The Washington herald., 1906-10-10
WATCH ON ANARCHISTS
LOndOn'S Method Of Keeping
Them in Subsection.
GUARD PLACED ON PUBLIC MEN
Special Branch of the Criminal IN
VestigatiOn Department Constantly
Engaged i'm Running Down Dam
gerOus Political SuSpects-Nany
False scents Are Followed.

/ GerOuS Political SuNpects-NIany
/ False scents Are Followed,
/ From the London Chronicle
About twenty years ago. when the more
! desperate section of the Irish Fenians
was almost battling the English and Irish
police by dynamite and other outrages.
/ 1t was decided 10 organize Il district de
tective machinery, known as the special
! branch of criminal Investigation DEPART
ment for the purpose of locating and dis
/ secting the various murder and dynamite
plots, identifying the men connected
Herewith and keeping them under obser-
walton; also. Of course. for protecting pub
/ lie men whose lives were in danger. no.
/ tably Arthur Balfour when he was chief
! secretary for Ireland.
! The work of organizing this branch was
/ intrusted to Chief Inspector LIttlechiId
| who retired on "a pension some eleven
years ago The machinery and methods
/ of the special branch were found 10 be
equally well adapted TO the ultra-earuest
Russian patriot or the fanatical bomb
/ thrOwer from France. Italy. OF Spain
/ special branch is. although composed al
most entirely Of criminal investigi tion de-
pdrtment men. more directly under the
control Of the home office than the rest of
/ The metropolitan police. It's duties con-
/ sist in what is described politely as Do
| lttical work. including the supervision Of
anarchists and nihilists and other persons
who may be n source OF personal danger
TO the King or Queen or to members or
our royal family or 10 foreign potcntates
visiting our country or our own ministers
OF state.
Looking After Foreign spies.
The branch Is sometimes kept busy In
trying TO trace the source of anonymous
letters written TO any of the above. il
also undertakes the necessary inquiries in
the case Of applications f0r letters of nat
uralization or on behalf of the foreign
Office for passports. Persons suspected of
being foreign spies also receive attention
from the special branch, generally at the
inSuSauon either of the admiralty OF the
war office.
The present staff consists of Supr.
Quinn-an admirable appointmeut-one
chief Inspector, three inspectors. and
nfty-two other detectives. I'm the case of
two or three Of whom tine 0id-csta blished
rule that every detective must have start
ed as an ordinary constable has been
waived These exceptions are linguists
and men of peculiar experience among
the most undesirable aliens iu this and
other countries
Some thirty of this number are divided
up among six foreign and seven British
ports-which shall be uamclees-to keen
observation on outgoing and incoming
r... ..rs
sionally going abroad on special duty con-
nected with royal visits to continental
countries or otherwise.
One member of the branch speaks and
writes seven languages. another three
one has resided in five different countries
and speaks four languages. and most of
them know French. HeliOgraphing IS uu
derstood by some Of them.
Embassies Have Detective.
Our detectives do not as is often SUD-
posed permanently safeguard the inter
ests OF other countries as regards foreign
political suspects in this country. At
least three European governments are
represented I'm England by their own
secret service agents. who are attached
10 the embassies and act independently of
us. 4 foreign detective sent here for
special purpose, however. as a rule places
himself in communication with ''the
Yard At present there is no combined
international movement against THIS cIas-
of crime
The results of the special branch ors.tn-
izItion cannot be judged by what is read
in the newspapers as regards TIE sup
preston OF anaTchistS-Jherc have been
only two prosecutions iu the last two
years, but vast amount of Quiet work
has been achieved. Suspected persons
are located, observed, and often fright
encd out OF the country, unknown 10
tie public.
Tie relations between the detective and
the anarchist are peculiar one sees a
member of the s 3. enter one Of three
shops suspected 90 providing Informal
meeting places for anarchists not far
from Shaftesbury avenue. ostcnsfbIv tn
make "A trifiing purchase. The owner or
the shop and the one customer. an italian
suspect. each greet him. but i'm two diff
terent languages. Both know his husI-
ness almost as wen As he does But thcr,
Is mo- animosity between the hunted ma
the hunter.
Appears and QucIIs a Riot.
ON another occasion a crowd of more
or less undesirable aliens ia one of The
dangerous foreign quarters is looking on
at struggle between a couple of con-
stables and some roughs. one of the
former having just sounded the sIriH
signal for help. The onlookers are reviI-
ihs tie police in several languages. and
some Of them are inclined 20 Join in Gt is
lhlrly 10 one against the uniformsl. when
dh Engtshman OF TO remarkable ply
Slque. pushing his way through the OUT
skirts OF the crowd. is keeuly scrutinizing
Idces-one In particular that OF man
VINO rs eXhoL<ng others 90 violence. The
E-nSi--~--lan is recognized and the foreign-
er Who interests him steals away. whis-
pefihg something TO acQuaintances .as. he
passes them. They and others follow suit.
ana the \ B. man has achieved more
than three constables could have done.
Moreover he has located a man who has
been lost sight of lately.
The force is ape to have its zeal severely
tired By false scents, and even hoaxes.
Less than month ago what appeared 10
any one but an electrical expert to be a
possible Internal machine was discovered
on the day of the arrival in London of
two threatened members Of the roval fam.
lily and at a spot whence an outrage
might have been effected. It was in the
ordinary course of precautionary meas
ures-the 5. B. never despises any suspi-