Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-03-23
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The Fate of a Spy.
How . Russian Circle Handled
One Of Them.

| now many un0ercuFfenN Lnefe are OF
foreign influences. For instance, we
have thousands Of Russian political
! refugees among us. and we have hun
dreds Of Russian government spies to
watch them We are AZ unconscious
Of the plot and counterpart constantly
going on between these two foreign
classes as we are Of the vast traffic in
the subways underlying the city Of
New York. IL ID only when we 60
down there that we see life and mo
ton, such as are above. and It Is only
when one gets the confidence OF q
Russian refugee that he IL introduced
70 this constant war between them
and the spies.
Fate led me 70 such an Introduction
and enabled me TO tell this story. One
morning. having injured my watch.
stopped at a watchmaker's shop to
have II repaired found there-I
will call him Ivan Alexieff-a Russian
and went there afterward quite fire.
QuentIy 70 get him 10 do little Jobs
for me. One morning ! found him
with his head resting In his arms on
bis work table sobbing convulaively.
Then came his confidence He told
me that the year before on that day
his brother had been executed in St
Petersburg for completely with a plot
10 assassinate the car. Ivan AIexleff
at the same time hed TO the United
States. He was a gentleman born
and. In accordance with q custom
among bis peers TO educate their chill.
dren to some trade. had learned to be
matchmaker, There were four 9th
or refugees. with whom he met at
stated periods for consultation with a
view Of their mutual protection. Not
one Of them but had lost some rela-
tive either by the executioner or in the
desolate wilds OF Siberia.
became deeply interested In Alex.
ioR. and he came to confide In me as
implicitly as in bis fellow refugees.
Indeed. ! did some detective work for
him IN this wise: ! found him one
morning in great tribulation He told
/ me that some time before q refugee
had come 10 the place and been admit.
ted to their circle They now suspect
ed that he was a spy In the pay Of the
Russian government The man passed
under the name Of Obiendotf and kept
Z little cake and candy shop.
! agreed to make the acquaintance
Of ObiendOG and see II could get his
confidence and his secret picked up
q child ON the street. took him In the
shop. bought him candy and chatted
with the owner. This ] repeated often
talked bitterly Of assassins in Russia
and In time told him knew OF several
circles Of refugees In that very town.
When | told him Of the one did
know about I gained his confidence,
and II was not long before l went to
my friend the matchmaker with I'M
doubted proof that the suspect was q
any.
A plan was laid. and 4 meeting Of
the circle was called, at which the spy
was present. The leader locked the
door and announced to the members
that one OF their number was q spy.
He then submitted q declaration to
every member stating that he had vol
unfairly committed suicide. An signed
tho paper. the spy maintaining good
nerve and signing with the others. He
must have known that he was suspect.
ed
The leaders next move was TO take
q pistol from a desk drawer and show
the members that Its six chambers
were empty. After this he put a ball
cartridge in one chamber and. hold.
ing the hammer. turned the cylinder
rapidly, giving every member permits
sion 10 do the same with averted gaxe.
Thus the position Of the cartridge was
lost The leader then took the pistol
aud slipped a rubber band over the
cylinder. holding the weapon under
tho table while he did 90. presumably
that no one could see where the car
fridge lay. Then be said:
Zone OF as must die, and the spy,
whoever he may me. must take his
chances with Us. win Gre the arst
shot ut myself and IL not killed viii
pass the weapon to my left. each man
to Gre his In turn"
Raising the pistol TO his temple. he
drew the trigger. There was a snap,
but no explosion, The second man did
the same. with the same result. and 90
on I'M the pistol came 70 the fourth
man. tho spy. lie was white a. q
sheet. bat stlll held his nerve, Posi-
bly, be conceived the affair 9 bluR-
that the cartridge was a sham. Az
any rate. putting the pistol TO bis TEN.
pie. be pulled the trigger and cell
dead.
The next morning the papers con-
tanned an account OF = suicide Of q
stranger, supposed to be a Russian
The deed was committed In q room the
FVntsF % which did not appear. but
the suicide left a paper acknowledging
bis intention. As soon a. I read this
account knew that the circle bad
made away with the spy, I went d
once to the matchmaker and found
him. a. usual mendlng watches.
showed him the article He glanced
q ever. shook his head and went bach
to WORK without uttering a word