West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-03-27

iron mask. Neither the leilers nor her /
fellow-prisoners know either her name |
or the nature of her crime. She il n |
number, and nothing more. What "A
terrible tragedy must lie hidden in that |
woman's H., art II IL still beats.
DENs WITHOUT LIGHT.
The casemates are cells, five PAGES
long and three wide. equal 10 about
seven and a half feet by four and a half
feet dens into which little light strug-
CLOS through strongly-barred slit TIE
walls stream with moisture. Foc fur
ture the inhabitant has straw mat
trcss and thin quilt. n jug, the image
OF saint and pail which serves for
all purpo es and remains there day and
night The air of such place. surely
one OF the dark places of the earth, be-
| sides being cold and damp. must be un-
speakably foul. But even worse than
dampness, and foulness. and gloom, il
the solitude TO which the prisoners are
| condemned, for the fortress is organized
on the striclest cellular system. Every
poSs bic prccaution is taken 30 prevent
them from communicating with each
| other. They never meet, never speak
TO each other, are not even allowed TO
| exchange word with their iailers. A
warden is forbidden under severe penal
ties to answer question, however mean
ingless or innocent. To prevent him from
obtaining favors or Information. either by
ca. olery or collision, the turnkeys are
made TO visit the cells in couples. and
to prevent pr souers from communca-
ton with each o.her by knocks on the
walls, every alternate cell is either alto
gether untenant d or occupied by
gendarme. Once n day the door is
| opened and the warders signify to the
lnhabitant by gesture that it is the
hour for exercise Silently he rises
| from his little bed and follows his Gus
todians into the narrow yard, so
hemmed in by high walls as TO Gem
like the bottom of well Here he
| PAGES TO and fro for the allotted time.
like wild beast in cage, and is then
led back TO his den rs silently as he was
brought out The prison is full of pco-
pie, yet for every inhubitant of its case
mates, its bastions, its ravelins and its
curtains there is the isolation of death.
/ No books are allowed in this dismal
! solitude. not even the Bible. III priso-
ner wants religious consolation he may
look at his saint an raiss his thought,
Heavenward, if he can. 1t is no wonder
that men immured in these dark places
sometimes go mad.
BURIED ALIVE.
But in spite of every precauiion pris-
! oners do occasionally contrive. to com
| municate with their friends. A little
money in Russia goes n long way, and
even turkeys have sometimes bowels.
{ 30 1t comes TO pass, in the case OF the
letter from the 'inhabitant" and some
other letters, which i shall describe
later on, that news from the classmates
( does occasionally reach the outer world.
1t III ght almost be called n voice from
the tomb, for these men, like the author
of the book of that name (Fedor
Dostoyensky), are Buried Alive" For
clothing the prisoners have the gray
dress OF common malefactors Instead
OF shoes and stockings, their feet are
wrapped in rags. Even in the depth Of
winter the calls are seldom warmed.
never sufficiently; at least the fuel as
signed for the purpose is insufficient
! and embezzled at that. Hence the cells
are always damp. Water streams
down the walls and freezes in
pools on the floor. So intense is
the cold that when the director
makes his rounds he never takes off his
fur cloak, and Shivers even then All
that the prisoners have to protect them
selves from the terrible cold are com
mon sheepskin coat and cap, such as
worn by the mOujiks. They pass most
OF their time in bed-what else can they
do, poor wret ,hcs?-and even there
they are well-nigh frozen to death. for
besides being insuiiicieutly clad they are
poo.ly fed. For bre ikfast, as for sup
per- they have jug OF warm water and
q lunch of black brea and butter; for
dinner they are given has II of cab
Dage soup. cake of buckwhcat bread
and pot of kwass. n sort OF beer made
OF water mixed with black bread and
/ tcrmented Twice n week they have
pea soup install OF cabbage soup; on
sunday the soup is accompanied bv "a
morsel of meat. Nor is the food. scanty
though il be, good Of its kind; the but
ter is generally rancid, the meat putrid.
and the brcad-except the crust so
badly baked that when thrown against
the wall it sticks like mortar.
SUFFERING FROM sCURvY.
In summer the prisoners are little bet
ter of than in winter. IL is during the
warm months that ST. Petersburg. built
upon masmatic marshes, develops AL
its unhealthy qualities. and the hygienic
condition of the fortress, the gloom and
dalnpness Of the cells, the bad and in
sufficient dietary, the depression arising
from solitary confinement, intensity
every unfavorable influence and render
the life Of prisoners not preternaturally
robust one long agony They are nearly
all affected with scurvv The common
est symptoms are swelling Of the face.
Inflammation Of the eyes. softenin0 of
the gums trembling Of the limbs. all Of
which show that, owing TO the inability
Of the organs to perform their functions.
the body is in a state Of incipicnt disso-
luton. Many, i'm effect, die. and thew
are the most fortunate The medical
service, says the " Inhabitant Of Case
/ mate. is Entrusted TO an octogcnarian
/ practitioner, who is 30 infim that he
can hardly get one foot before the
| other and young doctor. whom the
inevitable gcndarmo renders so timid
that he can hardly feel n pulse or ask
I question. Dysentery Is another com
! mon complaint, and often ends fatally.
/ Not a few Of the prisoners either forget
their suffering in insanity or terminate
I them by sef-murd r " Issaieo. ono Of
I The men who fabrica'e the bombs for
| the murder Of Tho Car. write the 'jp-
| habitant died in this very casemate. "
PhEYED UPON BY vERmN.
But horrible as is the condition of