Telegram-herald., 1888-04-06
PENAL SERVITUDE.
rt.s sroRY Toto an ANsslcss
he Ais<Ftss "a Froissxed Ilasrssssssss ~
- stossfzs tSeaz~en-rAs ssrswisx
s.~x - t.sxafss Lees 81 s.sE cs4-
trsl- sezFs y-.1ietde.


Yea e2llzlot iaaaSlss fae E-ssry II pro
las4set eoa.>AelaclIt "a cassala1s n tes
tsrlfess ande1 sask "a knQsa a. azEge0n
conditions l-aFtzsraoI p.sslzaeaies. 81 e1s1-
mate wzs scnsa1n4ss efs.i seosraily dai-iE,
and ai~ays sioossv Lay after cay, ~es<
sEreF ~eak sz41 sasnta 4ftsr asoagh. I AY
t-sss "a Solitude, 4eartDg 30 slsln.i sass tAzs
G t1s E-sa gI-sns1 u1sl.lehoiy cells " llss
fortress cathe,iFal, ~hieh sl0sly ehl4nsd ths
glaFtef hours. AID ~nieh always sesased -
ne - hair zrtiealsLe 1he uoris. Tee zials
ss.rtsssn--ss seesies tes. Here taoa iiest-lAs
nrrs Sill / hAd Ahsolzfely a0saiag u 10
exreps - Iaee nY cell sEosa eRaeF - coF1sg
2aa Iaiak k<s = bag llssAs / llsssi q talk u
nly ssif ia HAllsF, "a se9eaA aol1ly every
t1las u ne soaps " lteTarlaFs taat coald
ranisnosE sad to compose sBselEeS. ~Eiea.
lnstsr cr-sala imagined eundItlosS. / ~oaii
1siiser, blst ! nnal.y eeaset - azse eaerFY
eneugh % a8 even this. and use1 u siE Eor
hoass Ia a sort of stugor. Ia ~ti-b. 81 far ~
1 rsia noS remember, | @as l4o- ccnsrlols u
ta.atiaz a. al
sBAK. MENTALLY AND FafsISAtLY.
before iae -aad II tbs first YEAR / grsw 20
we..k aeasalIy snd physically taaJ / began
T. forest words kses what hdeas l d.
sired to express, 0ut some of 10 words thst
1 needed hat gone from us, and - Uas With
The greatest tirh,allty taat | could recover
theu Il seelaed sometimes a II my own
1glags Wege = strzaso oue "a me, Or oDs
utica lgonl i0ls aisgss, l had forgotten
Z greatly isazsJ inAaassy. and nay appre-
neAsioa w1s increased 81 the fact that tao
or thFee 81 my comrades Ia cells On the salIs5
corridor wers either Insane or subject q hAi-
situations. aad 1 VzS often rocsSi at night
aad thTosn .aso a violent chill Of nervous
excifenent bvtaeir hySserical weeping their
cries 20 r1s guard % come and take away
s1cleoo,iv. or something watch they inl-
ag4a-0 tLeY saw. or their grcans and en-
tlsar.es when, n cases % yioisnt as,irign.
they ~ere strapped 10 tAsir beds by the
g.n,isrnis-. sly INABILITY 70 80 whsE wss
hsptsnlng Ia the cells lrom whicn these
CgoaEs, efies aud sounds of violence came
gave fGil play, of course, % my luagIaa-
tioa ard thus increased ms nervous excite
meat uniil | was On the verge Of hysterIcs
myself
Several tinies when I feared that vas
losing All SELF cOatrol summoUed tho fort
rr1s surgeon, or tbs "iel4shsr7 who merely
c4vs rie = dose OF bromide of potassium aud
told n.s that I must mol excite myself ~;
that nothing serious lad happened. sa&t two
OF Lerce u tlr prisoners were sick and delri-
ons bar tha. there was nothing TO be
alarmed about. As the fortress contained no
hospital. insane ana deilTo.ls patients we're
tr,ale,l their cells, and were rarely ~
moved 90 an asylum uniess they we're mani
frs;iy iacarab,e. - S.s care OF them became
bcricrscEe. The effect Of the eternal < IL
ncs.. slllsu3e, ard lack os occupation on tie
saina ~as Sroasly heightened by the want OK
proper exercise ana noGrishment for the
body. "Aceu5cd' prisoners awaiting tIial
IN tee Truletskoi basiion were allowed %
have money In the hands OF the 'snlatritel,H
or warden. srd could direct It's expeEditure
for ~ hite bread, vegetables tea, sugar, etc,
% make up the deficiencies OF the prison ra-
t.ou. but We. tho condemned, had 10 live
upon black re bread, soup which it was
oftea imposS!o bio 70 eat on account OF the
spoiled condition of tie meat from which IL
had been made. and small quantity Of
'kasha. or harley, bciled with a little fat
and served without seasoning, and sometimes
only balf cooked.
Attacked BIT scURvr.
Such food. in connection with the damp.
heavy air Of the caSerlate and the lack Of
proper exercise. caused arrangement of the
digestive organs. and this was soon followed
by rIors or ieSs pronounced symptoms OF
scurvy Madame Leb-oeva, who was in the
penal ervitude section with me, suffered
from scurvy to such an extent that her teeth
became loose and her gums greatly swollen.
aud <t> could not nazt.sste the prison bread
without first soaking il in warm water.
Scurvv, even IN an incipient form. intensi-
fed. OF course, the mental depression due
primarily 70 other causes and made it almost
insupportabls- I never seriously meditated
suicise-it always seemed TO me a cowardly
thing 70 escape suffering by taking ones own
lfe-but lid Speculate upon the possibility
u suicide. and wondered how I could Kill
nivself in a caserrate where there was abso-
mteiy nothing that could be used as an i'm
piealenr u scif-destruction.
On-c won't So far as to see il 1 could hang
myself from the small cylindrical bot sir
plps which pro jected two or three inches into
my cell from the face OF the brick oven.
did not really intend TO take my life. but
fsls morbid curiosity 20 know whether or
no. could 10 &c III thai way. rs soon as
threw NY weight On ths pipe 1t pulled ont
the raaa1urv. making, a u fe'l 70 the floor, n
no.ss. which attracted the attention of the
guard la the corridor. was forthwith re
novel 70 another ceil and I never again
tried similar experiment They say that
p0r Goldenherg succeeded IN committing
s,sic.de IL the fortress. but / cannot ima ziBe
how he ACCOMPLISHED H. became satisfied
tast I could not Kill myself in my caseInate
tn arv ether wsy than by biting into an
srtcrv or dashinz nv bead against the wall.
snd 1 ultimately became 80 weaS that Doubt
vs-v nauch whether couI have fractured
nv sken - he latter method. Cisor,e Ken