The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-12-20
manitomof pilot.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1883.
WRITTEN IN BLOOD.
Eetchaief's Letter to the Carlow q
Prisoner Valued a Glimpse
Of the Sky,

A st. Petersburg dispatch of Oct.
p says that the new nihilist journal,
the Messenger Of the WI Of the People,
contains letter from the nihilist pris-
oner Netchaieff to the car. The orig
inal letter was written in blood. It
says:
''SIR-On taking charge of the fort
ress, the new Commandant Ganetskv
addressed his subordinate officers in
the ravelin on the event of March 49,
The character of the speech, and also
the fact that it was made in the hall
far from my cell, showed to me that it
was intended for my ears. And, in
deed, | heard every word of it. But
his intimidation did not reach its aim
The indirect threatening of Gen. Gan
etsky did not brighten me. 1t showed
me only that, under the influence of
the late events, even the highest repre-
sentatives of the administration have
lost their heads and their feeling of
personal dignity. | would not mind
the trick of his excellency if, for no
fault of mine, he did not aggravate my
lot, which has already exhausted my
endurance.
'.The Alexis ravelin is q secret
prison. No supervision is allowed
there. The late commandment, Baron
Meidel, used 10 restrain, to a certain
degree, the thievish Warden Philimon-
of. While fulfilling his hard duty, he
did not torture the prisoners to CRAFTY
his personal cruelty. But after that
speech of Ganetsky. the thief Phil
ha To- g
bread, saying impudently that such
was the order of the commandment. In
order to get in favor with the new COM
mandant, the officers of the ravelin
have tried their utmost to Cypress po-
litical prisoners in all possible WAYS.
For months they have kept me in my
cell, without permitting me to see day
light. Ganetsky ordered that even the
warming-holes in my cell should be
closed, on the pretense that | might
there get SCOT and make ink of it. The
upper pane of my window was clean,
and through it L could see part of the
sky. 1t is necessary to experience the
horrors of long solitary confinement in
order to understand what relief pris-
oner gets from the sight of passing
clouds and shining stars. Ganetsky
closed the pane. The two command
ants, six of the chiefs of gendarmes.
and even the chief of the supreme COM
mission, Gen. Melikoff, while visitlL q
me, saw the clean pane and did not
think the state was in danger on ac-
count of it. Here the letter was iIlegi-
BILE. Ten years already | have suffer-
ed here. The further aggravation Of
my lot can not proceed from any politi-
cal consideration, but only from the
cruelty of the man to whom you have
intrusted the fortress. Gen. Mezent-
self was my personal enemy. For two
years he kept me in heavy chains, and
yet he did not shut me out of sight of
the sky. / had another enemy, Gen.
Potapoff. He insulted me in words,
and | slapped his face. Of course he
hated me, yet he did not take revenge.
He knew that to take revenge upon a
man who is bound arms and legs would
be an action fit only for wild beast,
and Gen. Potapoff was man anyhow
Ganetsky enjoys the sight of suffering
prisoners. Perhaps he expects to
bring me into a state of despair in
order to see tears and the passion of
helpless madness, and to listen to in
sane shouts of rage from me like those
hear from neighboring cell, where
a comrade at the end of long con-
1inement has become a lunatic. Oh,
no, | will rot treat Ganetsky to such a
pleasure. i hope he will preserve even
a hundredth part of the calm and self,
control | possess when he shall be car
ried to scalfold.
In 1875 the government requested
me to express nay views on the state OF
affairs III Russia. In my memorial
sent to your late father explained that
the time OF absolute power was gone,
that the unlimited monarchy was I'M
dermined, and that q liberal constitu
ton might save Russia from the hor-
rors of revolution. | insisted upon the
need of liberal institutions which, and
which only, could stop the series of
daring attempts. | said then that in a
few years even a constitution would be
too late. Subsequent events have JUS
titled my views. The reaction which
set in after the catastrophe of March
IS was matter of course. 1t was in
the nature of things. But, being car
ried too far, even the reaction will
bring about quite unexpected results.
| do not expect any relief from the new
administration. | shall not be sur
prised if my lot becomes still harder
on account of the present letter.
Louis XVI realized the horrors to
which the prisoners of the bastile were
subjected only when he became HIM
self q Doliticai prisoner
SERGE NETCHAIEFF.
81 write this letter with my nail in
my blood. S. N"
In December, 1882, Netchaieff was
tortured by the warden, and soon after
was found dead.