The Cecil Whig., 1885-05-16
THE CZAR'S BASTILE,
Graphic Pictures OF the Miserables of the
EortreSs of 81 Peter and Paul

Graphic Pictures OF the Miserables of the !
Fortress of ST. Peter and st. Paul.
ST. Petersburg letter to San Francisco Chronicc.
The fortress of 81. Peter and st. Paul, |
the great dungeon on the banks OF the |
Ncva, in which Prince Krapotkine was
so long confined, is huge, hdeous and
slab-sided and surmonnted by thin and
tapering spire that looks like the end of
a Brobdingnagian syringe. The fortress
is in the centre of the city and faces the
imperial palace. During the day it is in
part public thoroughtare, ami people
pass through Il narrow deiiic OF giouGiy
and tortuous vaults, where heavily armed
sentinels march TO and fro, and stone
saints in inches hold aloft burning tap
ers But at nightfail all is closed, aud
when darkness covers the capital and the
Quays Of the Neva are all aglnW with
gaslishts the prison here dedicated to
St. Peter and St Paul remains Shrouded
in gloom like some huge NAV, everrcady
to swallow up all that is best and noblest
of the unhappy land which it curses with
its presence. Round the fortress reigns
deep silemce; bnG four times in every
hour the big clock il the sy:iage shaped
spire chimes 4 psalm tune i'll praise OF
God aud the Car, No wonder that meu
who were tau hit III their childhood that
to dSobey the pDtent4t9 WIS to dishonCr
the Creator should have learnt t. detest
the one and rcrudiate tie other.
Ii those hoary walls of the Russian
! basti!o could speak, what tales they
might tell. Since it's foundation the for
tress has been the chief political prison
of the Empire. In past times the in
mates were mostly court offenders on
their way to Siberia or the scatfold. One
of these was the wretched Alexis, son OF
Peter the Great, and heir presumptive to
the throne. Visitors are still shown the
| cell where, after being puS to the tor
| Ture, he was put to lestoh by or,.ei Vi his
| father. Bat for well nigh 100 years th.ro
have been neither palace plots nor coup
u SblU tliib itoiii tiiS ~ VI ttO
century of 1925 the fortress prison was
closed. Then it opened to receive the
| Decc III berists, the flower of the Russian
| nobility, who had tried. by opposing the
accession Of Nicholas to the throne, to
| overthrow autGcracy and establish in It's
| stead a constitutional regime. In its
reign there was little open discomfort; he
| kept 1t down, crushed it out of sight, but
even the strength Of despots must yield
| to death, and the whirlwind he sowed
was reaped 10y his son. The fortress is
now filled with uufortunateS. During
the last twenty years thousands have en-
| tered it's gloomy portals, and as fast as
they perish or depart the great army OF
miserables is reinforced by fresh victims.
| Most of them only remain for a time,
either pending their trial or until they
are removed to u central prison or de-
| ported to Siberia. But there are some
whose fate is still more terrible. There
are prisoners whJ have never been tried
| and never will be--men aud women, who
are kept i'll prison generally for years,
| Gar. One is an ex-otficcr OF the I'm
perial Guard by the name of Chevitch.
1t is said that the late Emperor, who was
of an amorous disposition, made the
sister of Chevitch his mistress and that
the young officer stepped cut of the ranks
at a review aud cried to the tyrant, like
Victor Hugo's Saint Nallior:" ''Sire,
| you have done ILL For this oifense he
was doomed to lifelong imprisonment in
the Alexis ravelin, and is now Il raying
lunatic. Wayfarers who pass by at mid
night sometimes hear his frishttll cries
aud maniacal laughter and then they
| shudder and hasten away, ioG the ground
on which they tread is accurscd. In an
| other casemate, dyir.. ot CO.'S Imption is
| a woman whose identity Is as great d
| mystery as that OF TIE man III the non
| mask" Neither the Jailoys nor her fel-
lowprisoners know either her name ol
| tue nature of her crime sac is q mum.
Der ard nothing more. What terrible
tragedy must lie hidden in thlt woman S
| heart II it still beats.
The classmates are cells, five PAGES long
! and three wide, equal t. a03at seven and
| "A halt fee by four and :: i..lf .2et-dens
iuto which little light struggles thrcugl,
| strongly barred slit. The walls stream
| with moisture. Fer furniture the iniIabi-
| tant has Il straw mattress aid a rhin
! quilt, d jug. the image ui :. saint and 4
| pail which serves FOR ali purposes and e
mains there day and nlght. The air OF
such a place, surely one OF the dark
! places OF ti.o 2a!tii. besides being cold
| and camp. must be uuSpcakably iOul.
| But even worse than himgHaSs ilh: loul-
ness aud gloom is She solitude - which
| the prino lers are condeumei, ior the for.
tres is organized Oh tie siric.est celia
lar system. Every possible, precaution
is taken to prevent them from coa!muni-
eating with each ether. They never
| meet, never %p ak 10 each other; are RIOS
even allowed IA eXCh ago word mith
their iatiarS. y warden is forbidden
under severe penalties t. answer Il qies-
tion. !.nzs yer l"eit,.iug less or Innocent
To prevent him from obtaining tavo:s or
nfoimation either by ca iolery or cpliu
sion, .he turkeys are made to WIS., th y
cells in couples aud 10 p"avsnS prisoners
f.. .:L communicating r.i5h each other b.,
knocks en- Ike walls every aiJeraat3 eel!
is stler altogether uuteu%nt,d or occu
ped by :. ond.:rml.
Oncr ! day ti.a door is "i,aned :.nd t:!o
waIdei,s Signify ~ the Ini3i.,,;.nt ! ) 4
. ; ure that it is The hour irr exercise
Silently Ec rises from us iitt!a bed a"H
follows i.i> cus;ua3sti,s i:lr.1 :; rarru" ,tId
50 hem ned ii Icy iish walls as t" seem
ike the u,ttun Of we'd Here he PAGES
30 anl fru Tor tue alIrttei sine like a
,ll.i beast N Il cage. and Is t!tea led
,.,ci, to his den tS silently a. lee Yves
ii, a, 1t got. I"u .,.,i,un i, iEI! O! peo
Die. yet ion every iHa l5I, .ny Of its cIse
.n;t.-+. - "a, is. Its .AtclnS aud Us
cu3ta:;.S ii.trt ~ the isolation of Geaiu.
No ou4 ui. allowed III this dismal soli-
tu,ie, not even he Dlh'e. Ii Il prisoner
wants: :tliut >iS 60 I$piI!ipT he may look