up" and printed by Gov
eminent printers long before The public
has any idea that negotiations are lr
progress. These printers are paid no exc
orbiiant wage for their silence, though
any one of them could sell the heads of
the treaty TO foreign nation for a small
fortune.
Nevertheless fl is quite possible for
any one of these individuals TO turn hi-
position 10 account. as was proved q
few years ago when q compo5it0r tried
TO secure copies of his comrades slips
and boosted that he could sci! she secret
they contained TO an evening journal for
. $50.
TO be 0ver 500 secrets. any one Of which
would command q fabulous price if put
up for sale. I'm building the ship 800
workmen or more are engaged. 20 whom
the majority of these secrets are per
I fectly lucid. But. In spite OF the fac
that their wages seldom range above &
a week. for a piece of secret Information
to leave the dockyard is an 0ccurrenc,
practically unhcard Of.
The postmaster Of a small village IL
Ohio owns a secret which many un.
scrupulOus folk would pay much TO know
His name is Gustav Fr8ucks. and. De-
| ing an experienced chemist, he hit upCl
method Of removing ink stains from
used postage stamps "a short time ago
and TO his credit be &c said that be Tai,
I the discovery before the American Gov
eminent. He was offered $4,000 for hi.
silence a bride which be st0utly TO-
/ fused on the grounds that his honest.
was above price, though he agreed tina
q certain portion OF this sum should b
settled upon his lucky relatives.