Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-03-20

They do this in the conviction that
the letters win b opened and the 20
lice and spies thus bafied. Desyatin-
sky says that there are 1900 persons
In Russia whose letters are always
opened and he estimates that at least
100000 such letters are opened every
year.
This system accounts for the long
delay In the delivery of letters. for in
dependent black cabinets" exist only
at the post ofiices of Moscow. st. Pc
tersDurg. WaNaw. Odessa, Kharkoff,
Saratoh, Tomsk and Irkutsk. Subor-
dinate black cabinets" which act only
on instructions. are attached to the
post ofnces Of II European provinces:
TO all the ten Polish provincial post
omces and to certain post Offices in 81
IBERIA. There Il also Q BLACK cabi-
net" at Tashkent. In Central Asia.
Where no black cabinet" exists To-
cal correspondence. which does not
pass through the black cabinet" post
ONCE 10 often opened on special in
structions from st. PETERSBURG. The
gendarmes simply cali at the post Of
nee and demand certain letters. Some
times instructions are sent to q local
post ONCE to send all letters to the
nearest black cabinet" and the result
10 that letters written to friends who
i've ten miles away may be sent 200
miles into another province, and 70
take days to deliver. The system Of
opening is by steaminI.
The second work of She black cab
met" Is known 40 ''ruibolovlya." that
IL. fishing" It consists in opening let
tiers addressed to persons not suspect
ed; this on the mere chance that they
may contain political matter or reveal
anti-governmental plots. The BLACK
cabinets" principle II to open one out
OF q certain number Of letters. The
number has varied. Car Nicholas /.
gave the chief of his black cabinet"
Colonel Karamuischefr, orders to open
all letters. This system proved too
cumbrous. Under Alexander II. "fsh-
ing" was abandoned, but 1t was re-
vived In the next reign. when one in
every ESQ letters was the rule.
During the first part of the revolu-
tionary outbreak of 19Ol-06, one letter
In every 100 was opened. At present
the rule IL one in every 1000. This
practice has very little value. The
chances are 100 to against any dan.
gerous letter being opened as long az
1t is addressed to q person whom the
black cabinet" does not suspect
st. Petersburg has the largest "blSck
cabinet" When the central post Office
was rebuilt q decade back. a fine suite
OF rooms was provided. Here sit the
gendarme ofncers in charge and their
subordinates. Letters Of specially in
teresting character are sent to the
gendarmery. or to the "Okhrana," the
detective center, and there they are
photographed and In most cases sent
on.
Post cards on the Siberian railroad
are infested with the BLACK cabinet"
Russian railroads. al round, are nests
Of "perlustration." and this ID 20 well
known that the European embassies
never use the post even for private let
ters. The Siberian mail cars were
given over to the black cabinet" dur.
ing the revolution.
Behind this storm in . teacup are
certain private interests. and in par
ticular there II the zeal of Maklakoff
to justify his claim to have made the
Spy system more efficient.
The third and most dangerous sec
ton Of the black cabinet" IL at work
In foreign countries. The cabinet 10
active in every great European capt.
tai. and its work II to watch the cor
Of exiles and Of Russians