Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-01-21
DAILY SHORT STORY
A Touch of Russia
COPYRIGHT, 1902 by G B. Lewis1

American who had just arrived that
morning, man from Stamford. Conn,
named Joshua II. Bidwell. He was the
inventor of the wire clothesline and.
having patented it in England, France
Germany and other foreign countries
had arrived in Russia with the same
object in view. He was a thorough
Yankee from top to bottom.
1 had scarcely shaken hands with
him when he Informed me that the po-
lice already had n spy on his track
and added:
I'm here Oh straight business,
am. I'm here to patent and sell the
right to manufacture the only galvan-
lied wire clothesline ever invented. If
the police let me alone, l shan't hurt
anybody, but if they tackle me they'll
wake up barnful of bumblebees"
1t was Mr.. Bidwelrs intentions, aft
er knocking about for two or three
days, to visit the American legation
and solicit advice on how to proceed tc
get his patent We set out to St Pc
tersburg in company. 1t was the cause
of our coming TO grief The spy who
had been following him appeared 10 be
more alert than before; but. fearing
that Bidwell would do something rash,
1 did not mention the fact of our being
logged. He did not catch on until the
afternoon of the second day. We then
were knocking about on foot and were
in the national aquarium when ne
walked straight up TO the spy, tapped
him on the shoulder and said:
Look here. Mister Man. have you
any business to transact with u.s.
He spoke in English. and the Rus
sian could not understand n word of it.
He evidently got the drift of things.
however, and seemed greatly surprised
and annoyed at being addressed in that
offhand fashion.
We went out, turned into Warsaw
place and entered a wineshOp. Bidwell
presently went to the door to see if the
spy was around and almost bumped
into him.
Now, then, you mean looking son of
Il gun. but this is little too steep" eX-
claimed the Yankee. II gave you fair
warning. and now
He seized the fellow by the shoulders
and slammed him about in a terrific
manner, but it wasn't more than
minute before five or six policemen
were at hand and both of us were I'M
der arrest and being hurried away.
We were first taken TO 4 police sta
ton about four blocks distant. There
we were searched, stripped of every
article that our clothing might be over
hauled and held for about an hour. We
If oil
official in charge understood anything
we said lie did not betray the fact. Bid
well was so provoked by the situation
that he fired Il whole broadside of Con-
necticut oratOry into the official, ending
up by threatening suit for 100000
damages. but he might as well have
saved his breath. BY and by we We're
taken to headquarters under a strong
escort and there ushered into the pres
ence of the chief of police. We were
taken in singly. My turn came first.
The chief consulted a memorandum
and began:
You arrived in st. Petersburg OH the
9th. You claimed to be an American
tourist. You received n letter from Par
is on the 10th and one from Hamburg
on the 18th. You have spoken disre-
specially of the police to the proprie-
tor of the Park hotel. You were very
disrespectful toward the officer who
was ordered to follow you about. Do
you wish to leave st. Petersburg by the
evening train?"
/ replied that l had come to visit the
city as tourist and had planned to re-
main for at least n month.
The chief touched a bell, and two
police officers appeared. Out OF my own
money they bought me a ticket for the
German frontier, and both rode with
me for the first 300 miles.
What happened TO Bidwell learned
long afterward from his own mouth
and through the American press. He
thought it beneath the dignity of free
born American citizen to bend the knee
to the autocrat of st. Petersburg. The
charge against him was more serious.
His baggage at the hotel had been
overhauled, and his samples of wire
clotheslines were at once spotted as
Il menace against the peace of the
car. He also had laid violent hands
on the sacred body of police spy, and
that proved him a desperate man if
not q conspirator. He was defiant
when put on examination, and the up
shot was that he was taken to the
fortress of st. Peter to be held for
further investigation. That simply
meant to be held at the pleasure of
the chief of police. No papers were
ever served on him nor was he ever
taken into court He was put into
dark, damp cell, confined to prison fare
and treated like a criminal. 1t was
three months before he saw any other
face than the jailer's. Then a police
official came to ask him If he would
ygree to leave Russia and never return
IN case of release.
Not by long shotr' was his ready
reply. For every month you hold me
in here I'll demand $4,000 extra, and