The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-09-16

Il
Mr. RIackheath says the teeth OF the
creature wore over an inch I'm length. were
sl.arp as needles. and In shape resembIed
the teeth OF shark.
- - 4sAa--aazssi- -
A Russian lnGuisttion.
n.pp.RryJss INFLICTED UPON POLITICAL
pRrsONERs--A LETTER FROM A SUFFERER.
The following letter Is from political
prisoner In Siberia, and contains facts not
generally known. The writer, says the
Herald, studied the English language from
books while In exile, and, without any OPP
portunity for practice, acquired such pro-
fciency that his letter loses none Of it, in
tercst from being presented exactly as he
wrote IL:
CAUSES OF REVOLUTION.
Foreigners have such vague notions
about Russia that they are as vet unable to
understand the very reasons and character
Of the revolutionary tendencies which pre-
vail to such an extent in that vast country.
l will tell here one fact which will show
you clearly the character OF the Russian
Government. I'm 1866, soon after the execu-
ton Of Karaxozofi, young workingman.
sitting i'm an inn where two or three per-
sons were present, was foolish enough to
say Of the Car, you see he hanged now
man who was, perhaps. much better
than he himself Immediately he was
arrested and brought to st. Petersburg.
where they put him in the well-known
prison OF SITS. Peter and Paul. Then,
without any trial, merely by the order
Of the Gar, he was sent to be imprisoned
at the monastery OF SOozdall. There are
in Russia two monasteries which have
prisons for political or religious iIres-
pepseurS-the monastery called SolOvetz-
kee. OH an island in the White Sea, and the
monastery OF SoOzdall. The chiefs OF
these prisons are the holy fathers-the alb
bots themselves. The young man was
locked up in small room. Once he COM
mited some insignificant offence against
the rules Of the prison. Then the Abbot
submitted the prisoner to such a punish
ment rs the civilized world has not heard
Of since the times Of the lnquisition. 1t is
TO make the world know this punishment
that decided TO write this letter.
BARBARoUs CONTINUANCE.
"The Abbot ordered box TO he brought
into the room Of the prisoner just as high
and wide as the prisoner himself. On the
inside of the box there were fixed on every
point strong, large iron nails. The pri-
soner was put into this box and locked up.
He could not turn himself, he could not
move at all. because everywhere he would
meet the iron nails. He remained in the
box two days. Finally he could not bear
any longer this torture, and said to the
guard he wanted to see the Abbot. The
latter came. DO you WISH said the pri-
soner, ito kill me- | cannot bear any
longer this torture. swear TO YOU that If
YOU will not release me instantly from this
box | will kill yOu.' Only then the Abbot
released him. But no sooner had the pri-
soner left the box than he fell and tainted
on the floor. His feet were so swollen they
could not bear him.
"The holy fathers OF the monastery use
also several other kinds Of torture. For
instance, they put upon 4 prisoner iron
letters of 800 pounds weight. and keep
him thus during some days. Only man
Of great physical power can, with these
letters on his feet, rise or at all change the
position OF his body rs while sleeping he
might desire.
"Such are these monastery prisons in
which they keep for many long years with
out any legal trial innocent people who
dare have their own opinions about reli-
non different from those OF the States
Church. remember plenty of other facts
Of the same kind. Where. for instance, Is
now the well-known revolutionist, Matt
.haefi. sentenced IN 1871 to twenty years
Imprisonment at hard laborf Nobody
knows exactly, but there are persistent ru-
moIs that he is kept in one OF the for
iresses chained to the wall and fettered
with irons of 100 pounds weight.
ALIvING DEATH.
"Where is the political criminal To-
meen, sentenced i'm 1879 bv the Martial
Court to imprisonment for life? Nobody
knows, but they say, and it is probably
true. that he is kept in one Of the Siberian
prisons-namely, at Tobolsk-and that
there are two special guards to watch him,
who receive a greater payment for this
honor.
"Wby were the three newly-cOndemned
revoluti0nists, Sheeriaefl. Teechonoh, and
Gessi Gelfman, not sent TO the Siberian
prisons, as the law commands. but are kept
| in Slusselbourg, this Russian Bastilica I
Because i'm the Siberian prisons they would
not die so soon.
"What right has the Government. in
spite of the laws il created itself, TO keep
as it does, since more than ten years, IN Il
ptiful small village. Nillnisk, 800 miles
from YakOutsk, the celebrated Russian
writer Tcherneesheflski, author OF Re
marks upon John Stuart Mills Political
Economy as well as many other excellent
books? BY the Russian law Tchernee-
sheilski has long since the right of going
throughout all Siberia, but the Govern
ment keeps him fOrcibly at Nilnisk.
Eight gendarmes and Cossacks, sent
from Yakoutsk for this special purpose, are
always watching him. He must live and
sleep in the prison only i'm the daytime he
has the right TO 60 into the village. But
| TO him the most terrible punishment Is that
| il is forbidden to him forever TO write any
thing for publication. But the man Is full
Of life and energy; he cannot help wri-
| ting; he must write, and he does. He
writes leaves upon leaves, he covers piles
Of paper, and then-he puts them into the
| fire Can YOU imagine this? Is ii not like
| the torturcs OF Tantausy
"And after all these facts give to the
reader only "A too-insutlloient notion OF
what is in fact the present Government in
Russia. And with such government viii
the European statesmen make treaties IL
give up those noble Russians who have
courage and self-sacrifice enough to pro.
test against such barbarlties -
Az the writer is still prisoner i'm the
hands OF the Russian authorities, he does
not wish his name published. and so also
with the name Of the young workman first
mentioned in this letter, who was impri-
I soned In the monastery Of Soozdal fol
three years and exiled to one OF the north.
! ern provinces OF Russia. in Europe, fol
! fourteen years He was released in 1881
! and all this punishment inflicted without
. trial. Hr.i. DID,.
!. Two Miners Killed.
/. THE STARTLING DISCOVERY MADE IN A coal