Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-06

IN Russia are officers of the Indian ar
my, but needless to state they do not
travel as such. Some affect to be tour
lists of an innocent but inquiring turn
of mind; some go as commercial trav
elers; some lean toward religious pro
paganda; while others collect curiosi
ties.
These agents have been so energetic
and prolific in their disguise that in
the south of Russia the bonafide cora.
mercial traveller excites suspicion. The
Russians now insist upon all CONNER.
Gals being licensed and taxed, more
over, the intelligence department has
found the orders for goods obtained
by its travellers somewhat embarrass-
ing. AS a buying agent the spy has
also worked we'll No Briton can
now go across the Caspian to pur-
chase skins any more than to sell
hardware, or even just to amuse him.
self without his letters being opened
and the company he keeps carefully
noted.
Dangerous to be lngusitive.
Elsewhere than in central Asia the
inquisitive foreigner is likely to be de-
tanned as suspect if found near a
dock yard, arsenal, fortress, masked
battery or military undertaking of any
kind. The real tourist may excite sus.
pieion, and no doubt many of the peo
pie arrested are innocent, but occas-
ionally spy is captured, and usually
of course, is liberated, after inquiries
Foreign consuls are apt to be much
more energetic, emphatic and positive
when government agent is taken
than they are when the innocence OF
the parties held is SO apparent that it
needs no proof. In ordinary circum
stances, when the spy is known, he
thereby becomes innocuous, and he
knows it. If discovered, the impolite
Russian way is to forbid him to
enter the country, or to declare
he comes from plague-infocted port
or that he is a Roman Catholic or a
Jew.
The polite way is to offer him a
guard or helpmate or companion. The
spy is then shown what he must see,
and as soon as he has seen and re-
ported the various military deposit
lions are changed SO that the informa-
tion he obtains is worse than useless,
being actually misleading. The polite
British way is to take the recognized
spy around the golf links or give him
pegs of whisky and tell him soft
stories as he sits on a stool enjoying
interminable regimental cricket, then
to send or take him home happy,
talkative man, with nothing to tell
That is what happens. when Russian
vessel calls at Perrin, 'sfor water" OF
Russian officers show themselves GU
~. N, M OF
Resort to Many Dodees.
Many are the lodges resorted to by
British agents in order to avoid being
'"spoofed' by their Russian hosts.
Their common way is to hunt in cou.
pies, each independent of the other, SO
that if one is taken The other may sue
coed in getting through with the work.
This plan has other advantages. The
eastern races make adept spies. Rus
sias agents when out of uniform, be
tray their calling by being so well in
formed, which is unusual in Russia,
but it takes a clever, educated man to
detect them, and there are few such
among the class of people the agents
frequent in the east, for they pretend
to be merchants, veterinary surgeons,
peddlers and even Migrants. In the far
east in the matter of espionage Japan
has the game almost entirely to itself
A Japanese can readily become SO good
an imitation of the Chinaman, Manchu
or Mangol that the Russian cannot
identify him, and the Chinaman who
does will certainly not denounce him.