The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-01
AN INGENIOUS BETRAYAL.

"A gentleman called to see you this
afternoon. Mr.. Norton" said my house
keeper on my arrival home from the
Office one evening. L gave him your
city address. but he said he prefeNed to
see you here and would call again at
o'clock this evening. When L told him
you never transacted business here he
replied that you would make his case
an exception"
1 awaited the arrival of my visitor
with a certain amount of curiosity. I
knew he must have obtained my pri-
vate address from one of four persons,
and that none of the four would have
given it to him unless his bus less
proved of the utmost importance.
on the stroke of Mrs. Batty an
nounced his arrival, and a moment
fterward ushered him into my pres
n.y. / looked at him curiously. He
AM a keen eyed, elderly man, with gray
M and mustache, and a forehead
ffi>d with lines of care.
~ am Baron kaluto, the special rep
{ntative in England of the Barema
: IVernment. From the papers you win
lave gathered that there have been, and
still are in progress important negOtia-
tions between your country and my
own"
yes" 1 interjected.
1T was not our intention to publish
the terms of those negotiations, but they
had been betrayed, and no other course
remained open to US"
He paused for moment; then, as l
remained silent, continued:
you boast of the freedom of your
p-ess. Mr.. Norton. and rightly so. Taken
az a whole, your editors are men of high
porpOse and lofty ideal-nen who APP
preciate the responsibility OF their posi-
ton and use their power for the good of
tle nation. But there are executions.
and the editor Of the Early Bugle Is one
# them. In order to increase the cir
culation of his paper he would turn
every public servant into a Judas. and
- But pardon me. Mr. Norton, 1 did
lot come here to lecture on the evils
81 a free press"
He spoke in a tone of great bitterness
ind his eyes flashed ominously.
You Will understand why / feel so
deeply on the subject when I tell YOU
that the items of information concern
ing the negotiations which have lately
appeared in the Early Bugle have been
secured by its editor from some treach-
erOus official.
we have tried in vain to discover the
traitor. So, acting upon the advice of
a friend, for whom you shave done eff
eient service, determined to take You
INTO my confidence and ask you to IN
iertake the inquiry"
I assured him that I should be
, Neased to do so, and he went on:
4 There have been leakages in several
apartments lately, and your authori-
Ees think the traitor is on their side. I
slm positive that he is not"
F'Whv?'
b. fBecause the information is not taken
fpm official documents, but is clever
summary OF conversations between my
- = and your representative And the
y Eage never occurs when l have Wis
HAfyour foreign office, but invariably
fth9 the visit of your representative
~ cor legation.
tieou have taken a great load off my
q by consenting to undertake the
Jury lor. from what 1 know of you
i am certain .r., II the mystery is to be
L bowed my Acknowledgement of The
compliment. Then we discussed the
matter in all its bearings and arranged
ms should go and stay at the lega-
ton during my inquiry
the day following 1 entered the leea-
ton as his honored guest. I was soon
on excellent terms with everybody CON
nected with the establishment i wan
dered about the house unmolested nolxad
into odd corners, talked with the SER
ants, and, in fact, with every one; but
never did come upon clue which
promised to lead to the solution of the
mystery.
A week passed and was no nearer
the solution than on the first day of my
entrance. Nothing suspicious had hap
pened, and yet an important converse
ton had been betrayed.
In less than an hour a summary of
the conversation appeared in a speciaI
edition of the Early Bugle.
Raron kaluto had not left the lega-
ton The foreign office representative
had been Swallowed to his office He
had not spoken to any one on his way
there No third person had been pres
ent at the interview, and yet the sum
mary was so concise and accurate that
It must have been communicated bv
some one who had listened to the con-
versation- No other explanation was
possible. / was puzzled.
The following afternoon a representa-
Ttve OF the foreign office called at the
y 4fgation, and was closeted with Baron
4 pluto. An hour later the name of the
Il Sttitor and the method by which he
communicated with the editor were
known TO me- But how he gained his
knowledge I could not tell
The statement which a,0peared in the
Early Bugle was made he basis of a