Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-06
OF WORLDWIDE INTEREST
JAPANESE SECRET SERVICE
BY FREDERIC }. HAskIN

, llOL take tlAc 6uiplioCA NViiAtsN Acs'o -
understand why her servant could not
cook. She was harboring a high class
spy under her roof. AS soon as the
make-believe servant saw his mistress
he eurtly dismissed those who sur
rounded him and left the bank. Being
curious to know what the fellows mis-
sion was, the lady did not dismiss him
Immediately He seemed anxious to
cultivate the good graces of the ma
tives, and it was suspected that he
might have been commissioned to
sound the local feeling on the prospect
of Japanese rule In Hawaii. The fact
that he turned the conversation to this
subject many times gave ground Tor
this opinion.
An American hemp buyer in the Phil
ippines began to get reports from his
assistants in various parts of the
Islands, first in one locality and then in
another, of two Japanese candy ped
dlers who acted in a suspicious man
ner. One was man of advanced years
and the other youth. Upon entering
a town they Immediately opened a shop
and attracted many customers by offer
ing good candy at a lower price than
1t could be sold at profit. only one
OF them stayed In the store at time,
the other mixing with the people on
the outside. Finally they came to the
place where the hemp buyer had his
headquarters. He watched them close
ly and found that they could each
speak several languages and that they
Systematically followed the windings
OF all the roads leading to, the town.
Their movements caused him to con-
clude that they were map makers.
About .he same time two Japanese
men who were fishing in the bay at
Manila attracted attention. There was
nothing about their appearance TO IN
dicate that they were other than what
htey pretended to be. They lived In
poor quarters and sold their catch reg
ularly in the market, but the manner
In which they shifted about from one
place to cnother finally caused them to
be brought urder surveillance. 1t was
then discovered that when no one was
near they were engaged In making
soundings, evidently for the purpose OF
accurately charting the harbor for the
war office at Toxic.
A newspaper correspondent in Yoko-
hama had an experience which illus
trated the perfect system of keeping
check on the whereabouts of foreigners
in the country He was invited to the
police station to see an expert instruct-
inc the raw recruits for the police force
in the science of jiu jitsu. The chief or
police told the correspondent tnat ne
would have some facts typewriter III
English and would send them around
to the hotel next day. The correspon-
dent had moved that morning from one
hotel to another, and as he was leav-
ing the police station he happened TO
think of this and returned to leave his
new address. The chief smiled ana
turned to the register, showing the Tor
eigner the corrected address after MS
name. The system was so complete
that the removal had been entered at
headquarters almost before the luggage
had arrived at the new place.
A recent exposure revealed the clever
manner in which the Japanese war OF
flee had been keeping in touch Win
military matters in Germany one OF
the trusted agents OF the mikado's bu-
reau of secret information learned the
BARRIERS trade and In some manner se-
cured a place in large military clup
in Berlin Here he came into personal
contact with the leading military lights
of the kaiser's realm. BY listening to
the confidential gossip around him he
learned many military secrets and
found that the real opinion of many
prominent German officials in regard
OF Japanese matters was quite the con-
trary to what had been expressed
| through diplomatic channels. When tne
real character of this clever little ORR
entail was disclosed there was great
commotion in German military circles.
No more Japanese BARRIERS need apply
in Berlin.
| While the activity of the Japanse
secret service representatives In many
latitudes is unquestioned. 1t does not
necessarily follow that Japan intends
to declare war with every nation upon
which 1t is found spying, or upon any
of them for that matter. 1t Is good
thing for every government to be as
we'll posted about it's neighbors as pos
sible. and as a matter of fact 1t Is
most difficult to keep military secrets
nowadays. However, other nations 90
not 20 quite as far in espionage as the
Japanese, nor do they assign citizens
of high standing to such ordinary
tasks. If the American government
should determine to pattern after the
| :J8banese. and to go them one better
| on their system, we might one day near
or the Hon. William II. Taft taking
observations in Toxic In the guise OF
a fat wrestler, or of Gen. J. Franklin
Bell impersonating jinrickisha man In
the streets of Kobe.
| downright, 1908 by Frederic j.. Haskln)
|
| Toniorrow---Japanese Immigration views.