Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-08-05
Under Suspicion.

copyright, 1908. by T. c. McClure.]
Colonel Jayne of Massachusetts had
the honor on one occasion of befriend-
ing and entertaining Colonel Swartz
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 a
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 a public
carriage suddenly halted beside them
and two men sprang to the ground and
attacked the German, while a third
sought to hold back the American.
The attempt was made to force the
German into the carriage, and it might
have been that his money was lost
during the struggle. The American
fought for his companion. and the fel.
lows were finally driven off. 1t looked
more like case of attempted abduc-
ton than Of a 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 it was on the Ger.
man frontier, and both We're bound
for st. Petersburg. Colonel Jayne was
travelling for pleasure; the other ex-
planned that he was on secret mission
for his government. He made this ex-
PLANTATION because he had shaved off
his luXuriant whiskers and was other
wise disguised and recognition was ac-
cidental Colonel Swartz was we'll ac-
quainted in the capital city, and it was
arranged that the two should stop at
the same hotel and 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 it to the other
to find his way about alone.
Next morning after arrival Colonel
to see the sights. Three times during
the forenoon strangers approached him
and l. .ttered some words. They were
Russians who evidently belonged to
the middle class. and in each case the
colonel thought they We're inquiring
their way. He therefore shook his
head and passed ON. During the after
noon he discovered that his footsteps
We're being logged, but he took this
rather as a Joke than otherwise. He
did not return to his hotel until Just
at dinner time and then found a couple
They had already visited his rooms
and overhauled his baggage. Colonel
SwartZ was missing and had been
since noon. His baggage had also been
Overhau!ed. and the officers seemed
much chagrined at the mans escape.
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
went, and that he was one of the most
active nihilists in or out Of Russia.
The three men that had approached
the American on the streets probabl
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 for
half day Colonel Jayne was sent to
an official higher up. Here he was met
by the papers taken from his baggage
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 loosely
written:
Don't forget that the first thing to
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 on
to his job as long as the pay comes in
every Saturday night"
"How can you, person entirely I'M
known here, secure audience with his
majesty?' was asked.
81 can't. of course" was the reply.
"rhen why should this person have
thus written?"
He is what we call joker"
"Joker? Joker? Does he dare hold
his majesty up to >ridicule! And you
are to give his love to the car of all
Russia, just as one peasant woman
sends her love to another! And how is
this about holding his job? What does
Job mean?'
His place, SIR
"But his majesty's place is the high
est in the land. and to speak of it as
Job is to speak with disrespect.
And the pay every Saturday night, as
If the great car was but common
laborer!'
Il shall take great pleasure in telling
the writer of that letter what an ass
he is the very first thing when l get
home" replied the colonel
And here is another letter in which
you are advised not to make any ex-
cursions to Siberia in the winter sea-
son. People are sent to Siberia for
serious offenses against the law. Were
you contemplating crime that this
person should write you thus? It must
be So"
TN recommend him to the nearest
idiot asylum" promised the colonel
The examination lasted three days in
all, during which time the American
was prisoner and lived on prison
fare. Then, accompanied by two gen
darmes, he was escorted to the German
A..os, 4