The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1912-07-05
POLICE OF RUSSIA
The Trick They Work to Gather
In Political Suspects.
CAUGHT IN THE MousETRAP.

When, After Secret Arrest, the Snare
10 Set Il Holds All Who Enter. Re-
/. gardIsss Of Nationality, Dress, Social
Position or Official Rank.
Although the peculiar form Of police
ambuscade known as a mousetrap has
had Its highest development and its
widest application in Russia. writes
George KEENAN, in the Century. 1t did
not originate In that country. nor did
1t receive there its strikingly appro-
pirate appellation.
1t was imported from France a cen.
fury or more ago. and the name that
1t bears was given to it by Alexandra
Dumas in 1929. The distinguished
French story teller described 1t in ''The
Three Musketeers~ as follows:
1.-The invention of the mousetrap does
not date from our days. AS soon as
societies In process Of formation Gre
ated police the police In their turn
invented mousetraps. As our readers
may not be familiar with the slang of
the Rue de Jerusalem and as It is If.
teen years since we applied this term
for the f1rst time to the thing. we may
be allowed perhaps to explain ITO them
what a mousetrap is.
when In house Of any kind per
son suspected Of crime is arrested the
arrest Is kept secret. four or five men
are placed in ambusca de in the first
apartment. the door Is opened to all
who knock. 1t Is then closed after them.
and they nre arrested 10 that mt the
end Of two or three days the police
have In their power all the. persons
who are accustomed tc, visit the place.
And that liz mOusetra D."
Dumas does not expI lin that the trap
Is set and the first ~ rest made at a
late hour Of the night. generally be-
tween ! and 3 o'clock |. M. 40 that the
mice will not become aware Of it and
avoid the dangerous loo atty. You may
call upon u politically untrustworthy"
friend in the evening. drink ten with
him. discuss the state of the country
and 20 home at midni Eht without hnv-
ing seen or heard an Ything to excite
suspicion or suggest l)eril. but II you
return to the same no, Use or apartment
early the next morning you are liable
to fall into mousetra1A
The trap. moreover. clutches and holds
every person who enfeIs 1t regardless
of nationality. dress, social position or
official rank. Russian revolutionists
are accustomed to assume all sorts of
DISCUSSES. from the blue frock coat and
wrinkled top boots of the gendarmerie
to the sword. epaulets and golden cords
OF the general staff. and II the car
himself In tile uniform of the Preebra-
zhenski guards should visit incognito a
house in wtdch trap had been set he
would be arrested promptly and sent to
the nearest precinct station house for
Identification.
No discretionary power Of any kind Is
given to the police officers in charge.
The mice caught may not look at all
like the mice for which the trap was
set, but even II they appear to be err
mine or lizards or sm;ill, blind kittens
they must 60 to the station house for
exnmina ton and Judgment.
In every large Russian city the police
keep an alpha betical list Of all persons
who are believed to be in sympathy
with the revolutionary movement or
who for o0e reason or another are re-
garded as politically untrustworthy.
Such persons are Liable to be arrested
on suspicion at any time and are al
mos. sure to be taken Into custody aft
or the assassination OF high official
wien there Is no clew to the assassin.
I'D the police hope to get clew by
dragnet system Of arrest and invcstiga-
zion.
| At such times a hundred arrests or
more are often made in a single night.
and in the houses or apartments OF
the persons made prisoners mousetraps
nre set to catch all corners. The police
in charge of the traps. are strictly en-
Joined to send to the nearest precinct
station house every person caught. no
matter what he may hook like and no
matter what plausible account he may
give of himself. Revolutionists and
|terrorists often wear uniforms. and a
man who declares that he is colonel
Of gendarmes or even general Of
division may really be dangerous
conspirator in disguise. The instruc-
lions given to the trap tenders are al
ways implicitly obeyed. and they some
times bring about results Of an extraor-
binary and wholly unforeseen charac-
ter.