The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-02

AN EASTERN PRISON.
DARK CELLS or DEATH AND TORT
URE METHODS USED.

ent Visits the here Few Live
Out Their Time-The Prisoners Are
Starved and Robbed.
Very reluctantly and with many mis-
givings the Mushir Of Uskub. in Mace
donia, Ahmed Ayoub Pashs, gave CORE
spondent Of The London Daily News let
ter Of introduction 70 the chief of the gen
darmery, who alone could give permission
to inspect the large prisons The mushir
inquired over and over again Of the drsgo-
man whetherthe correspondent had evinced
friendly feelings toward the Turks, or
whether he was an enemy. The drsgo-
mans ingenious replies" says the CORE
spondent, lat last inspired him with sufi
cient confidence 10 allow him TO grant my
request. | went through the badly paved
and filthy streets of the town, and reached
the residence of the commander of the gen
darmery of the province of CSkub. He was
quite as surprised as the muShir when he
heard that | wished TO visit the prisons,
declaring that since he had been in Office
no European had ever seen them, and that
in the rare cases when a consul represent
ing foreign power had wished TO see
them he had always givea twenty-four
hours notice.
NO coNSCL.s NEED APPLY.
Before entering | had 20 swear that /
was not consul, and that was what the
dragoman had described me 20 be - a
European hunting for antiquities. The
fact that l was not consul, however, i'm
pressed the Turk more than anything, and
he politely invited me TO take coffee and to
smoke a narghileh. While was enjoying
his hospitality he sent a number Of men to
the prisons to announce my visit and 20
give some special orders, the execution Of
which took some time, and l was kept
drinking coffee and smoking for nearly an
hour and half At last my host rose and
invited me TO follow.
1--WE soon entered the largest prison OF
the province, which is called 'Kurschumla,'
or the House of Lead. II rises out Of the
River Warda. not far from the fortress,
and occupies vast area. Soldiers pre-
senting arms formed two lines, which
reached to the interior courtyard, where a
number of prison officials were awaiting
us. The courtyard is square, and sur
rounded on all sides by the building. which
has three stories. a loggia, or covered bal
cony, runs all around on each story. The
commander first showed me a great num-
Der of red inscriptions on the walls, which
are supposed TO have been made by Geuo-
ese or Venetian merchants in the Seven
tenth century, who perhaps erected the
building as a warehouse for the Oriental
goods which they sent TO Europe OF
course affected great interest in these In
scriptions TO keep up my character as an
antiquarian, and noticed that the COM
mander no longer distrusted me. After
this VIZ aCnanIaH ba ~ 70
the first story. There was scarcely room
TO pass on the steps, so covered were they
with accumulations Of dirt and excre-
ments, which filed the air with pestilen-
tial odor
In the so called Office | was shown the
books, according TO which the Kurschumla
contains 149 prison cells and ,sll prison
ers. Those on the first and second floors
are sentenced for slight offences. and the
time of detention varies from one 10 ten
years. do not believe that any prisoner
has ever outlived the fifth year Of impris-
onment in these loathsome dark cells. In
this respect the prison officials confirmed
my suspicious by saying that the mortality
was very great, and that very few prisoners
lived to the end of their time. In cell
certainly not larger than two and one-half
yards square and of about the same height
between fifteen and twenty prisoners are
confined. All they can do by being friendly
and making room for each other is to stand
up and lie down again. and they are al
lowed half an hours walk in the courtyard
once in the day.
POOR CREATUREs, INDEED.
But how shall | describe the pitiAble
aspect Of these poor crestures3 With bol-
low cheeks, the pallor of death upon their
faces and terrible protruding eyes, they
writbe in continual agony upon the floor,
not only painting for air, but suffering
from want OF food. They receive absolute
ly nothing but bread and water, oven IL
their sentence be for life. II their friends
send them money they are allowed 20 buy
meat twice a week, but the prison officials
brutally cheat them out Of tbree-fourths
of what i sent 20 them. Thus exposed 20
hunger and thirst, 90 the pestilenoe in the
atmosphere, confined in these black holes
without the posi- bility Of moving about,
and kicked and outraged by the brutal
prison guards, no wonder that they sue
cumb to their misery The greater num-
Der of the prisoners are naked from head
20 foot. with heavy iron rings and chains
on their wrists and ankles. As passed
some Of the cells, after looking through
the loopholes In the doors, the prisoners
within pushed through 4 stick 10 which n
little leather bag was attached / placed =
franc piece in each, but / had my doubts
rs TO whether the prisoners would benefit
by my slmsgiving. and thought II more
likely that the greedy guard would take
the money from them.
The cells on the first and second floors
are all alike. The degree Of sickness and
misery Of the inmates alone varies. The
cells ia the underground prisons, where the
worst offenders e1pIate their crimes. are,
however, far more horrible even than those
have described. Here every ray OF lights
excluded. In utter darkness the unhappy
wrstches lie chsiued % the resking fOor q
the cell. They are totally unable 70 change
their positions, and are released from their
chains FOR two hours each day. lest death
should afford them an escape from this in
ferno The official who conducted me told
m with q cynical su.le how tbs class q
offenders Is brought % confess. Hands aid
feet are bound together aud the man IL
placed At a pillar 20 which his head Is
fastened. The victim Is thus absolutely
unable 20 move. The preparations CON
pletsd. the torture begins. There e. always
= stock Of larR. SBts kept ready 10 little
boxes, and Of these about ff'y are placed
upon the Oody - he poor wretch Z &c tor
lures be endure from the bite - o. In
scots seldom IA. 20 make han cplfsss, 10
matter whether guilty Or turooF.L Upon
others the same eject - prod .Jass1 ~ chAiE-
ing them 20 Tire pavement q ire court
yard, and sTposiDE them ~ a Whole aaT
70 the searching rays ~ ire sun withoHt