Sensational Arrest on Manchurian Frontier: Alleged Plot to Blow up the Mukden Arsenal Faest Ove Own Harbin, Sept. 22.
'A. sensational arrest has taken place at the frontier station Pogranitehnaya, of a Soviet courrier whose baggage was found to contain a couple of infernal-machines and over four ponds of pyroxylin—a high explosive. The Soviet diplomat, or secret service ent, whose name is Bulakoff, ved from Vladivostok at Pogranitchnaya in a special car of the Ussuri Railway. When the Chinese Customs officers entered the car Bulakoff was away and an Ussari Railway official told the Customs man that Bulakoff was a Soviet official and that consequently his baggage was free from examina tion, 'The officer was about to Teave the car, apparently satisfied th the explanation, when Bulakoft unself returned and, when asked by the Customs man' whether two large leather portmanteaux which were in the coupe were his, replied in the negative.
This at once aroused the sus picious of the Customs Officials who informed the railway police. They at once detained the Soviet diplomat, the Ussuri railwaymen, and the car attendant, taking them all, together with the baggage, to the railway station. On Bulakoft's person were found the keys of the two portmanteaux of which he had denied ownership. His" passport and official documents he carried were found to be in perfect order. On opening the portmanteaux the explosive was found and in one of the boxes some packets of American Bank notes to the value $50,000, It is said that Bulakoft was travelling with a companion. The latter however the station at the ti vest and is believed to have taken refuge in the Soviet Consulate.
All three men, when the discovery was made, were placed under arrest, and some little time later Bulakoff when being taken to the lavatory attempted to make his exeape, He got away from the policeman who was accompanying fand made a dash for the railway line profiting by the darkness. The alarm was at once given and the man was caught again near the semaphoric as he was attempting to gain the frontier, which is bat a mile away from Pogranitchnaya. To be sure their man would not repeat his attempt to get away the police put him in chains. This afternoon the arrested men were brought under armed convoy to Harbin and are now: lodged in the Railway Police Administration where they are being. carefully guarded, whilst the police are making investigations into the case, Tt is alleged that the Soviet diplomat's destination was Mukden and that it was intended to blow up the arsenal and other military establishments. 'The money was to be used in securing necessary'
Chinese assistance.
Characteristically, the local US. S. R Consulate have given the local press that no Pogranitehnaya no one of the name of Bulakof? in Soviet Government employ. The left organs have published this "Bolshevik" official news and accuse the other papers of publishing. sensational news that is not true. This, however, will not mislead the public, 2 number of whom assembled at the Railway Station to see the arrested men arrive with the Portmanteaux carried by the police. No private individual is going to plot against the Chinese authorities spend such a large sum of money in doing so, and no white' organization would do so either, seeing the considerate treatment: of they are getting in Manchuris Further Contematin Peking, Sept. 26.
In connexion with the arrest of the Bolshevist, who was alleged to be a diplomatic courier, at Pogranichnaya, this was confirmed by several rellable sources, all of which agree that the luggage also contained 50,000 American gold!
T.A.S.S, agency, however, denies that a Soviet diplomatic, courier has been arrested and maintains that this is a "pure) fabrication of interested circles.'—
{Reater's Paciie Service,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.