Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-29
Drawing by Thure de Thulstrup

be guarded against and suspicious diplomats
thrown off the scent
1t was in October, 1877 that De Blowitz heard
there would be an international congress for the
settlement of the Eastern question. As he had
been free in his criticisms of German diplomacy. he
ad tho hot nteTe the tina. he Should ftad
that he would be Persona non grdtd in Berlin and
that his work would be hampered by the unfriendly
sequenty assured of friendly reception and
began his plans to make his reports surpass those
OF any other correspondent assigned to the Congress
pl IN convenng the congress on June -, 1873.
of the German capital for muteness must be main
tanned; the strictest secrecy to be observed,
and the assembled journalists should be prevented
from sending authentic information to their papers
Every precaution was taken against leaks but
from the opening session to the close each edition
of The London Times published review of the
future action. De Blowitz did not tell the whole
secret in his memoirs: but he disclosed enough to
show the adrot and thorough manner in which his
campaign had been prepared ~"
Months before going to Berlin he had become in
terested IN young foreigner who was in search of
employment Through a friend he procured for
this young man a letter of introduction to the
private secretary of foreign statesman who
certain to be delegate to the congress. This letter
was strong enough to the applicant position
as kind of diplomatic outsider. De Blowitz had
only one interview with him after he entered upon
this position The young man was told not to speak
to his patron about the work of the Congress; but,
intmated De B1owitz, when the Congress has
adopted articles you will communicate them to me;
but shall not publish them till the day of the last
sitting"
How to pass those reports to De Blowitz without
detection the next problem. 1t was solved by
happy accident. On leaving the room in which
this interview took place, the confederate took the
hat of De Blowitz by mistake Instantly the method
for hoodwnking the delegates flashed to the mind
of The Times correspondent They were both
stopping at the same hotel. The young man was
to place his communications in the lining of his hat,
which De Blowitz to take daily from the hat
rack instead of the he placed there entering
the dining One day another correspondent
picked up the precious hat and clapped it to his
head De Blowitz. who witnessed the incident,
fanting. The hat contained the third
article of the treaty together with hint of difficult
ties that had arisen between Russia and England
on the question of the boundaries of Bulgaria.
Luckily the unconscious possessor of those precious
papers had small head. De Blowitz's hat almost
fell over his ears and he returned it to the rack
with air of disgust which not only relieved but
amused The Times representative.
Two days before the treaty was to be signed De
Blowitz threw everybody off the track by clever
deception He had announced appeal to Bis
marck for advance sheets of the convention, and
assumed indignant nien when the request was
refused as he had designed. In apparent huff
he began packing leave Berlin before the arrival
of the momentous day. Meantime under the pre-
text that daily Geographic service between Brus
sells and London contemplated by The Times.
he had secured from the Belgian minister letter to