The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-10-23

several hundred ragged creatures, with
terribly rough, long boards, faces pale as
death, or Of sickly yellow, with red
trimmed eyes, dragging heavy chains, rat
tling them at every motion.
THE PRISONERS.
Not one looked healthy, and not one
spoke, or sang, or whistled; they all
worked in silence, looking askance at us,
and rattling again their chains, which
had been put upon them in the name of
justice. Many of them were barefoot; a
few wore the remnants of shoes upon
their feet. The rags which covered them
were completely saturated with the drip
ping water, so that they could not give to
the shivering bodies one atom of warmth.
Upon their boards I saw long icicles
and sometimes watched one or the other
blow into his chilled hands or shake con-
vulsively in the icy-cold air. I shall
never forget the dreadful scene; and, in
contemplating it, I would imagine for a
moment that mountain sprites we're busy
here at their hidden work but the clank-
ing of the chains, the groaning of the
prisoners, and the rough cries of the task
masters soon recalled the dreadful reality.
The hammering and digging never
ceased. If an exile attempted to rest a
little, the sharp command of the overseer
soon put him to work again; and there
was feverish, uneasy activity. One of
the prisoners slight, fine figure, with
face the profile of which showed extra
ordinary beauty-excited our particular
attention. With visible exertion he
swung his pickaxe, and hi, breath came
wheeling from the chest; but he could
not loosen the stone, and sometimes his
arms fell despairingly to his side.
| We approached him. "Why are you
here2" I asked. He looked up shyly,
almost frightened, and continued his
work.
"The prisoners are forbidden to speak
about the cause of their exile" the in
spector informed US.
"Who is the prisoner7" I asked our
guide.
"Noy114," he answered, laconically.
$50 see," replied; "but I mean his
name, his family, his crime.n
"It is Count de Parentoff," he replied
ia we'll known conspirator. lam sorry
not to be able to tell you more about No.
Ia"
The foul air almost suffocated me. I
beckoned to the guide and to my friend.
He and I hastily traversed again the mar
row corridors and ascended to the world
again, where the chief commander sa-
luted us. n
has our institution made upon your"
We bowed in silence.
he seemed delighted, and remarked
ironically: "Our boys below work dill
gently, do they not?"
"Indeed they do" answered my friend !;
"but with what feeling of relief the un-
happy ones must greet their Sunday,
whf they can take rest"
"Restp he said, wonderingly, "they
have none;
THEY MUST WORK ALwAYsp
"Always?"
"Most certainly They are condemned
to work everlastingly. He who once
enters the mine never leaves it again I"
'But this is barbaric," could not re-
train from saying.
He shrugged his shoulders. "The ex.
iles," he replied, "work twelve hours
daily, and on Sundays, too. They are
never permitted to rest. Oh but yes
twice during the year; at Easter, and on
the birthday of our glorious Emperor P
And he removed his hat, as though he
had spoken the name of the Lord.
We bowed again and hastened to go
back to .Tobolsk. My friend and I were
both very silent until we got out of Rus
sia. But hereafter We shall not be so
very much shocked and surprised when
we read of the terrible spread of that po-
litical fanaticism which is called Nihi-
lism in the great Empire of the European
East. e.