The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-18

ing them the police were violating French
law. Nj. Clemeneeau. in 1910. promised the
Chamber of Deputies that no more Rus
sian agents would be tolerated on French
sell. The promise was not kept. The
cabinet, under a man named Weissmann,
who has often been in Jail for crimes.
still steals and opens private letters. Two
French collaborators named Billiard and
Sint We're lately exposed. One way Of
getting hold of the letters is by bribng
the oorcierges. Sometimes the ''blaok
cabinet emissary approaches the colt
cierge with a forged card making him
out to be French police agent, and de-
mands the letters Of Il Russian resident.
The concierges who are in chronic dread
of the police usually give the letters up.
Only during the present year did 1t be-
come known that Rome has the largest
Russian black cabinet on the conti-
nent. Italy has many political refugees
The chief of all Italian cabinets Is a
Russian, named Zacharin, who calls him
self an art student zacharin has many
men in his pay. Francisco Leone, the
chief of them, has lately made a con-
fession, and the question is to be raised
in the italian chamber For months the
cabinet opened every letter addressed to
or written by the well known Russian
author and satirist. Amphiteatraff
Ex-Minster of the Interior Bulugin is
the greatest living authority on "Black
Cabinet" matters. Buluigin Is now a
prominent member of the council of the
empire. When serving as minor official
in the ministry of the interior he reor-
sanized the cabinet, gave IT entirely into
charge OF the gendamery and issued a
secret decree putting all postmasters un-
der control of the gendarmes. The result
was that the cabinet grew in effsontery
No mans letters We're sacred. When a
kursh merchant complained to the late
Premier Peter Stolypin that the cabinet
delayed for days his business correspond
enee, Stolypin answered, They some
times delay mine for weeks
Even the Cars kinsmen do not escape
All the four grand dukes who voted In
1870 for the constitution project of Loris
Melfkon, and as a result were suspected
of Liberalism had their correspond
ence opened.
Like other departments of the Russian
spy system, the BLACK Cabinets" are
abused for private aims. Letters of stock
exchange and business magnates are
opened ostensibly for political reasons but
I'm reality to get hold of information which
might be utilized In money making Also
the cabinets may be used for aims of pri-
vate vengeance. A letter for NJ. Sukho-
tine of I<ieff with the address laboriously
pen printed last year awole the cabinets
suspicion The letter was signed Red
Michael" and spoke of "our little ar
rangement which will make Russia Jump"
The ''Okhana' put Sukhotfne under sur
yei1ance, ard ordered the cabinet to open
all his letters. Nothing against him was
found and the surveillance was stopped.
Soon afterward Sukhotine complained to
the police of blackmail letters which ne
had been receiving from young woman.
The letters were compared with Red
Michaels," and though the hand writing
could not be made resemble, all letters
were found to be on similar paper. When
the girl was arrested she admitted that
she had written the Red Michael" let
ters. The first letters were an attempt to
exact money by threats. Seeing that they
failed. she resolved to execute ner threat
by casting on Sukhotine the suspicion of
political conspiring, and she wrote the
RED Michael letter with a printed ad-
dress in the certainty that this would
awaken the suspicious of the Black Cab
met"