The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-03-14
Copyright, 1901


pursuing his studies discovered things
that other men coveted One Of them
was q dye for weavers. 1t was pop
ular color at once. A certain weaver
saw that there was money In It, and
because he could not buy the secret
at his own price he went to the police
and charged the Jew with talking trea-
son. His evidence was unsupported
but 1t was enough. At twenty-three
years of age, just as he was about to
graduate with honors, Moses started
out one evening to pay a visit to a
young lady. That was the last heard
of him for six years. Then pardoned
convict returned from Siberia to say
that he had met him there.
Six years later, after serving In the
mines for twelve years, Moses Ka-
moff received pardon and returned
home. A pardon for what? He had
been punished aguih for being loyal.
The czar had no more loyal subject In
| all the Russias. He had not expected
or asked for a pardon. They simply
! removed his chains one day and told
/ him he was to return. He reached
| home old and bent and a stranger even
,, to his mother. He was glad. and yet
in the midst of his gladness he was
told that that was not the end. When
1 the Russian police have once arrested
man he is never forgotten. They
follow him up. He Is fair game. A
relative had died and left Moses fair
| ly wealthy. He had not been home Il
month when tht police began to bleed
him. He must pay for being let alone.
He wanted to live quietly and obey all
laws and praise the czar, but 1t would
and did cost him so much money per
\ week to pay his fines that 1t ruined
| him.
In two years more he became but lit
| tie better than beggar. The police
had stripped him. Then Moses found
a situation with a chemist Dut held II
] only a week. The man had to let him
! go or be arrested himself as n sympn
thiZer with suspect. The quicksilver
mines of Siberia had made n wretched
old man of him. but he shouldered Il
| peddler's pack and began q tramp. In
three days he was arrested and his
goods confiscated Two weeks later all
who were giving him food and lodg
ings and sympathy were warned and
had to drive him from their doors. lie
was arrested as a street beggar and
| kept for weeks in cell. Whenever he
got free the police were ready with an.
other complaint.
| an xtsin "
Moses Kamoff huddled in doorway.
weak with hunger and exhaustion and
knowing that he was freezing to death.
He was glad of it, After death the po-
lice could not longer perSecute him. In
their rage they might Kick his frozen
body, but all feeling would have pass
ed from it. In. half an hour the man
would have been dead had not the door
opened and a hand drawn him inside.
He was given food and drink and a
comfortable bed, and he awobe next
morning TO find himself still alive. He
knew at sight TO what class his rescuer
4 belonged. He was an anarchist. II he
hadn't private wrongs to avensc, then
he would Gvenge the wrongs of the
lpublic. The man knew Kamoff by sight
and had heard the story of his wrongs,
and he argued that the Jew would be
fierce for revenge. II was but natural
that he should have been. For two
days and nights the old man was fed
and made comfortable, and then the
other said 70 him:
"You will not betray me, for you
have suffered. have also won your
gratitude The police have bounded
you to the brink of the grave. 1t is
time you turned and had your revenge.
1t is for me to show you how you
can secure it and run no risk"
81 am loyal man and wish only to
obey the law" answered Kamoff.
"Yes, you have been loyal. but the
|police have punished you for it, For
years | have worked on an invention
that I might make myself feared.
have suffered almost as much as you
have, but II is over and done with now.
Tonight we will both begin our re-
lvenge."
And with that and trembling and
laughing in his excitement the an
archlst brought out q rife. Its power
| was cOluDTeSSeu AIT anu llS DulleL an
explosive one. Its discharge made no
sound. There was neither smell nor
smoke nor flame. Once on housetop
with the weapon one could shoot down
a pedestrian block away, and no liv-
ing man could tell from whence the
bullet came. 1t could be fired from any
ambush in the suburbs-from behind
wall or tree or BUSH From window or
house roof the czar could lie picked off
as be rode out. officials could be shot
down one after another, and those who
lived would carry worse than death in
their hearts. Kamoff looked the weap-
on over and over again. He saw that
1t would do as its inventor said. Ii
was terrible weapon even in the
hands Of n coward There was death
wherever 1t pointed-grim, swift. mys-
terious death. In day he could re-
venge his years of wrongs A smile
came to his face as he thought of this;
then 1t faced as he thought OF hui
manity. 1t was giving one man the
power OF life and death over hundreds,