Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-04-10
PRISON FOR NTHILIsTs.


A short account OF the celebrated classmates
o. the Fortress St Peter and ST. Paul, In which
ene n1hllists are confined Immediately after
their arrest, will doubtless be perused with in
tefeSt. The writer, St Petersburg CORE
spondent, obtained access TO the classmates by
especial order from one OF the grand dukes.
whose name he naturally SuppresSeS. The
slgnt or the order when presented was by no
means acceptable to the commandant of the
Drtress, but, as 1t was peremptory, he had no
alternative but to comply The casematss, 1t
appears, are followed out under the Neya, and
elrectly under the ramparts- Their only win
SOW, little square hole protected by thick
barred grating. rises but a few inches above the
level OF the river. staircase OF about ten
steps leads down to them, and as the aide
scamp who acted as guide remarked,
come up again. Ii would seem that the
climate is not favorable to revolutionistSn At
stated distances there are iron doors opening
into halls filled with SentinelS, who. with
loaded rifle and fixed bayOnet, keep watch and
ward over the unhappy tenants OF the cells
which open upon them. The doors of the
cells, also OF iron, are very low. AS for the
tiny prisons, they are very narrow Quarters.
square, with stone walls and floors, and
kaF1ully damp, the water constantly drop
ping about In all directions. chair, table
and pallet or white wood, form the only fur
n1ture One of the pallets was found to be
covered with a bed of straw horribly foul but
even this. poor luxury as IL was, must be con-
writer learned, were fed on SChfi, a soup made
OF salted cabbage and black bread. On grand
occasions, however, they were sometimes
treated to bit OF meat and tcharsd. or
giassful OF brandy. The visitor was allowed
entrance to few of the cells Their tenants
were pale; they rose as he entered according
u order. but regarded him with a fixed look
o. despair. on some OF the walls characters
had been traced with a pointed in
strument- One OF the phrases ran thus: NV
poor mother you doubtless know not that yOur
innocent son is buried alive In this vault" The
emoe lnterfered and prevented the writer from
!eading more He was shown the famous cell
In Which was fncarcerated the Princess Taraka-
nova, daughter of the Empress Elizabeth who
Ieil victim to her rival. the Empress Catherine
III, grandmother OF the present Car. This
unhappy woman per1Shed In the cell under the
most dramatic circumstances. The Neva
swollen by the melted snow, suddenly rose.
and the rushing torrent, daShing with over
Whelmlng strength against the tiny window.
proKe In ana fliled the cell with water. The
princess was drowned. The cells of the great
state criminals are lined with mattresses and
rings OF iron are placed In the walls TO which
many OF them are bound when they are not
straitwa1Stcoated The guide informed the writer
among other things, that these unhappy men
were asked every quarter OF an hour If they
were present. Whenever they failed to reply
they were barbarously punished. He also
states that in the wall of the Emperor's room
rs an Invisible door. communicating with a
httle passage. very narrow, and leading TO
suDteTranean gallery, followed out under the
NeVa- The gallery leads TO the fortress and
In case OF a revolution or of imminent peril
the Gar could disappear III few seconds from
Inc winter palace, and In few minutes after
md himself In perfect safety in the Fortress OF
81 Peter and ST. Paul. the guns of which in A
snort time, could reduce st. Petersburg to ruins
The palace OF the Car Paul L., which is now the
engineers school, was similar provided, but.
when the aSSaSSinS entered his room he had uOt
time 10 flee, and was struck down at the very
moment when he was about TO disappear behind
tne secret door, which was already open.