Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-10-20
INA RUSSIAN PRISON.
The Sights Seen There by an Ameri-
can Visitor.

car NteAefs
N. Petersburg Cor Bosion Advertiser.
A few hours ago ! received cal
from Mr.. Sapienza. the deputy OF Bar
onoff, the project Of police. He came
ON behalf of the project 10 ask when II
would suit my convenience TO go and
see one of the state prisons. AS j
happened 10 have little leisure i
though Il well 90 make my acceptance
of the suggestion an immediate one,
and 20 take advantage of the official
carriage which was waiting below. i
had n particular desire TO see the
great prison which Is devoted exclu-
sively TO the detention OF the accused,
and Il was Just thither that we went
as fast ms the projects magnificent
Russian trOtters, rs black as pair Of
crows. were pleased 90 take us. Ar
irving at the prison. we sent In our
names, and n moment later NJ.
GragOrieff. the director. hurried out TO
receive VA. We were requested to
inscribe our names and other personal
particulars I'm the register, and we then
took our way FIRST to the wOmen's de-
partment. As we went along the di-
rector told me that the prison can con-
tain seven hundrel prisoners-One hun
dred Of whom may be females-and
that there Is not single vacant place
at present. because of the number Of
political trials now pending.
have seen enough dizziness in
Russia TO satisfy me for n lifetime,
and was pleasantly and greatly sur
prised at the perfect order and cleanli-
ness that reigued within these prison
walls. The air was quite fresh, there
was no dust, and all the metal appoint.
ments and furnishings fairly shone.
The main prison building consists Of
three stories; the lower is at present
occupied by persons accused of Ordin-
airy offenses. while the upper two are
reserved for the political prisoners.
The former enjoy sor1e fair degree of
liberty; during the day they occupy one
great general hall, and they may also
exercise for half an hour daily i'm 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 each must be accompanied by a
gendarme. Entering the great hall of
the women, we found there were some
twenty unfortunates, of various ages
who all stared at us with an easily ex
plicable curiosity. One chamber is re
served for nursing women, of whom
we saw several-a sorry sight indeed
Most Of the women are very ugly
even the younger ones. Among then
1 was shown the woman Sachanova
who was seriously compromised on &C
count of the attempt of March -, anC
whom / found 10 bear striking resem
blance 10 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 thieve:
and assassins, among whom was boy
Of 10.
"what are you here forg" said my
companion.
because of bit of awkwardness
that's all. monsieur" said the boy.
"How awkwardness
"Why, you see. monsieur, happened
20 give one of my comrades n cutting,
II was little too heavy. perhaps, for
he died Of IT," replied he. with n grin.
slave you ever been as awkward as
that befOreY'
"That was my third piece of i'll luck, /"
said he, with n cheerful air; but there
was look on his face as though he
might easily be as awkward again il
he had the chance.
The director said his sentence was
settled upon. and would shortly be
communicated to him-perpetual ban
ishment TO Siberia.
Leaving this room. we assembled a
spiral staircase Of iron To- the second
story. The director requested us to
converse In very low voices and 10
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 cor
ridors there were stationed gendarmes.
while ON the lower floor there were on
~ sisters OF charity. These gendarmes
wore felt slippers, so that they may
make no noise. and can so approach
unheard the little peepholes wrought
In the solid doors of the cells. Most
of the prisoners were reading books,
which they were allowed TO borrow
from the prison library. / was great
ly impressed by observing that the
majority were young men and lads.
some perfect gamins, who had been
nothing but ignorant and Obedient
instruments I'm the hands of bold and I'M
known leaders. a good many were
there, however. who evidently belonged
To the better class Of society: and there
was one of extraordinary beauty-an
old man. who was sitting upon his
bed, looking straight before him with
moist eyes, and strOking mechanically
with his left hand his long white
beard.
In the hospital saw one young man
whom his sister. young, and rarely
beautiful girl was tending. L also saw
the celebrated DR.. Weimar, whom his
brother was nursing through an attack
of pleurisy. Weimar was accused OF
taking part I'm the well remembered at
tempt upon the life OF the car on the
railway near Moscow. and Of having
supplied to Solovieff the revolver which
the latter used in On attack on the en-
peror near the winter palace. Weimar
denied everything, but he has, never
theless, been condemned TO hard labor
for twenty years in the Siberian mines.
He had already been sent to the prison
of s.. Peter and Paul to await the de-
parture of the next gang Of convicts;
but on falling i'll he had obtained leave
to be brought back here, because the
hospital Is better. From these stories
we were conducted to the ground floor
again, when we saw the chapel. which
Is quite large. and a vast kitchen,
where all was activity over a meal
which was In preparation. We then
quilted the establishment. carrying
with us favorable impression of the