River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-12-22

The sights seen There by an Ameri-
can Visitor.

RUSSIAN PRISON
The sights seen There by an Ameri-
can Visitor.
A few hours ago, writes st. Peters
burg correspondent, | received a call
from Mr.. Sapienza, the deputy OF Bar
anofi, the project of police. He came
on behalf of the project to ask when il
would suit my convenience to go and
see one of the state prisons. As hap
pened to have little leisure thought
it well to make my acceptance of the
an Immediate one, and TO
take advantage of the official carriage
which was waiting below. | had a par
ticular desire to see the great prison
which is devoted exclusively to the de-
tention of the accused, and it was just
thither that we went as fast rs the pre-
fects magnificent Russian trotters, MS
black as pair OF crows, were pleased
to take us. Arriving at the prison we
sent in our names, and moment later
NJ. Gregoriefl the director, hurried out
to receive us. We were requested to
inscrihe our names and other personal
particulars in the register, and we then
took our way first toward the womens
department. As we went along the
director told me that the prison can
contain seven hundred prisoners-one
hundred of whom may be females
and that there is not "a single vacant
place at present, because of the numer-
Gus political trials now pending.
l have seen enough filthiness in Rus
STA to satify me for lifetime, and /
was pleasantly and greatly surprised at
the perfect order and cleanliness that
reigned within these prison walls. The
air was quiet fresh, there was no dust,
and all the metal appointments and
furnishings fairly shone. The main
prison building consists of three stories;
the lower is at present occupied by
persons accused of ordinary oflenses,
while the upper two are reserved for
the political prisoners. The former
enjoy some fair degree OF liberty; dur
ing the day they occupy one great gen
eral hall, and they may also exercise
for half an hour daily in the common
court of the prison. But the latter are
shut up in single cells, and can only
take the air each by himself, and then
each must be accompanied by q gen.
darme. Entering the great hall of the
women, we found there some twenty
unfortunates, of various ages, who all
stared at us with an easily applicable
curiosity. One chamber is reserved for
nursing women, of whom we saw sew
eral-a sorry sight, indeed.
Most of the women were very ugly
even the younger ones. Among them !
was shown the woman Sachanova, who
was seriously compromised on account
of the attempt of March 10, and whom
found to bear a striking resemblance
to Louise Michel, the heroine Of the
French commune.
From this part of the prison we
passed into the male wards. In the
lower one there were some fifty thieves
and assassins, among whom was boy
of fifteen.
"What are you here for?" asked my
companion.
Because of a bit of awkwardness,
that's all, m onsieur," said the boy.
GLOW awkwardness ?"
"Why, you see monsieur, happen
ed to give one of my comrades a cuff
fling; it was little too heavy, perhaps,
for he died Of it," replied he, with a
grin.
"Have you ever been as awkward AZ
that before?"
"That was my third piece of i'll
luck" said he, with cheerful air;
but there was look on his face as
though he might easily be as awkward
again if he had the chance.
The director said his sentence was
oottlaJ ,,nO,, a,,H mould obcrfix, ho oo,,,-
to him-perpetual Danish
ment to Siberia.
Leaving his room we assembled q
spiral staircase of iron to the second
story. The director requested us to
converse in very low voices and 20
step very lightly as we passed through
the galleries, this being in accordance
with the prison regulations, which pre-
scribe that political prisons shall enjoy
an absolute tranquility. In all the
corridors there were stationed gend-
armes, while on the lower floors there
were only sisters Of charity. These
gendarmes wear felt slippers, so that
they make no noise, and may so APP
proach unheard the little peep holes
wrought in the solid doors of the cells.
Most of the prisoners we're reading
books which they had beed allowed to
borrow from the prison library. was
greetly impressed by observing that
the majority were young men and
lads, some perfect gamins, who
had been nothing but ignorant
and obedient instruments in the hands
of bold and unknown leaders. A good
many there were, however, who evil
l,v Erl IN. ha ala If
society; and there was one of extraOr-
binary beauty-an old man, who was
sitting upon his bed, looking straight
before him with moist eyes, and strok-
ing mechanically with his left hand his
long, white beard.
In the hospital saw one young man
whom his sister, a young and rarely
beautiful girl, was tending. / also saw
the celebrated Or. Welmer, whom his
brother was nursing through an attack
Of pleurisy. welmer was accused of
taking part in the well-remembered at
tempt unon the life of the car on the
railway near Moscow, and OF having
supplied to Solovief the revolver which
the latter used in the attack on the EN-
peror near the winter palace. Welmer
denied everything, but he has, never
theless, been condemned to hard labor
for twenty years in the Siberian mines.
He has already been sent to the prison
Of SIS. Peter aud Paul tn await the de-
parture Of the next gang Of convicts;
but on falling iii, he obtained leave to
be brought back here, because the hos
pital is better. From these stories we
we're conducted to the ground floor
again, when we saw the chapel. which
IS quite large, and vast kitchen where
all was activity over meal which was
IN preparation. We then quilted the
carrying with us favor
able impression of the humanity and
with which the director
evidently managed IT,
- -
The Marquis OF Lorne, Governor
ieneral of Canada, will leave Liver
pool for Canada by the steamer Paris;
an on the 18th of January. His wire,