Page 4 Advertisements Column 2

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8031, 18 January 1906, Page 4

Decreed by the Dial. - Papers containing State seorets of tbe greatest importance—nothing less than Viceroy Aleiieff'a reports on the actual strength of all forts at Fort Arthur, the position of every ihip of the Asiatic squadron and the intended movements of troops in case of war with Japan—had mysteriously disappeared from the private office of General Kuropatkin, the Czar's Minister of War. Anybody who is familiar with the iron-bound rules and laws governing the department can understand the terror which this news spread among all the mut officials. If the papers had fallen into the hands of the Japanese Minister it would mean a series of crushing defeats to the Bussian forces in the Far East at the lery outset of the war. Every official, high or low, was trembling for his life, not knowing when detectives from the dreaded Third Department might come to arrest him on Suspicion. But one day passed and another, and though the Secret Service men were working night and day no one was arrested, and the chief reported to General Kuropatkin that he had evidence to show that the theft had been committed by a man outside of tbe War Office. In fear of the terrible punishment which would be meted out to him if the affair became known, the Minister of War decided to try to conceal the theft and no report was made to the Czar, but the Chief of the Secret Service was told to follow up every elue. The papers had been kept in a locked drawer in I'.io Minister's desk, to be read by him on his return from a tour of inspection of the military barracks in and around Warsaw. The Minister's secretary had been made personally responsible for the General's private office during his absence. The day before the theft was discovered a young man representing a large illustrated

paper of unquestioned loyalty bad called upon the secretary with a letter from the editor and a permission signed by General Kuropatkin to take some photographs of the Minister's private sanctum to be used in an article in the paper. The secretary had been told to remain in the room while the photographs were taken, but he had been called away by a note from a girl with whom he was known to have a secret love affair, and the photographer had been alone in the room for nearly an hour. Of course he was immediately suspected, and two hours after the discovery of the theft a detective called at the office of the niagazine. The editor, however, declared that the photographer was beyond suspicion and with his life promised to vouch for his presence at any time he might be wftnted. Shortly afterward a heavy letter arrived at the War Department, and when it was opened it was found to contain the missing documents apparently intact. The stamp showed that the letter had been mailed at Eydtku* hueu, a station near the German frontier. The return of the papers, however, did not help quiet the anxiety of the Minister, as he did not doubt that they had been photo* graphed by the thief before they were returned.

About an hour later the young photographer, whose name was Alexander Stepanovitch, called at the War Oflice greatly excited. u Is it true that the papers have been returned ? " he asked anxiously, and when told that they had, continued : " Then I can prove my innocence." The Minister lold him to explain. " If I Lad stolen the papers, I must have put them in a ieUor box at Eydtkuhuen, as they were mailed from there. Evidently they have been photogrnped, and as they are hero already they must have arrived at Eydtkuhuen with the first mail. But to have reached there at that time they must have left St. Petersburg on the 5 o'clock express for Berlin." The Minister admitted that this was un* doubtedly fo. Stcpanovitch then proved by several witnesses that he had not left the War Olficc until after 5.30, and to dispel all doubt he produced one of the photographs which he had taken and pointed to a clock on the mantelpiece which plainly showed the time to be 5.23. This dispelled the last doubt and with many apologies the Minister asked him to forget all the anxiety he had been put to. " You will, I suppose, have no objection to leaving this photograph with me, Alexander Stepanovitch ? " No, not the slightest," assured the young man, and with a smile of relief left the Czar's Minister of War to his own thoughts, which were of no pleasant nature.

For more than an hour he thought the case over, then he pressed one of the many electric buttons on his desk. A messenger appeared. 11 Go imtnedi itfsly to Ivan Ivanovitch'B house on Wns&ili Ostrow and tell him I want him to call without delay." Ivan Ivanovitch Wodozian, an expert in chemistry and photography, was shown into Kuropatkin's sanctum. The General explained to him the whole affair in detail and a.sked hiui if ho could see any way of unveiling the mystery. " If your Excellency will send for the original plates I thiuk I see a way to catch the thief." The Minister promised, and in an hour Ivan Ivanovitch was in possession of the plates. He examined them very carefully, then he went to the telephone and asked Alexander •Stepanovitch to give him the name of the brand of the plates, and wheu he was told he smiled, satisfied. " I am sure I know enough now."

The next morning at 7 o'clock Ivan Ivano* vitch sent his card to the apartments of Alexander Stepanovitch, who received him very cordially, but he never suspected that two men in plain clothes placed themselves outside his door as soon as it had closed behind the old expert.' "You are quite a smart young man, Alexander Stepanovitch, and you have played your cards well; but you have, like many other more experienced criminals, made jast one little miscalculation." 14 What do you mean, Ivan Ivanovitch ? " taming deadly pale. "I mean just what I say. You have almost succeeded in covering up your tracks, but nevertheless I can prove that instead of leaving General Kuropatkin's office at half-past 5 o'clock, you really left much earlier." " But all the clerks can swear "

" Never mind the clerks ; they probably never noticed the time or knew that they were lying. But I will tell you just what yon did. As soon as the Minister's secretary had been called away you stopped the clock, set it to show 5.23 and then took your photo. I have to-day experimented with the same brand of plates and have found that to take the picture it was necessary to expose the plate a fraction over two minutes. Now, if the clock had been going when you took your picture the photograph of the minute hand would be blurred, while it stands out perfectly clear on your plate. Do you understand?" "Ivan Ivanovitch, for the love of God do not delhrer me into the hands of the Czar's police. I will confess everything." "Ton are a traitor to the Czar and to Busma and do not deserve any mercy ; but you are young, and if you will confess to whom yon delivered the papers I will let you make ose of the revolver which I see you have in readiness on your desk, that yon may escape the horrora of the dungeons oi Peter Paul's fortress." With a voice trembling with emotions the |MBf man contested how he ha 4 been temp-

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