Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-03-08


dressed this time as a Russian officer,
and demanded immediate surrender.
The Turcomans bowed to his indomi-
table will, and their country became a
Russian province, with Alikhanoff, the
former spy, as its governor. His old
rank Of major and all his decorations
were restored to him by the czar, and
he now holds high military position
in Turkestan.
Many Russian general now holding
high command won his promotion by
secret service work. Gen Petrusevitch,
who made secret surveys Of Trans
caspia, Afghanistan and the Perso-
Turcoman frontier, rose in that man.
ner.
For five long years that man car
ried his life in his hand" said an Eng
lish officer who knew him we'll. Dur
ing all that time he lived and travelled
in disguise among people who would
rather have cut the throat Of a Rus
sian agent than eaten their dinner.
80 perfect was his command Of
Central Asian languages and dialects
that he successfully completed his task
without being once detected. During
those five years he assumed dozens Of
different disguises.
"Once he travelled through a large
stretch Of Afghanistan as an English
officer making surveys in view Of the
possibility Of Russian invasion"
Some years ago a good deal Of ex-
citement was caused In India by the
arrest at Paeshawur Of Russian spy
named Pashino. He had been dip
lomatist, but fell into disgrace and
had to leave the service.
He was suspected Of having secretly
ascertained the condition of military
and tribunal affairs along the Afghan
frontier, and he was going on through
the Khyber Pass to Cabul to make
propositions to the Ameer Of Afghanis-
tan. Nothing definite could be proved
against him, and he was simply de-
ported to Russia
A Russian officer named Stolietoff,
disguised as a Persian physician, ac-
tually did penetrate to Cabul some
time before and caused whole lot Of
trouble in the relations Of Afghanistan
and England. He returned safely, and
rose to the rank Of general in the Rus
sian army, as did also Grodekoff, an
other famous Central Asian spy.
One Of the bravest and most sue
cessful of the secret agents in Turke-
stan was Fail Beg, a Russianized
Khivan. During the Turcoman cam
paign he went backward and forward
hundreds Of times between the Rus
sian lines and the Turcoman encamp-
ments and gained invaluable informa-
ton.
Many thrilling stories of his explo-
its are told by Russian officers who
took part in that campaign. He was
detected once, as he sat around
with some Turcomans.
They overpowered him and bound
him with ropes, intending to torture
him at their leisure until he revealed
Russian secrets. He waited until the
campfire burned low, pretending to be
asleep.
The Turcomans curled up in their
blankets, one by one, until only two
were on guard, some little distance
off. Then Fail Beg rolled over to
the fire, picked up glowing stick with
his teeth and burned through the
ropes which bound his hands and feet.
Silently he stole toward the sentry
who was guarding the horses and
gripped him by the throat from
the back, drew the mans own dagger
from his girdle and stabbed him to
the heart.
Then he cut loose the heel rope of
the horse and fled across the desert.
The other sentry fired at him, but he
was only slightly wounded. The Tur-
comans gave chase in vain.
The Russian secret agent sometimes
has a strikingly varied career. Cos
podin Lessar Is a case In point.
He started as a railway surveyor,
but showed such marked ability that
he was soon employed as secret
agent. His special line Of work was
untraveled parts Of Central
Asia, but the impelling motive of all
his explorations was the making Of
surveys.
No risk appalled, him. He dwelt for
years among tribes bitterly hostile to
the Russians and was never detected.
When the Russian advance to Herat
enraged England, and war seemed pro-
bable, Lessar went to London In the
of a famous explorer to write
up the Russian side Of the case.
With the aid of Madame Novikoff,
he gained admission to the columns OF
the best English newspapers and threw
dust In the eyes Of the British public
most cleverly. He posed as disinter-
ested scientific man who happened to
know that Russia had not really made
any material advances in Central Asia.
His articles were accepted as gospel
and had a powerful effect in calming
the British mind. Not until long af-
terward was it realized that he was an
agent of the Russian government.
This versatile man was subsequently
employed in the diplomatic service,
and he Is now minister to China-per-
haps the most difficult place a Rus
sian diplomat can fill.
During the Chinese-J Japanese war
the Japanese showed that they pos
sessed an excellent secret service, and
in the Pekin relies campaign the al
fa.aaa darandad oil tiralY