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Show Bussia, Land of Grafters. To Petersburg camo thrco American business mon to sccuro a gold mining concession. con-cession. There aro 51 places where gold Is found In Russia, and our friends wanted the privllego of working ono of those places. First, they had to deposit $50,000 with the' Ministry of tho Intorlor as "good faith." So much for tho regular, legal part of tho programme. Now for tho Irregular, Ir-regular, Illegal part, Thoy kept In their room at tho Hotel Europe a bag1 of hard, cold cash In golden rubles. This cash they doled out In Installments, first to this prince, then to that count, for "lnfluonce." Each tlmo they handed out tho money they wero told that tho proposition had been found good, and promises wero raado that tho concession would bo speedily speed-ily granted. Each tlmo tho would-be concessionaires con-cessionaires believed that they had accomplished ac-complished something, and each tlmo thoy wero disappointed and had to refill tho monoy bag. Tho wearlaomo delay In tho negotiations continued week after woek; tochnlcal obstacles, each more serious than tho preceding one, woro brought forward; and go weeks grow into months, and tho Americans woro not ono Btep nearer tho goal. Deciding that bankruptcy bank-ruptcy would come boforo any kind of a deflnlto conclusion could bo obtained, they wont away with what cash thoy had left and on accumulated amount of disgust. Their tuO.000 was roturncd with all legal formalities, but considerably more than that sum waa left In tho hands of tho princes and counts. Such has been tho oxporlenco of many other Americans seeking seek-ing to do businoBB in Russia eaoh In Hheer desporatlon abandoning Ills enterprise. enter-prise. Gllson Willoto, In Leslie's Wcokly. |