Laundrymen's Revenge?

Moscow's Izvestia and Boston's Christian Science Monitor have one editorial policy in common: Neither prints crime news unless there is some extraordinary reason for doing so. Moscow readers unfolded their copies of Izvestia last week and found themselves staring into the sightless eyes of a corpse, a middle-aged grey-bearded corpse in flannel underclothes with a cord and a leather belt knotted tight about his scrawny neck. Below the picture was a caption: "Who Is This Man?"

Very quickly telephones rang, messages arrived to say that this man was a Professor Ivantsov, mathematician at the Moscow Industrial Academy. U. S. reporters hurried around to Police Department headquarters to learn more about the mysterious end of Professor Ivantsov.

One midnight last week a strange automobile whirled up to the steps of the Kurski railroad station. Two dark little men jumped out and ran into the ticket office, first depositing a very large, very neat bundle on the top step. Some sneak thieves were waiting in the shadow of a pillar for just such an opportunity. Quick as a flash they pounced on the package, carried it off to an empty corner of the yards. To the horror of the sneak thieves, the package did not contain food, clothes, or boots, as they hoped, but the strangled body of Professor Ivantsov, neatly swathed in rags.

As soon as the body was identified, police called at Professor Ivantsov's apartment. The door had been opened with the Professor's own latchkey. Sheets were hung over the windows. His expensive fur coat and 1,000 rubles ($500) were gone. His clothes, his books, his bric-a-brac, every article of value had been gathered together and tied up in neat little flat packages. Moscow detectives inspected the room, retired to cogitate, emerged with a theory. Said the spokesman:

''This is the work of a diabolical Chinese murder gang. Professor Ivantsov is known to have been very fond of Chinese antiques. He was frequently seen in the Chinese quarter near Trubni Square searching for bargains. As you can see for yourselves, all these packages have been tied up in the manner of a Chinese laundry. The new municipal laundries have put thousands of private Chinese laundries out of work. Is it too much to suggest that this horrible murder and robbery is a laundrymen's revenge?"

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