Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-08-07
NICHOLAS KEPT $4,000
SECRET SERVICE SPIES
CONTINUED From First Page ]

IOH1 c.
number of these secret legionaries of
autocracy is expected to reach 10000.
Those whose guilt is beyond doubt
have been put in Jail, but it is not
yet settled whether they will be tried
and punished or merely kept in Jail
until all peril of a reactionary coun-
ter-revolution has passed.
The commissions reports depict
precisely the same system of espion-
age and state provocation to crime as
hourished in Turkey under Abdul
Hamid II. The distinction is that
Abdul Hamid run his spy and provo
cation system directly from the Yil-
diz Kiosk, whereas Nicholas en-
trusted his system to the notorious
"Okhrannoe Otdielenieu" or security
department, which occupied a build
ing in the Basil Ostrov district.
Hold Old Records
The revolutionists also seized tens
of thousands of secret records in the
departments provincial offices. and
from these, backed by confessions of
imprisoned spies. are being compiled
the lists. The lists will be followed
by five-volume official history of
espionage under Nicholas H." AS re-
vealed by these documents, autocra-
cys spies and informers were much
less picturesque and romantic than
they appear in the typical nihilist
novel. Most belonged to the more in
telligent working class or to the
minor bourgeoise. They were paid
badly, the average wage for organ
izing political crime or betraying ac-
completes being $50 a month. The
spies were usually instructed to be-
come members of secret revolutionary
or terrorist organizations, among
these being the social democratic
party, the social revolutionaries with
their lighting committee" the popu-
list socialists ana the Maximilists.
Spies ON Newspapers
On nearly every newspaper was at
least one spy. The spies took part
in commentions cited to breach of
political repression laws or to actual
crime and kept the security depart
ment well Informed. Every spy had
"Klitchka" or nickname to which
he was known to the police. The de-
partment's records bristle with such
nicknames as Fatty, Long Nose,
Sunday Boy, Elephant" and Ar
senic'. The spy also has two or
three faxed surnames, and he often
changed his town and name when he
fell under the revolutionaries' suspi-
cion. Many spies and informers Oike
the famous Father Gapon, whose
treachery on Bloody Sunday, 1905, led
to his being hanged by revolutionist
engineer), were at one time genuine
revolutionaries and became later be-
trayers and informers.
Served Both Sides
Some seem to have served both sides
honestly and earned the approval of
both and some do not seem to have
known which side they sympathized
with. A notable case is "Trukha-
nof"-real name Nikitin, nickname
"Perky"-who aroused the suspicion
of his terrorist comrades, was threat
ened by them with execution, and, to
rehabilitate himself, was obliged to
kill the gendarme officer with whom
he collaborated. The murder of Grand
Duke Sergius in Moscow in Febru-
airy. 1905. was due to the same motive.
Shot Too Well
The organization of crime, with the
aim of discrediting nonterrorist po-
litical associations and frightening
Nicholas into repression, went on on
a great scale. For blood money of
$3.50 a mechanic was hired by the
department to fire at General Dju-
kowski, governor of Moscow, but he
was instructed to be sure to miss. He
executed his instructions precisely,
but through carelessness killed a
passerby.
In violation of the Nihilist novel
tradition very few women were en-
ployed as spies or informers, but a
few noted cases have been exposed
In Moscow three sisters named Palit-
sin betrayed scores of workmen, after
getting confessions from them by
means of Stimulating love.
The commissions lists show that
the department was a hard taskmas-
ter. In addition to paying it's spies
badly 1t spied on them.