The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1912-07-04
OF RUSSIA
The Trick They Work to Gather
In Political Suspects.
CAUGHT IN THE MOUsETRAP.

When, After Secret Arrest. the Snare
ls Set It Holds All Who Enter Re-
gardlsss Of Nationality. Dress. Social
Position or Official Rank
Although the peculiar form OF police
ambuscade known as Il mousetrap has
had its highest development and its
widest application in Russia. writes
George Kennan in the Century. it did
not originate in that country. 10. did
1t receive there it's strikingly arpru-
pirate appelation.
II was imported from France a cen.
tury or more ago. and the liame that
It hears was given to it BY Alexandra
Dumas in 1922 The distinguished
French story teller described il in The
Three Muskpteers'' as follows
The invention of the mouSetrap does
rot date from our days. AS soon IN
societies in process of formation ere
ated police the police in their turn
invented mnu<r!rapS AS orr READERS
nr. not be familiar with ths s;!ang uf
the Rue de Jerusalem and as it is if
teen years since We applied this term
for the first time to the thing. we rilay
be allowed ,:erhaI%; 70 explain to them
what Eu.lSetrap is.
when in house of amy kind :; per
son suspected Of crime is arrested The
| arrest Is kept secret. four o. five Hien
are placed in anh;IScadp in the first
apartment. the door is opened To all
who knock, 1t is then closed nj cr hem.
and they are arrested Sn !. III the
end of two or three dag~ no police
who are accustomed to visit the pl;,re
| And that is Il mOuSetrap."
Dumas does not explain that the trap
Is set and the first arrest nlad. ut
late hour Of the night. generally be-
tween ] and O'clock Il. M. so that the
mice will not become aware of ii and
avoid the dangerous locality. You may
call upon a POLITICALLY untruStworthy"
friend in the evening. drink tea with
him. discuss the state of the country
and 20 home at midnight without Iiav-
ing seen or heard anything 10 excite
suspicion or suggest peril. but if you
return to the same house or apartment
early the next morning you are liable
to fall into Il n.nuse!rap
The trap. moreover. catches and holds
every person who enters II req rtieSs
Of nationality. dress. soci;li position or
official rank Russian revolulioni>tS
are accustomed to asS,Inie all sorts Of
| hrN nd
wrinkled top boots of the gen,armcrie
to the sword. epaulets and golden cords
of the general staff. and II the ear
himself in the uniform Of the Pra,'bra.
zlenski guards should visit nccsniso u
house in which Il trap had been Sc; he
the nearest precinct station hous';. for
Identification
l No discretionary power Of any .siid il
given to the police officers III charge.
The mice caught may not hook III all
like the mice for which The trap was
set. but even if they appr;.r, % be er.
mine or lizards or small. blind kittens
they must 60 to the station house for
examination and Judgment.
In every large Russian city the police
keep an alphabetical list Of all persons
who are believed 10 be i'll sympathy
with the revolutionary movria":ii or
who for one reason or annlhr, ait re-
garded as politically untru::i %o:; by
Such persons are liable to he III; 's'ed
on suspicion ut any time aud aTe nj
most sure to be taken into ctsioag aft.
er the assassination of Il high official
when there is no clew 10 TIE ass:lsiin,
and the police hope to re. il clew bg a
dragnct system of arrest and invrstisa
tion.
At such times hundred arrests or
I more are often made in Il single n!@ht,
and in the houses or apartments ~
the persons made prisoners mo'ise'raps
are set to catch all comers. Tie police
in charge of the traps are strictly en-
Joined to send to the nearest pretl'it
station house every person caught. ~
matter what he may look like and nc
matter what plausible account ~ inhy
give OF himself Revoluti"l,is'S and
terrorists often wear uniforms. aud
man who declares that he is II 'r'!"nf
of gendarmes or even Il genera 81
division may really be danser'''''
conspirator In disguise The ihSiF'ic
tons given to the trap tenders isfs. ~
ways implicitly obeyed. and the, s,'iir
times bring about results Of an exlrior
dinary and wholly unforeseen charar
J tor ------z---------
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or daughter in business college say
S. by buying the scholarship the pre-
prietor Of the Banner has for sale.