The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-11-09
THE rluMen PRISON.



siberian ExIies.
The Tiumen prison was originally
built to hold 500 prisoners, but was
subsequently enlarged by means OF do
tached barracks so that 1t could accom-
modate 800. On the day OF our visit,
ms we we're informed by small black
board hanging beside the Office door. II
contained l,74l. Aswe approached the
entrance we were stopped by an armed
sentry. who, upon being informed that
we desired admittance, shouted through
square port-hole In the heavy gate,
''Star-she-e-ei' (the usual call for the
officer OF the day). A corporal or SER
geant with snber at his side and "a
Colts revolver In holster ON his hip,
answered the summons, carried our
note to the warden. and i'm moment
we were admitted TO the prison yard
Fifty or sixty exiles aud conviets were
walking aimlessly back and forth in
front of the main prison building, or
sitting idly ingroups here and thereon
the ground They were all dressed
| from head to foot in costume OF gray.
consisting OF u visorless Scotch cap, "A
shirt and trousers of coarse homespuu
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 filled with peculiar clinklng Of
chains which suggested the continuous
| tngling Of innumerable lunches of
keys.
The first "lSamera" or cell that we
entered was situated in oue-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 IS feet in length by 25 in
width aud u feet high; its walls of
hewn logs were covered with dirty
| whitewash; its rough plank floor was
| black with dried mud and hard-trodden
filth; and it was lighted with three
grated windows looking out into the
prison yard. Down the center of the
room, and occupying about half its
| width, ran the sleeping-bench IA
wooden platform ~ feet wide and so
feet long, supported, az IA height OF ?
! AN7-t AAbhf kAhf Atfbis ~ StNltl HbHhSs
Each longitudinal half of this low
platform sloped n little. roof-wise. from
the center, so that when the prisoners
slept upon IT in two closely packed
transverse rows, their heads in the
middle were few inches higher than
their feet at the edges. These sleep
ing platforms are known as mares. -
and Siberian prison contains no other
furniture except large wooden tub
FOR excrement. The prisoners have
neither pillows, blankets. nor bed.
clothing, and must lie ON these hard
plank mares, with no covering but their
oyercoats. AZ we entered the cell. the
convlcts, with a sudden jineling OF
chains, sprang 70 their feet. and stood
silently in dense throng around the
mares. "Zdrastvuitui rebiatar' ["How
do you do, boysi''l said the warden.
''ldravie zhelaiem vasha vwisolxi blag-
arodie' 1--WE wish you health. you
high nobility"l, shouted a hundred
voices in a hoarse chorus. "The
prison, = said the warden. 'ls terribly
over-erowded. This cell, for example,
is only 80 feet long by % wide. and has
air space for IS. or at most 40 men
dow many men slept here last nightP''
he inquired, turning 70 the prisoners.
"A hundred and sixty. your high
nobility," shouted half a dozeu hoarse
yoices--George KeHaaH, ia Ct1ltary.