Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-08-02
CHINESE SPIES.
They DoIed Out Misleading lnforma-
ton to the Russians.


During the war between Russia and
Japan, Manchuria was Inhabited by
spies and soldiers. There was, 1t Is
true, a conflict in the open field-the
one we all read Of in the newspaper
dispatches with the alphabetical jum-
BILE for the names Of the places, and
there was another contest going on, as
1t were, under ground. We shall not
know how the Japs did in their conduct
of the elaborate spy system, save as
the Russians tell Of 1t In their present
discussion, among themselves, Of the
Russian secret service. The disclos-
ures take the form of an exhibit Of
Russian failure In an important branch
Of the military art as 1t has developed
with the mysterious, hidden elements
of communication.
We may absorb this Russian story
Of defeat and failure, as it Is translated
from the reports which have now be-
come accessible: 1t Is important to
this country just now because 1t
throws a side-light on Japanese meth
ods 1t Is well to know Of them in ad-
vance of whatever may happen, instead
OF learning things when it's all over,
as the Russians did.
In the first place, the Russians had
to put their main reliance upon the
Chinese residents Of the district within
the zone occupied by the military
forces, and they speedily discovered
that the Japs had corralled most of
those willy persons by various devices.
The Chinaman hates the Jap with an
abiding cordiality, but the Jap over
came the prejudice by dexterous influ-
creature under some blandly CONNER
cial stimulation; but he Is also cruel
and vindictive with q strange mixture
Of generosity and sentiment. He was a
tough customer in the Manchurian
problem Of the pestered Russian. who
never once arose to the occasion of
the alert deception habitually practised
by the ingenious Jap. One incident,
remarkable for its originality, shows
to what extremity the Japanese went
in befuddling the Russians.
! 1t is described in this report, filed by
o Russian officer upon the Russian
system, that one of the Chinese spies
brought in gaiter which he said had
been picked up at Kan pings san, and
this was identified by the interpreter
also a Chinaman, as having a mark
which showed that 1t was once the
property Of a certain private Of the
first company of the 26th Takahira in
fantry regiment. About the same time
another spy arrived at another head
quarters with another gaiter, which he
said he had picked up at Kaikai-yuan
The marking was the same as that OF
the gaiter picked up at Kan-ping- san
and according to the sign 1t should
have belonged to the same Japanese
soldier, who must, indeed, have made
a gigantic step to have lost the two
CATERS at such widely separated places
An investigation was instituted and
the Russians found that the japanese
had established at Ta-fa a central
agency where information was doled
out to Chinese spies for the edification
of the Russians. Not only that, but
articles were manufactured to the end
that these same Chinese hirelings OF
the Russians might have documents
to show that they had been here and
picked up relics belonging" to the en-
emy. In fact, the Japanese exhibited
a keen shrewdness in this little detail
Of operating to counter purpose against
the Chinamen who were employed by
the Russians. The Japanese, therefore
were able to use the Russian spies for
Japanese purposes and in the end to
outwit the Russians at every turn. This
was so much the case that the Russian
officer who describes the situation says
that on some occasions the Russian
spies disappeared by the hundred,
taking their permits with them!"
Then there were such difficulties as
finding spies who could read or who
could even tell what they had seen.
Most Of them knew nothing Of badges
or insignia Of rank, not to mention the
important military operations or Sit
uations Of which they had been the
wooden spectators. For all the good
the system did the Russians in send
ing out Chinese to take in situation
within the Japanese lines, they could
as profltably put in their time con-
templating the laundry ticket Of an
Oriental establishment in our own
Oshkosh.
| The Japanese exercised so careful a
watch over the Chinaman whom they
imagined to be in the employ Of the
Russians that they established a per-
NIT system, and when a Chinaman was
found IN the zone Of operations with
out a pass or who was unable to fully
account for his presence, he was
promptly buried alive-at least this Is
the charge made by the Russian Off
Ger, who is philosopher enough to OBJ
serve that 1t is small wonder that Chi
namen f1ocked over to the Japanese,
and that even when apparently with
the Russians they were there for the
purpose Of aiding the Japs.
These discloses have served to en-
phasize the need Of thorough secret
service in the ar nies Of Europe, and
probably those in charge Of the sys-
tenn Of information have been duly i'm
pressed by the a6roitness Of the ia
panese, although under other condi-
tions and elsewhere the military ex-
perts say they are not likely to en-
counter such difficult conditions as
were created by the uncertainties Of
the Chinaman. The Russians are led
to observe that their officers, II they
are going to have work in the Far
East should acquire the Oriental Ian
guages. and that military training
hereafter must take into consideration
the relations, either friendly or war
like, with people Of other tongues. The
necessity Of employing interpreters
only adds to the difficulties which be-