The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1865-07-15
9Nistellalleolls,
THRILLING SKETCH.

Alexander Dumas is furnishing sensation
items from Russia ,@s g..s 5es
We left the room with turnkey behind
us, and walked on till we found ourselves
opposite the prison. The jailor opened it,
went in, and lighted lantern. We follow
ed. We went down ten steps, passed q
row of dungeons, then down ten more, bas
did not STOP We went down five more
and then stopped at one marked No. IL
He gave silent signal it seemed in this
abode of the dead as if he lost the powerfof
speech. There was at this time q frost of
at least twenty degrees outside. At the
depth we're we found ourself, it was mingled
my marrow was frozen, and yet Iwiped the
perspiration from my brow. The door
opened, we went down six damp and slip
perry steps and found ourselves in a. dun
geon of six square feet. fancied by the
light of the lantern that l saw human
form moving in it. The Governor remain
ed on the last step and said to the prison
err:
q Rise and dress yourself y .,
/ had curiosity to know to whom this
order was addressed. so os,ga
Turn on the light, y said to the jailor.
I then saw a thin and pallid old man
rise up. He had evidently been immured
in this dungeon in the same clothes he had
on when arrested, but they had fallen off
him piece-meal, and he was only dressed in
q ragged pelisse. Through the rags his
naked, bony, shivering body could be seem
Perhaps this body had been covered with
splendid garments perhaps the ribbons OF
the most noble orders had once crossed
his painting chest. At present he was only
a living skeleton, that had lost rank, digni-
ty. even name, and was called No. IL. He
rose, and wrapped himself in the fragments
of his ragged pelisse, without uttering q
complaint his body was bowed down,
conquered by prison damp, time, it might
be hunger. His eye was naughty, almost
menacing.
.It is good" said the governor. "COme." !"
He was the first to go out.
The prisoner threw o parting glance oD
his cell, his stone bench, his water mug,
and rotten straw. He uttered sigh, yet
it was impossible that he could regret
anything Of this. He followed the COVER
nor and passed before me. le .
shall never forget the glance he turned
upon me in passing, and the reproach that
was concentrated in it.
$50 young" it seemed to say, "and al
ready obeying tyranny" 4eI
turned away 5; that glance had pierced
my heart like dagger. He passed the
door of the dungeon. How long was it
since he entered it Perhaps he did not
know himself. He must have ceased for a
long time counting days and nights. On
reaching the governors door we found two
sledges waiting. The prisoner was ordered
into the one that brought US, and we fol-
lowed him, tho governor by his side, | in
front. The other sledge was occupied by
four soldiers. u3t
Where were we going ? knew not
| What were we going to do was equally
| ignorant. / had only to see-the action it.
self did not concern me. ta
We started.
Through my position the old mans knees
were between mine. / felt them tremble.
The governor was wrapped in his furs.
was buttoned up in my military frock, and
vet the cold reached us. The prisoner
was almost naked but the governor had
| offered him no coverings. For moment
thought of taking off my coat and Offering
it to him. The governor guessed my In
tention. 9
"It is not worth while," he said.
Soon we reached the Neva again, and
our sledge took the direction Of Constradt
The wind came off the Baltic and blew fu
riously the sleet cut our faces. Though
our eyes had become accustomed to the
dar knesswe could not see ten yards before
rs. W
At last we stopped in the midst of fu
rious storm. We must have been about {
league and a half from st. Petersburg
The governor got off the sledge and wen
up to the other. The soldiers had alread,
got of, holding the tool they had been or
dered to bring.
i "Out q hole in the ice," the governo
said to them. ae ls
| could not refrain o cry of terror.
began to apprehend.
"Ah !" the old man uttered, with an &C
cent resembling the laugh of skeleton
"then the Empress does still remembe
me !" s
Ofwhat empress was he talking Thre
had passed away in succession--Annie
Elizabeth, and Catharine. It was eviden
he still believed he was living under one {
them, and he did not know even the nam
Of the man who ordered his death,