The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1904-07-07
Their Way
In Us sia
Copyright, 1904, by G. B. Lewis

| on strictly lawful buSineSS-tO look for
the heirs to some property In the west
ern part Of the United States, and my
information led me direct to the city
of Narva. Before I had been in the
| place two hours the chief Of police
called and let me know that was con-
si1ered suspicious"
He tod me that Peter BOYCOTT, whose
heirs was seeking. had been strongly
suspected Of nihilism before he died
and that warrant would have been
served bad be lived a day longer This
was as good as telling me that would
get into trouble II prosecuted any in
q1iries but 7 fooifsh1y determined to
beard the lion in his den.
| Thinking might better carry on the
business from St Petersburg, depart
| ed for that city after few days and
at once called upon a lawyer. He was
sharp enough to realize that / would
not have taken the long Journey unless
the property was Of considerable value,
| and without any beating around the
| bush he told me that he would find the
heirs and put the matter through for
| the sum Of $1,000 This was rank rob-
berry, and I refused to submit TO 1t,
| and as result soon discovered that no
| lawyer would have anything to do with
! the case at all.
| Not only that, but was soon SUM
moned to the Office of the chief Of po-
lice He was very polite but at the
same time IL was easy to read bis
| hypocrisy. He first secured possession
| Of my passport which. be claimed,
needed some slight amendments. and
then began to question me. He kept
me On the rack for three long hours
and then had the inpudence to offer
me his hand as / departed.
/ went straight from bis Office TO
| that OF private detective agency to
set inquiries ON foot The superfn-
| ,tendHnt entered into the matter with
| considerable eaTnestness and agreed to
dispatch a man to Narva that evening
| to secure the wished for inflammation
returned to the hotel feeling rather
! jubdlant at ogdwitthg the police but
| this state OF feeling did mot last long.
| Within an hour the superintendent Of
| the agency called to inform me that BE
must drop the case, turning me off
| with the excuse that he was too busy
| TO attend To It.
| He had scarcely departed before the
| proprietor Of the hotel came to my
| room and politely asked me to vacate
it. He would not admit that it was the
work OF the police, but had mo trou-
| bic IN coming to that conclusion.
/ finally got rooms in boarding
house after being refused at every
other hotel, aud for week the police
| let me alone had made the long jour
ney to find the heirs Of Bngof and
close a deal for the hand. I had not
| been provided with money 10 bride any
one, and I must either defy the police
and work UP the case single handed or
| return and report failure.
Being firmly convinced that Mfrs. Bo-
| gof was in Narva, I secretly left the
capital for that town one night. Secur-
Ing rooms IN q boarding house after
| my arrival and Disgusting my personal
| appearance to a considerable extent, I
prosecuted my Inquiries under ONE ez-
cusa and another until at length dis
covered the woman She was living in
her own house and Tn poor circum-
| stances and was re1oiced at the pros
poets Of selling the land.
now had to give my case away by
calling on notary to make out the pa
pers, and in less than half day the
police were at my heels again They
not onfy warned every notary Gt Mar
va, but the widow was obliged to dee
| the city and go into hiding
Things might have stopped there had
been cool and placid man. When
| found the police bounding me again I
lost my temper and gave the chief my
| candid opinion of things I'm general and
! of his own cuT1duct I'm particular. AS q
natural sequence was promptly ar
rested though just what the technical
charge was never learned.
was taken to jail and confined in a
cell with man waiting TRIAL for rob
berry. He seemed to be a thorough
vi11atn but as he could not speak a
word OF English nor / word Of BUS
stan we hit 1t off by letting each other
severely afDna AS soon as incarcerated
I asked to communicate with the Amer
lean minister, but was refused
On the third day the chief of police
sent for me and asked me If I would
leave Russia II given my liberty. / re-
piled in the negative and was returned
to prison. My threats that the matter
would be thoroughly stfted by our rep
resentatiVe only made him smile, and
he quietly Informed me that he would
keep me in prison for the rest of my
| life If did not agree to his terms.
On the seventh day he sent for me
again. had now changed my mind,
realizing that I could even be sent on
Go