The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-05-12
49, -f-s-.i
Under Suspicion.

Colonel Jayne of Massachusetts had
the honor on one occasion of befriend-
ing dnd entertaining Colonel Swarts
Of the Royal German artillery. This
was in London, where they were both
strangers and both happened to be
stopping at the same hotel. The Ger
man colonel was assaulted and robbed
on the street In the evening. and for Il
week. or until he could send for money.
he was the guest OF the American.
There was something rather queer
about the incident. The two gentle
men were "slumming" when public
carriage suddenly halted beside them
and two men sprang to the ground and
attacked the German, while third
sought to hold back the American.
| The attempt was made TO force the
| German into the carriage, and 1t might
| have been that his money was lost
during the struggle. The American
| fought for his companion. and the fell
lows were finally driven OFF. 1t looked
more like case Of attempted abduc-
tion than of holdup. but as the Ger
man argued the other way the Amer
| lean had to be satisfied.
1t was five years before the two met
again. This time 1t was on the Ger
man frontier. and both were bound
| for st. Petersburg. Colonel Jayne was
travelling for pleasure; the other ex-
| plained that he was on n secret mission
| for his government He made this ex-
| PLANTATION because he had shaved of
| his luxuriant whiskers and was other
| wise disguised and recognition was ac-
cidental. Colonel Swartz was well ac-
quainted In the capital city, and 1t was
arranged that the two should stop at
the same hotel ana take in the sights
! together. They did take adjoining
rooms on their arrival, but the German
said that he would be busy for two
| or three days and left 1t to the other
| to find his way about alone.
Next morning after arrival Colonel
Jayne set out with Yankee impatience
| to see the sights. Three times during
the forenoon strangers approached him
| and muttered some words. They were
Russians who evidently belonged to
the middle class. and in each case the
colonel thought they were inquirlng
their way. He therefore shook his
head and passed on. During the after
noon he discovered that his footsteps
were being dogged, but he took this
rather as joke than otherwise. He
did not return 20 his hotel until Just
at dinner time and then found II couple
of police officers waiting TO arrest him.
They had already visited his rooms
and overhauled his baggage. Colonel
Swartz was missing and had been
since noon. His baggage had also been
overhauled. and the officers seemed
much chagrined at the mans escape. i.
Colonel Jayne had known absolutely
nothing OF the German before meeting
him at the hotel In London. He had
taken the man for what he claimed to
be. He had no idea that he was an
impostor. so far as name and rank
active nihilists In or out OF Russia.
The three men that had approached
the American on the streets probably
belonged to that order as well. The
German happened to be returning to
Russia at that time. and accident had
discovered the two men to each other
After being under examination fol-
half a day Colonel Jayne was sent to
an official higher up. Here he was met
| - h. t,lv hfe, ha .rn
He had made months stay In Lon
don before starting for Russia and had
received several letters from friends
at home. One of them had jocoscly
written:
"Don't forget that the first thing tc
be done on your arrival In st. Peters
burg is to call on the emperor and give
him my love and tell him to hang OF
to his Job as long as the pay comes II
every Saturday night"
"How can you, a person entirely un
known here, secure audience with his
majesty? was asked.
~ can't, of course" was the reply.
"Then why should this person have
thus written?"
"He is what we call a JOKER"
"Joker? Joker? Does he dare hold
his majesty up TO rldicule! And yol
are TO give his love 10 the czar OF al!
Russia, just as one peasant womar
sends her love to another. And how Is
this about holding his job? What does
job mean"
Ellis place. sir"
"But his majesty's place Is the high
est In the land. and to speak of 1t al
a job is to speak with dlsrespect
And the pay every Saturday night, a'
II the great czar was but common
laborerr'
81 shall take great pleasure In telling
the writer of that letter what an ass
he is the very first thing when sgs!