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Show i tUSSIAN women are noted for their charm; they have for centuries exercised ex-ercised over men a fascination greater than that of the women of any other country. American women attract at-tract easily, but not with the power that belongs to the Russian. The Russian Rus-sian woman's charm Is almost hypnotic. This power of fascinating fascinat-ing is regarded as a great asset by the czar's government; the heads of the state play it as a trump card. Russian women are sent as spies the world over, to learn secrets of state from men whose heads they turn. These beautiful secret service employes em-ployes receive large salaries in addition addi-tion to generous gifts for special work. The Russian government has employed employ-ed women spies for well nigh a hundred hun-dred years; it is even said that as long ago as the time of Ivan the Terrible Ter-rible princesses were sent to distant lands to learn the true sentiment of foreign courts toward him. Members of the present feminine secret service corps are found in every civilized country in the world. The Russian is a natural linguist and learns to speak fluently all languages. In every Instance these spies are women of fine judgment of cool, calculating cal-culating minds, although apparently they are only gentle, negative creatures crea-tures of boundless charm and helpless-I helpless-I ness. Their insidious temperaments are brought to bear upon diplomats, statesmen and officials of many lands, and despite the fact that Russia's methods are well known, it usually happens that the victim suspects nothing noth-ing until he finds he has been betrayed. be-trayed. Naturally the lives of these women are filled with adventure. Many of them have had very narrow escapes, but they are fearless and daring. They are prepared to play any part to wear men's clothes, to dress in rags or satin, to go Into all sorts of queer and dangerous quarters, to take long, hazardous journeys. One of the most famous of these women is Mme. Seski Hunegan, who has been in the service of the Russian government many years. Upon the death of her husband, who was an officer offi-cer in the Russian army, she was left in very straitened circumstances. Her case was brought to the attention atten-tion of the government, and as her loyalty and strong, steadfast character charac-ter were well known, the officials determined de-termined to make use of her as a spy. She gladly took advantage of the opportunity and departed at once for Paris to commence her work. Thence she was sent to the Riviera, and later, about eight years ago, to America She lived in Washington two years and was a friend of the Countess Cassinl. Soon afterward she toured the world, traveling as an American. In Japan she was received as such, and thus was able to send valuable information to her government. govern-ment. She is now living in London under an assumed name and passes as an American. Baroness Makowa, although of noble no-ble birth, has lived for years as a dancing girl on the Russian border. Her mission is to watch Turks, Greeks and Bulgarian, and her simple, light-hearted light-hearted manner averts all suspicion. Gne haB won the heart of many a foreign for-eign officer. She is an accomplished dancer. Prince George of Greece was greatly attracted to her, much to the chagrin of Princess George and he never suspected that she was a noblewoman, no-blewoman, and a spy at that. Probably one of the most fascinating fascinat-ing women ever sent forth by the Russian Rus-sian government upon secret missions Is Zenaida Petrovitch. She would have made an admirable character study for Turgeniff. She was born in a little town about 20 miles from Moscow. Her father was a scholarly, poetic school teacher, teach-er, who loved to dream among his books. He married the daughter of a country nobleman, a young woman of great beauty, who later deserted him and their infant daughter in favor of a grand duke. The dreamy, poetic father brought up his little girl quietly. But she had Inherited her wayward mother's beauty, beau-ty, as well as her nature. She never learned to understand her father. At the age of seventeen, when she could endure her tame, uneventful life no longer, she ran away to find her mother. moth-er. She found instead a handsome officer of-ficer who married her and took her to St. Petersburg to live. There she met grand dukes, and, like her mother, she also deserted her husband for one of them. With him 1 she went to Paris and soon afterward entered the government service. She spends her time largely at the great watering places of Europe. King Edward Ed-ward fell under her spell at Biarritz, and had not his watchful attendants drawn him away, there is no telling what she might have wrung from him. She is regarded by her government as a most valuable asset. Two widely different types of the Russian women spies are the cousins Tatiana and Pavlova PozharBky. They look like Bweet, fresh country maidens, maid-ens, and they are ready to give their lives in the service of the czar. They do their work for the government within the confines of the Russian empire. They go to Finland, Poland, to Siberia and Manchuria. These women are remarkably re-markably fearless and self-effacing; they have lived in huts in frozen Siberia Si-beria and endured great privations and discomforts to perform the duties imposed upon them. They are In danger of their lives every hour, for to watch the revolutionists is their special duty, and if they were suspected sus-pected they would be killed at once. The cousins are,well educated, and, like their sister spies, they have had many love affairs; in fact, it is usually usu-ally upon a love affair that these women wom-en depend to obtain the best of their information. The countess Korolerviez, who has had a dozen other names which she assumes as-sumes at different times for the convenience con-venience of her work, lived under the assumed name of Mrs. Janet Dudley T ' is fcS V 4 vf aT? n frk X" - . FJV&OJGL FaZXAZfCY ' for eighf years in various cities of the United States. She caught on to American mannerisms, and speaks English in perfect accent. At the outbreak of the RuBso-Jap-anese war she was sent to Japan. She traveled with a conducted party of tourists, and when her destination was reached she decided to lengthen her stay in Japan. She adopted Japanese Jap-anese customs and costumes. So attractive at-tractive and charming was she that the Japanese took her straight to their hearts, little dreaming that she was a Russian and a spy. She mingled with the families of Japanese officials. She learned their tongue so rapidly that within a few months she spoke volubly, and understood under-stood almost any conversation. A Japanese Jap-anese statesman fell victim to her charms, and she led him to believe that she might marry him, but she put him off from time to time, and in the Interim the Russian government was receiving some very important information. in-formation. Mme. Korolerviez remained re-mained in Japan throughout the war, and the people do not suspect to this day that she was other than a pretty American woman. The Japanese lover was thrown out like an old glove when it was time for her to be sent to another land. Mme. Midgi-Hume is a Russian woman well known in London society. She has entree to exclusive houses, but none of her hostesses suspects that she is entertaining one of the. most accomplished spies of Russia She is elegant and cultured in her manner, but she has lived in squalid settlements in various places, and once traveled Can a very dangerous mission to Mukden In man's attire. Sha has gone hungry and cold and has been thrown among the roughest and i-' most uncouth people. King Edward knew her well, and was often seen chatting with her, but he did not know that she was in the secret service ol , the Russian government. |