Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-11-17
THE r,uMeN PRISON.
Description Of Forwarding Station "a
siberian ExllOs.

Description Of Forwarding station for
Siberian Exllcs.
The Tiumen prison was originally
built to hold 500 prisoners, but was
subsequently enlarged by means Of de-
tached barracks so that 1t could accom-
MEDIATE 800. On the day OF our visit,
as we were informed by small black
board hanging beside the Office door, it
contained La. AS we approached the
entrance we were stopped by an armed
sentry, who. upon being informed that
we desired admittance, shouted through
square portfolio in the heavy gate,
"Star-she-e-e!' (the usual call for the
officer of the day.. A corporal or SER
geant with saber at his side and
Colts revolver in a holster on his hip,
answered the summons, carried our
note to the warden, and in moment
we were admitted to the prison yard.
Fifty or sixty exiles and convicts were
walking aimlessly back and forth in
front Of the main prison building, or
sitting idly in groups here and there on
the ground. They were all dressed
from head to foot in a costume of gray,
consisting OF visorless Scotch cap, a
shirt and trousers of coarse hOmespun
linen, and long gray overcoat with
one or two diamond-shaped patches OF
black or yellow cloth sewn upon the
back between the shoulders. Nearly
all OF them wore leg-fetters, and the air
was filed with peculiar clinking of
chains which suggested the continuous
! jingling of innumerable punches OF
keys.
The first "kamera'' or cell that we
entered was situated in a one-story log
barrack standing against the wall on
the left OF the gate, and built evidently
to receive the overflow from the
crowded main building. The room
was about 35 feet in length by Is in
width and IL feet high; it's walls Of
hewn logs were covered with dirty
whitewash; its rough plank floor was
black with dried mud and hard trodder
filth; and it was lighted with three
grated windows looking out into the
| ~ ioOh yoIu. AIOWh ullC CCuuCt vi Viz
room, and occupying about half it.
width, ran the sleeping-bench-s
wooden platform II feet wide and 81
feet long, supported, at height OF
feet from the floor, by stout posts
Each longitudinal half OF this low
platform sloped little, roof-wise, from
the center, SO that when the prisoner.
slept upon 1t in two closely packed
transverse rows, their heads in tn,
middle were a few inches higher thar
their feet at the edges. These sleep
ing platforms are known as "nares,
and Siberian prison contains no othe
furniture except Il large wooden tut
for excrement. The prisoners hav,
neither pillows, blankets, nor bed
clothing, and must lie on these hare
plank mares, with no covering but thei
overcoats. AS we entered the cell, tn
convicts, with a sudden jingling o
chains, sprang to their feet, and stoo'
silently in a dense throng around tn
mares. ''Adrastvuitui rebiata!" l"Hoy
do you do, boys!"] said the warden
"Zdravie zhelaiem vasha vwisoki blag
arodie' 1--WE wish you health, you
high nobility'], shouted hundre
voices in q hoarse chorus. 9Th
prison." said the warden, ''is terribl
over-crowded. This cell, for example
is only 35 feet long by % wide, and ha
air space for 35, or at most 40 men
How many men slept here last nightp
he inquired, turning to the prisoners
"A hundred and sixty, your hig
nobility" shouted half dozen hoars
voices George Kenna,a, in Century.