The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-03-11

9overnor's house. The password given, we ems
tered the Governors house as We had entered the
fortress
The Governor was 10 bed. asleep. lie instantly
rose when he hea d the potent phrase, Itis the
Emperor's ofdeti" He came to meet us, conceal
ing his uneasiness with a smile. With q man
like Paul there was no more security Tor saolers
than for.captives, for executoners thaa for VIC
tins. He looked at "a "a much as TO say, what
do you WANT" My guide pointed to mo to show
that was the principal. He looked at me at
tentively; nevertheless, he hesiated about speak,
Jog TO me. My youth probably surprised him.
To end his evident anxiety, gave him the Em
peror's order without saying word. lie took IL
10 the candle looked at the seal, Jaw IL bore the
impress Of the Emperor private signet ring, the
siga of secret orders.
He bowed, made al almost imperceptbe siga of
the cross and openedit 1t. lie read the order at oDce
looked at me, read il second time, aud said to
me. "You are 70 see iti' "Yes, am to SEQ it,
What are you 10 see y "You know" "But do
you know" 81 do not" lie remained pehsiye
moment, and then he said, "Dd'nt you come in
sleigh" "Yes." How many persons can your
sleigh holdE" "Three" 'Does this gentleman
come with usi" he pointed to 10y guide. hesita.
replied my guide, Il am to wait" "Wberef"-
Here what are You going to wait for - ~ o.
ill itiis oyer." 'Yery we'll" "prepare second
Sleigh said he. speakingt to an attendant: select
four strong soldiers; let one Of them take lever,
the other a hammer, aud ;he two others batch.
cts"
The atten liant addressed Instantly LETT the
reom Then the Governor turned TO me, saying,
sCome along, and you'll see!' lie led the way. L
followed him. Aurnkey walked behiad us. We
went on until he got opposite the Exchange, as
we'll as / could suspect, judging from the distances
remembered. The turnkey opened 1t, went io,
,ighteda lantern, aud showed MS the way. We
went down ten steps, and found double file of
dungeons, each on one side: hut We did not stop
here We went down ten more steps. but We did
not stop here Then we went down Fl other steps,
% steps in all. Here we stopped. The doors were
all numbered. The G vernon halted before door
marked "ko. H." He made q sign to the turu-
kew. 1t seemed If ia this house OF graves the
quick lost power of speech as well as the dead. 1t
was IA good many degrees below zero out Of doors.
Ia the depths where we we're, this cold was M
creased by humidity which penetrated to the
~ bones. The marrow in my bones was fro'
zen, aud yet wiped the thick bsade of perspira.
zion pouring from of my forehead.
The turnkey opened the door. We went down
six steep, slippery steps, and entered dungeon
some eight feet square. thought could discover
by the giimmering lantern a human form moving
at the bottom OF the dungeon The Governor re-
manned on the last step, for the foor of the dun
geon was covered with "a humid slime several
inches deep. ! heard q low aud strange murmur,
aud looked to see whence 1t came; discovered
loop-bole foot long by four inches wide. The
wind came through this aperture and made
current with the opened door. ] saw low what
was the noise heard II was the ripples of the
Neva beating agaiuet the VALE If the fortress,
for the dungeon was beiov the level of the river.
'.tiet no and dress," said the Governor / won.
dered to whom he gave this order, so told the
turnkey to light up the dungeon. The turnkey
directed his lanterns rays towards the bottom OF
the dungeon. / then saw an cid man rise from
the floor. His hair aud his beard were very long,
aud rs white as the driven Snow. de doubtless
had been iucarcerated in this dungeon. habite3 in
the clothes he wore when arrested; but he had
lain there so long his clothes had rotted away,
piece BY piece, aud be had nothing on him but
battered fur coat. Through the rents in this gar
meat could see his naked, shivering, bony body.
Perhaps (it was far from being improbahiel that
body had once been covered with splendid clothes
perhaps the ribbons and stars of the nobtest Or
ders had glittered on that famine worn breast
Now be was nothing but n living skeleton. which
had lost all rank, all dignity, even It's name being
nothing now but "Number Eleven"
ifo rose. wrapped mis- ragged coat around him,
without uttering single complaint; his body was
bent DOUBLE vanquished by the dungeon, by hui
midi.y and cold; and time and darkness, and selis
tude, and, perhaps. hunger; but his eye was
haughty-a!most menscing. Every we'll" said
the Governor, "come along" The Governor led
the way. The prisoner gave last glance at his
du ns co., at his stone seat his water Jug and his
rotten straw. lie sighed. Surely ne could not
1T is impossible) have regretted anything there?
lie followed the Governor. passing in front of me
as be went out, l shall never forget the glance
no gave me as he went out. / shall never forget
the repro.ches he conveyed in thas silen. glance!
$50 Young" be seemed to say, land already the
slave of granny" turned my eyes agav; that
look had entered my heart as if it bad been
poignard.
/ moved 80 that he should not touch me az he
walked out from the dungeon in which be had so
long been contiued. How long had he been in
there? Perhaps he himself knew not! 1t must
have been many day siuce he ceased 10 cpunt the
revolution of the days and nights in the dark ness
of his dungeon. ] followed him The turnkey
locked the dungeon carefully and joined US. We
found t&1 sleishs at the door of the Governors
house. He made the prisoner get into the sleigh
| had come ia, and then he and got in; he sat by
the side of the prisoner, sat on the front seat
The fur soldiers got into the other sleigh Where
were We going! knew not. What were we going
20 d02 had not the remotest idea. We moved
of from the Governors house.
have said sat on the front sea-: the Old mans
Iegs we're constantly between mine. I felt them
shiveriug. The Governor WAS wrapped in fnrs: |
was wrapped in my thick military cloak, and even
then both of US were cold The old man was
almost strak naked, bnt the Governor did not offer
him even blanket to cover him. I thought fJr q
moment Of taking Off my cloak and giving it to
him, the Governor read my thought and said sit
ia not worth while" So kept on my cloak We
drove toward tbs River Neva. When we reached
the middle of the river our sleighs moved toward
Cropstadt.
The wind (it was blowing gals,l blew from the
Baltic the hail cut our faces it was one of those
terrible drifting Snow storms, such az are never
aeen except in the Gulf of Fiudaud. Accustomed
as we were to the darkness, we could nor see ten
Daces frum'n.. When we had rou uded the neck of
land on the river, the drifting snow storm burst
upon Us in all it's violence. You cannot conceive
what terrible thing is this tornado Of wind and
hail and snow in these wide marshes, where ttera
is not a tree TO break It's violence.
On We went, through moving atraosphare hpf
which filed with snow-d tkes it seemed
ready at every moment TO become solid and sufY,
cate Us between walls of SNOW Our horses snort
ed aud neighed and refused TO move Opr ariyars
could not make them bulge a single step eyeent
49,, NtDttN tiN..t 10 hTTl1a
out of the road and came near upse1tjng us
against the river banks q thousand tmes T
knew 1t did sometimes happen even in broad dav
light that seighs and horses. with eyerybody !, |
them, iei INTO the "a' holes" of the river which
never freeze over. and disappeared forever, / |
thought we might cross of these air hoIes and
disappear in their uufathomsbe ebyss Good
Heavens! What night! what night. I snpn,i
Aud the old mans legs trembled more aud more
How he must have suffered with the cold,
At last We stopped. Wewere some I ran or so,,
miles below St Petersburg. The Governor .,ot !
out Of the sleigh and went towards the ona vh,oh
held the iour soldiers; all OF them had leaped from
the sleigh. They held the instruments thev w.
ordered to bring with them. The Governnr sad
10 them: make hole in the ice :" | couIa NOT
repress an Involuntary scream of terror began
now to comprehend the hellish tragedy. "Ah ~
said the old inap, in low tone which seemed Ijka
tue sneer OF skeleton, "the Empress remembers
me, eh! thought she had forgotten me' What
Empress did he mean! AnBe, or Elizabeth or
Catherine! He evidently believed one of them |
sui reigned. He was Ignorant even of The name |
OF him who condemned him to death. What was |
the darkness Of this night compared to that which
reigued in his cell! |
The four soldiers set to work. They broke the ice
with their hammers, cut il with their batcbets, |
pried il up with their levers and ienly they ali
l-aDed back, the les was completely broken. water
roee Get cut of the tleigh said the Governor TO
the old man The order was useless. the old man |
had gotten out before the dovernar spoke; and was
wL;spsred 10 the four soldiers; he evidently gave
en- an order; ana then he returned TO The slea
an ioek n seat BIZ me had not Gu tied the sIeigh
The Id man soon rose from his kaees. ! am |
reaiy - said he. The four soldiers leaped on him. |
I turned my ewes away But ii did not see |
heard 1 heard boAy fall iato the gulf of water !
[ involunIariiy looked The cd mao had disap-
nasre1 forgot that IL was not nay place to give
ordeTs and i screamed TO the drivsp:-"DTiye
home! drive hens!' Not yet said the Cover. |
male the driver stop We are not through ystn