Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1889-05-25
A CURIOUS RECEPTION.
One OF the Morning Duties of the Poll,
General of st. Petersburg.

One Of the Morning Duties Of the Police
General of st. Petersburg.
The traveller. in Russia inevitably
has to do with the police. In every
town where he stays a night he must |
report himself to the local police and
give up his passport, which is returned
to him with the addition of strange in
scriptions and polychrome stamps. for
which he of course has to pay. 1t is.
however, only on leaving the Empire
and for obtaining permiss on Of eIeat
that the traveller need present himself
in person at the police Office; the mere
passport business is done by the hotel
porters. Why. then, did we find our
selves one morning hunting for the
headquarters of the Petersburg police
In u street near the great Isaac Cathe-
dralp have now but vague
souvenir. In travelling it is we'll to
make an effort to forget all that is
and red-tape annoyance which may
have caused one to lose sunny morn.
ings waiting in bare ante-roOms. We
had been, / remember. charmingly re-
ceived by all the authorities at the
Foreign Office; we had been given
wonderful documents which we were
unable to read, but the very sight OF
which brought ordinary people to
their knees; there still was something
wanting to make our happiness COM
plete, and to render our liberty OF
action as absolute as we could desire.
For this purpose we needed docu-
ment from the Petersburg police, and
SO between ten and eleven one MORN
ing we discovered the entrance of the
offices, situated in an ordinary house,
OF which the groune-noor windows
only are barred.
We walked in, and found a number
of mild-eyed policemen ready to oblige
us. Really the Russians are phenom-
enally obliging and suave. toward
fore gners at least. Through many
bare and cleanly whitewashed pas
sages filed with pale and sad lights
we passed and then mounted a flight
OF stairs, at the head of which was the
lofty room where the Police General
received. To the right was a tall
window; in the corner to the left a
monumental porcelain stove; near
the window desk, and a clerk sitting
on high stool; to the left of the desk
a door leading into the Police Cen
erals private office; and, as one reads
in the mise en- scene of play. "two
other doors, Il bench, two chairs, and
on the wall "A portrait of the Gar"
There were several people waiting
when we arrived. A big and fero.
cious-looking official. with heavy
mustaches, medals on his breast anG
round his neck. military epaulets OF
his shoulders, and a generally martha
air, received the visitors, inquired
what was their business, and badt
them wait or dismissed them. Bn
those who waited might not sit down
for the military Police General. TIL,
Grand Master of the Petersburg police
h entered the room, and with hin
the civil Police General, the latter al
amiable and smiling gentleman will
diplomatic whiskers and skewer
full of decorations on his dress-coat
The Police General, very tall. slender
and grave in mien, with his two sub
ordinates standing behind him. listen
to each one in turn, while the other
stand round the room silent and re
81 ectful, great and small, rich an
humble. all more or less equal befor
this man, whose power over libert
and even over life is terribly unlimited
The scene was interesting on accoun
of the novelty OF the place, Of the stron
character of the types, the chic c
the uniforms, bearing and manners {
the officials. the variety of the person
present. the mystery OF the converse
tion which we did not understand, br
which we felt instinctively to be grav
and perhaps tragic. We were parti,
uarly struck by one well-dresse
woman in mourning, who with pee,
darly winning voice and feline grac
of movements and gestures presente
d petition OF some kind to the Polit
General while we were waiting. II
General seemed embarrassed; the lad
pleaded volubly; her handkerchi,
wiped away from time to time di
Greet tear; her black cloak and he
black veil thrown back over her hea
set off the contrasting whiteness OF ht
1le and delicate face.
In the midst of her pleading. tt
ther Police General took charge
3. and led us to another part OF tt
milding, where he gave us all "
sked, and entreated us most court
)usly. So we were about to go on o,
way rejoicing. but the lobby leadir
to the street was all in confusion
heart-rending cries and convulsi,
sobs interspersed with words OF d
spair and of supplication reached ou
ears; woman in black was leanir
against the wall; stalwart and kind
policemen were vainly trying to pc
suade her by words and gentle violen'
to go; from adjoining rooms curio'
and sympathetic faces peered out
see what was going on. But the POI
woman continued to sob and plea
and finally fell to the floor shriekif
Historically. This woman was Il
lady whom we had left pleading wi
the Police General. Her petition ha
been refused. Her life was broke
Sibe ia had irrevocably claimed I
that she loved. Harpers Weekly.
.