Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-10-08
JAP A SPY FOR RUSSIA.
A Traitor to His Country, He Was
Hacked to Death.

hacked TO Ieatn.
y During the recent Japanese troubles
on the Pacific coast various persons
thought they discovered Japanese
spies taking measurements and max
ing notes about the coast defences
thereabouts. The Japanese war office
may have more or less perfect sys-
TEN for gathering information about
the defences of other countries, but 1t
is a safe guess that 1t never before
had to investigate the operations OF
one of Japan's own people in spying
on Japan's own forts In the interests
Of foreign power. The Toxic Asahi
prints an interesting story Of this
unique treason Of a Japanese.
Sell Mayeda, a former instructor In
the Oriental Languages school OF
Vladivostok and a naturalized Russian
citizen, dropped into Toxic about two
months ago after a continued absence
Of more than ten years. He was high
ly educated and passed among the
gentlemen Of the better class in the
Toxic political clubs as a personable
man Of refinement. Because he spoke
Russian fiuently and had lived many
years in Siberia it was not considered
a matter Of suspicion that Mayeda
spent a great deal Of his time with
Russian military attaches Of the lega-
ton.
About the same time that Mayeda
came to Toxic another man from ST.
IBERIA, Kuzuki Imamura, came down
from the Japanese fisheries at Niko-
laevsk in the Primorsk province,
where he had been working since the
war. He went to his home IN the
slums Of the city and nobody knew
that he ever met Mayeda, the gentle
man, or that he knew anything about
Mayedas movements.
On August a Japanese coolie or
the lower class visited the office OF the
Toxic Asahi and desired word with
the news editor When the coolie had
that functionary carefully secluded In
an inner room he told him that II
reporter from the Asahi would follow
Mayeda, the gentleman and clubman,
on the train to the Yokosuka naval
station that night he would learn that
the Russianized Japanese was trail
tor and that he was preparing reports
Of the defences at Yokosuka for the
Russian government.
Maruo. the coolie, told the Asahi
editor that Mayeda had gained his
confidence by hiring him as a servant
and that the day before Mayeda had
asked him to take a night trip to Yo-
kosuka, promising that for the work
he would do there would be large
rewards. Maruo had suspected his
master Of being in league with the
Russians because Of his constant asso-
citation with the legation staff officers,
and this Yokosuka trip convinced him,
he said, of the treacherous designs OF
the man.
Japanese newspapers are not SLOW
at scenting news even though the re-
porters wear clogs and are happy on
a salary that an American newspaper
would not think of offering to an Of
flee boy The Asahi Immediately as
signed a man to follow Mayeda and
then notified the central office of the
police.
That night when Mayeda and the
coolie went to Shimbashi station to take
the train for Yokosuka an Asahi re-
porter and a detective followed. May
eda thought to throw possible pur-
suers off the track by taking Shim-
onoseki train and changing at a juno
ton beyond Yokohama, but the re-
porter and the detective were not
fooled.
When Mayeda stopped overnight at
an inn near Yokosuka the sleuths on
his trail camped there also. The Asa
HIS account says they were suitably
disguised but this probably means
that the two pursuers muffled their
faces with their kimono sleeves. as the
art of disguise is primitive in Japan.
The suspect and his informing SER
want spent the night in riotous drink
ing. The reporter and the detective
crawled into a nearby room to hear
what Mayeda might say through the
thin paper shoji. He said enough to
convict.
The next morning when the spy hap
pened to catch sight Of the two trail
ers he decided that it was getting