The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-29

Description of Life in a Sc. Petersburg
Prison,

the same size as the WINDOWS In other prs
ons But the cells occupy the interior in
closure of the bastion THAT is, the reductl
and the high wall of the bastion faces the
windows OF the cells at diStsnce of fifteen to
twenty feet. Besides, the walls of the re-
duct which have to resist shells, are nearly
five feet thick, and the light is intercepted
by double frame with small apertures,
and by an iron grating Finally everybody
knows that the st. Petersburg sky is
anything but bright. Dark they are; still,
it was in such a cell--the brightest of
the whole building-that l wrote my two
volumes on the Glacial Period and taking
advantage of brighter summer days, l pre-
pared there the maps that accompany the
work and made drawings The lower story
is very dark, even in summer. The outer
wall intercepts all the light, and remember
that even during bright days writing was
very difficult. In fact, il was possible only
when the SUMS rays were reflected by the
upper part of both walls All the northern
face of the reduct is very dark in both
stories.
The floor of the cells is covered with a
painted felt, and the walls are double, so to
say; that is, they are covered also with felt,
and at a distance of FIVE inches from the
wall there is an iron-wire net, covered with
rough linen and with yellow painted paper.
This arrangement is made to prevent the
prisoners from speaking to one another by
means of taps on the wall The silence in
am just now in cell. But the exterior life
and the life of the prison reaches one by thou
sands of sounds and words exchanged here
and there. Although in a cell, / still feel
myself part of the world. The fortress is
a grave. You never hear a sound, excepting
that of a sentry continually creeping like
hunter from one door to another, to look
through the Judas into the cells You are
never alone as an eye is continually kept
upon you, and still you are always alone.
II you address word to the warder who
brings you your dress for walking in the
yard, if you ask him what is the weather.
he never answers The ouly human being
with whom l exchanged few words every
morning was the Colonel who came to write
down what l wanted to buy-tobacco or pa
per But he never dared to enter into any
conversation, as he himself was always sur
veyed by some of the warders. The absolute
silence is interrupted only by the bells of the
clock, which play every quarter of an hour
Gospodi ponrilai, each hour the canticle ''Kol
slaven nash Gospod Sionye," and each
twelve hours God save the Tsar in addi-
ton to all this. The cacophony of the dis
cordant bells is horrible during rapid changes
OF temperature and do not wonder that
nervous persons consider these bells as one
of the plaques of the fortress.
The cells are heated by means of large
stoves from the corridor outside. and the
temperature in the cells is kept exceedingly
high. in order to prevent moisture from APP
pearing on the walls. To keep such a tenn
perlture, the stoves are shut up very soon
with burning Goals, so that the prisoner is
usually asphyxiated with oxide of carbon.
Like all Russians was accustomed to keep
high temperature of 60 to go Fahrenheit
in my room. But could not support the
high temperature of the fortress, and still
less The asphyxiatiEg gases; and after long
struggle | obtained the concession that the
stoves should not he shut up very hot. | was
cd tIa he
covered with moisture; and, indeed, they
soon were dripping in the corners of the
vault; even the painted paper OF the front
wall was as wet as If water were continually
poured on it. But, as there was no choice
but between dripping walls and exhaustion
by bath-like temperature. l chose the
former, not without some Inconvenience for
the lungs, and not without acquiring rheu-
matIsm / afterward learned that several of
my friends who were kept in the same bas-
ton, expressed firm conviction that some
Inephitic gas was sent into their cells This
rumor is widely spread, and has also reached
Mr.. Lansdell; and it is the more remarkable
as nobody has expressed the suspicion of
having been poisoned otherwise; for instance,
by means of the food | think that what
] have just said explains the origin of
this rumor. In order TO keep the
stoves very hot for twenty-four hours they
are shut up very soon, and so the prisoners
are asphvXiated every day, to some extent,
by oxide of carbon. Such was at least, my
explanation of the suffocation | experienced
yearly every dav, followed by complete
nrostration and debility. | did not notice it
after had succeeded, by ceaseless efforts, in
getting the hot-ar conduit leading into my
p cell shut up altogether.
The food, when General Korsakoff was COM
mandant of the fortress, was good; not so sub
stantial as Mr.. Lausdell says, but very well
cooked; afterwards it became much worse
No provisions from without are allowed, not
even frut-nothing but the cali tchi white
bread). which compassionate merchants dis
tribute in the prisons at Christmas and Easter
an cid Russian custom existing until now.
Our friends could bring us only books. Those
who had no friends were compelled to read
over and over again the same books OF the
fortress library, which contains the odd vol
mes left there by several generations since
1926. As to breathing fresh air, it is obvious
that it could not be allowed to the amount
mentioned by Mr.. Lansdell. During
. the first year of my confinement walked
half an hour or forty minutes every day,
but during the second year, as We were
nearly sixty on the bastion. and as there is
but one yard for walking. and the darkness,
under the sixtieth degree of latitude, comes
at P. NJ. in the winter, we walked but twenty
minutes every other day in the summer and
twenty minutes twice week during the
winter. / must add, also that. owing to the
heavy white smoke discharged by the Chin
nev of the mint which dominates the yard
this walk was completely poisoned during
the east winds. | could not support, on such
occasions. the continual coughing of the
soldiers exposed all the day to these gases,
and asked to be brought back to my cell.
An Original Object Lesson.
San Francisco Chronicle.
Following is copy of communication
which has been received by Postmaster