Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-09
IN RUSSIAN PRISONS,
Cruel Experience of a Young
Exile Now in New York.
CLEVER RUSE TO ESCAPE.
he Leaps From a Train After the
Gendarmes We're Drugged.
LEVER RUSE TO ESCAPE.
JOURNEY TOA BROTHERI SIBERIA
rwRIrTEN FOR THE prsrArcH. !


verSities. 1 understand, it is the custom fol
two young men to "chum" together. Ii
Russia we are not so rich, and three or foul
contribute toward the common expenses.
was one of a group OF four. One of these
four was, unknown to the others, Nihilist
This could not we'll happen here. 1t car
readily happen in Russia, where one-half o.
the population spies on the other half The
Government has its spies in the schools, the
universities, the streets, the shops, the cafes.
The revolutionists have their spies among
the police, the army, the palace and the
bodyguard itself; that is the reason these
attempts fail so often, not because the Gar
is protected by a special Providence; but be-
cause the system of government spies is so
perfect that it is almost impossible to carry
out an attempt at assassination as arranged.
caught a glimpse of the Russian "Holy
Gar" or rather oil the "Tvrant Gar" re-
Gently. The ruler of Russia is a pale,
haggard old man, whose face betrays anxiety
and fear. he is trying 10 forget himself,
not In PRAYER, but in the arms of "Bacchus. |"
/ think there is no man in America that
would knowingly take up the royal burden.
A BROTHER IN SIBERIA.
Ny brother had incurred the enmity Of a
commandant of gendarmes. He had been
arrested as a political suspect and sent to
Siberia. Since my brothers arrest had
been, unknown to myself, under police sur
veillance though 1 belonged to no nihilistie
circle, read no nihiliStic literature, and had
accepted my poor brothers loss as one of
those inevitable cruelties to which the Rus
sian, who is not a noble, is hardened
One evening, when came from the thea
ter, found my room full OF gendarmes, who
arrested me at once for political crime.
was then and there searched. The police
pulled TO pieces everything in the room that
could contain books, pamphlets or papers,
but found nothing of a compromising ma
ture. l was then taken before the General
of Police, the man whose enmity had exiled
my brother He asked me who my friends
were and what they were doing. 1 de-
manded the cause of my arrest No ex-
PLANTATION was given me, and having nothing
to con 'ess, l had no Information to give. l
was marched off at once TO my cell, to wait
there until was prepared to enlighten the
Government on a subject of which 1 knew
nothing. I learned, months afterward, that
l had been arrested because few days be-
fore, written proclamations had been circu-
lated by the Nihilists. The handwriting re-
sembled mine, and L had been seen purchas-
ing so postage stamps at one of the Govern
ment Offices.
A CELL LIKE A TOMB.
Ny cell-shall 1 ever forget it? was
purposely sent TO one Of the worst, that, be-
ing young, l might be frightened into a con-
fession. The rack and the whip are not now
used in Russia; but there are civilized
methods of torture that can compel conf les-
sion, as severe as those of the lnquisition of
Spain or the secret councils of Venice
felt when the door was opened as if 1 were
entering a grave. Picture to yourself a
square hole in the middle of a stone, seven
feet long, six feet wide and six feet high.
For once / blessed my short stature. There
was no window in this hole but glass over
the door; no light but what came from the
oil lamp that hung outside. An iron bed
stead, fastened to the wall, cut off foot or
so Of space from my narrow limits.
Everything is made fast so that the des-
perate may not commit suicide, for those
who go insane in prison are not few. A
wooden table was locked to the floor at one
end Of the den, and by its side was fastened
a wooden chair. On the wall hung an
Icon, sacred picture of a saint to en-
courage devotion. There was no light for
books or the small industries in which pris-
oners employ themselves 1 Twas allowed to
do no work. The giided lines of that hate
ful figure, the only bright object in the
murky darkness, burned themselves into
my brain. Even now they come back to me
at times when I am in total darkness
ANOTHER CAREFUL SEARCH.
On the bed was a straw mattress and two
blankets. On entering the prison l had to
submit to a search in comparison with which |
the search at my room was child's play. 1 |
was even made to open my mouth that the |
police might be assured that there was no |
dynamite concealed there. Thev discovered |
nothing more formidable than my tongue.
/ was allowed to retain my underclotnes; |
but instead of my outer garments 1 received |
2 long wooden robe like dressing gown. |
With this for day use and nv blankets for |
night was never cold. Who could be cold |
in an atmosphere like that of my cell? But |
If the cell was warm, it was hardly drv |
w Water tTlckled constantly over the stone |
walls and walked me by trickling on nv face.
After several weeks OF this solitary confiue-
ment my nerves became so shattered that
when this happened would leap from nv
bed in shuddering agony. In that damp |
cave L contracted an affection of the lungs,
from which have never recovered.
The meals in a Russian prison are simple,
and not conducive to dyspepsia. In the
morning had black bread and tea, at noon
cabbage soup, in the evening black bread,
tea and five cigarettes Soup as the only
dish does not form very substantial meal. |
The soup served to prisoners was simply the
water in which the meat served to the
yendarmes and guards, had been boiled.
Into this, cabbages were cut. 1t sustained |
life, but that was all. The cigarettes were q
boon. In Russia everybody smokes 1 used
% save these cigarettes and smoke them
slowly through the day like a child that
libbles bit of barley sugar ''to make it
ast." Sunday was a gala day. We had
pork and beans for dinner instead of soup.
Do not imagine the Russian dish resembles
he Boston one. Our beans were hard and
Door, miserably cooked, with small bits of
'ork. the size of dice, buried in wilderness
f lentils.
DUMAS STORY A MoCKERY.
AT mealhmes two gendarmes entered and
tood beside me with loaded revolvers, while
made my frugal repast. The ood was
erved in a wooden bowl, and both spoon
nd bowl were instantly removed by the
yards when the prisoner had finished.
here is no chance of making chisels out of
mes furniture in a Russian prison. The
bbe OF Dumas novel would hardly have
onstructed that remarkable tunnel from
ny cell.
In tnis hole lived for months. The cell
oors are not opposite each other, so that it
Tas impossible ior me to see the window of
he man confined across the corridor More
han this the little window OF nv cell was
suslly occupied by the eyes of gendarme,
rho had me under inspection. 1t is bad
nough to be alone, but to be confined with
pair of silent eyes, is more horrible still
1t first used to ask the officer of the ruard
That my ofense was and what would be
~ fate, but after having been answered
Dat was doomed to Siberia, 1 learned
-isdom and was silent. My only amuse-
rent was the formation of various crazy
lsns for escape. how 1 escaped my Iunacy