Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-06-08
Russian State Prisoners.

About 3 o'clock in the morning an
overseer unlocked and opened the
door of my cell and said TO me.
Gomez followed him to the Office
of the prison, where the commander
OF the convoy made careful exami-
nation OF my person, noted my fea-
lures and physical characteristics "a
set forth in a description which he
held in his hand, compared my face
with that Of a photograph taken soon
after my arrest, and at last, being
apparently satisfied as To my identity,
received me formally from the prison
authorities. ! was then taken.down
a flight of stairs to the corps de garde,
large room on the ground floor, at
the door OF which stood an armed
sentry. The spacious but low and
gloomy hall was dimly lighted bya
few flaring lamps and candles, and In
the middle OF il, at two long bare
tables, sat ten or fifteen men and
women, in coarse gray convict over
coats, drinking tea. The heads OF the
men were half shaven, they all wore
chains and leg fetters, and on the
back of every prisoner, between the
shoulders, appeared the two black
diamonds which signify that the Grim
inal so marked is hard labor con
vict
Near the door, in Il little group,
stood six or eight uniformed gen
darmes and officers OF the detective
police, who watched the prisoners
intently, whispering now and then
among themselves as II communicat-
ing 10 one another the results OF their
observations. The stillnes OF the
room was unbroken save by the faint
kissing OF two or three brass samovars
on the tables, and All occasional jingle
Of chains as one OF the convicts moved
and a chance observer would never
have imagined that the gray coated
figures sitting silently side by side at
the tables were near friends, and In
some cases relatives, who had long
been buried in the easement OF the
fortress, and who were looking into
one another's faces for the first time
in years.
AS entered the room, one OF the
prisoners, whose face did not at first
recognize but who proved to be an
old friend, rushed forward to meet me
whispered In my ear, Don't recog-
nize anybody but me--the gendarmes
are watching us" ] understood the
warming The police really knew
very little about the history and the
revolutionary records OF some OF the
political convicts who were present,
and II was important that they should
not be able TO get clew 10 any ones
identity or past history by noting
recognitions as prisoner after prisoner
was brought In. The incautious man.
Hesitation OF emotion by one convict
as he met another might result in the
return OF both TO the casemates Of the
fortress and their detention there
until their mutual relations could be
investigated. This was the reason for
the silence which prevailed through
out the gloomy hall and for the seem
ing Indifference with which the pris-
oners regarded one another They
were apparently strangers, but in
reality they were bound together by
innumerable ties Of friendship and
memories Of the past; and "a they
looked into one another's faces, and
noted the changes that time and suf-
fering had wrought, they maintained
their composure only by the most he
roic effort.
On one side OF the table sat an old
coInrade Of whom we had heard moth
ing in years and whom we had all
supposed TO be dead. On the other
side were young man and his be-
trothed, who for five years have not
seen each other, and who, when thus
reunited under the eyes Of the gen
dariaes, did not dare TO speak. Near
them sat pale, thin woman, about
q years Of age, who held In her arms
a sickly baby born In the casemate OF
the fortress, and who looked anxiousiy
at the door every time It opened with
the hope Of seeing her husband
brought in to join the party. Most Of
us knew that her husband was dead,
but no one dared to tell her that she
watched the door in vain.
To one who could look beneath the
surface Of things; who could appreci-
ate the tragic significance Of the stu
alton, and who could see with spirit
ual insight the hot tides OF hatred.
agony, sympathy, and pity which
surged under those gray overeosts,
the scene was not merely striking and
impressive, but terrible and heart
rending. George Ksnnas IN he Censs-