The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-10-11
IN A RUSSIAN PRISON.
The Sights Seen There by an Amer
lean Visitor.

Vi, P.;rr>hurg Cor. Boston Advertiser.
4 few hours ago | received a call
from Mr.. Sapienza, the deputy of
Baronof,, the project of police. He
came on behalf of the project to ask
when it would suit my convenience To
90 and see one Of the state prisons
As l happened to have little leis-
IRE I thought it well to make my az
cep'ance of the suggestion an imme-
date one, and to take advantage of
the official carriage which was wait
ing below. | had a peculiar desire to
see the great prison which is devoted
exclusively to the detention of the
accused. and il was just thither that
We went as fast as the projects mag
nificent Russian trotters. IS black as IA
pair of crows, were pleased To take us
Arriving at the prison We sent in
our names, and 4 moment later NJ.
Gragorieii. the Director, hurried out
10 meet us. We were requested to
inScr;be our names and other per
sonal particulars in the register, and
We then took our WAY first 10 the
womens department. A. we wen,
along the director told me that the
prison can contain seven hundred
priSonerS-one hundred Of whom NAV
be femalcS-and that there Is not a
single vacant place at present, because
of the number of political trials now
pending.
| have zen enough fi!thines> in
Russia Ia satisfy me for 4 lifetime,
ami | WAS pleasantly ana greatly sur.
pri>ed II the pcrfec; order AMI clean
lines that reisne'l within these prison
walls. The air WIS uui'e fresh
there was no dust. and all the metal
appointments AMI furnishings fairly
>h"ne. Tn" main prison huillin.
consists OF three stories: the lower i
AT present occupied by persons ac-
cused 81 ordinary ohense>. while the
upper two are re>erv>l for the lIliti-
cal prisoners. The former enjpy
some far degree Of liberty; during
the day they occupy one great general
hall, ami they may ais, exercise for
half IN hour daily in the
common court OF the prison.
But the latter ere shut up
in single cells, AMI can only take the
air each Nv him>e dni each must be
accompanied hv Il gcniarme. Enter
ing the great hall OF IN" women, We
found there som" twenty unfprtunateS
ot various a.-~, VIII" ail stared III u,
with M easily eXplicable curiosity.
One chamber i reserved for nursing
women. of whom we saw several ii
sorry sight Indeed
Most Of ihe women are very ugly
EVEN the younger ones. Among
them WAS shown the woman Sach,
Ova. who was seriously compromised
on account of the attempt Of March
l., and whom | found to bear Strik-
ing resemblance to Louis Michel, the
heroine of the French commune.
From this part Of the prison We
passed into the male wards. In the
hover ONE there were some fifty thieve,
AMI a>>;,>Sins among whom was boy
uf IL.
What are YOU here for" said m,
companion.
"Because OF bit at awkwarlnes>,
that all. monsieur" salt the boy.
How awkwardncs> ;"
why, YOU see, Monsieur. | hap
pened To give one of nv comrades :
cutting; it was a little too heavy
perhaps, for he died of it," replied
he, with a grin.
Have you ever been as awkward
a that before
That was my third piece of i'll
luck, said he, with cheerful air
but there was a look on his FAC,
aS though he might easily be a
awkward again if he had the chance
The director said his sentence wa
settled upon, and would shortly be
communicated to him-perpetua
Punishment 10 Siberia.
Leaving this room, We assembled {
spiral staircase of iron to the secon,
story. The director requested us t.
converse in very low voices and {,
step very lightly as we passed through
the galleries, this being in accorlanc,
with the prison regulations, which
prescribed that political prisons shall
enjoy an absolute tranquility. In al
the corridors there were statione,
gendarmes while on the lower floor Their
were only sisters of charity. Thes
gendarmes wore felt slippers, so tina
they may make no noise, and can s,
approach unheard the little peephole
wrought in the solid doors of the cells
Most of the prisoners were readin!
hAni-- ,.-l,,.l,