The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1892-09-22

Once there they may, by secret orders,
conveyed in letter sealed with the arms OF
the Car of All the Russias, be shot, strang-
led. poisoned, or drowned in the lake. The
penalty oil breaking this seal by anyone ex-
cept the person to whom the letter is adj
dressed is death.
In this hideous place are oubliettes-that
is, dungeons where prisoners are confined
who are to be forgotten and lost to the
world, although living. Such prisoners
are fed on the most meagre of diet. They
hear no sound and see no living thing, Tor
their food, such as it is, is thrust in to them
through a trap door. No light save the
glimmer of a small lamp. which is allowed
to penetrate from the outside corridor,
reaches the dismal dungeon, and the pris-
not when it is day or when it is night. At
last he becomes imbecile, and is slowly
starved to death.
Let it be remembered that this horrible
place iSno mere fancy of the writer; but it
exists at the present hour in holy and Chris
tain Russia, and under the so-called benign
government of the present Car. 1t was to
SchluSselburg that Aaron Arama was re-
moved, under an order which Peter Alexieff
presented with a .yindictive pleasure that
he knew not how to conceal. And that
pleasure would have been enhanced could
he haye sent Rachel to the same place.
But his power, after ALL was limited, and
though he had many tools and creatures
under him, he himself was only the tool of
those in higher authority, and it was
nece >sary that some external show of civili-
cation should be made. Therefore, without
some semblance OF legal right it was not
deemed advisable to arrest a person, espec.
tally n woman. Of course, it was no diff
cult mat; er to produce this semblance. But
any desire to deprive Rachel of her liberty,
Tor she was not considered of the slightest
political Importance. Her lover had been
condemned and sent to Siberia; now her
father whose independence of spirit and
superior intellect made him power to
be dreaded, was charged with the double
crime of having wilfully slain a man, and
using seditiOus language calculated to in
flame the minds of the Cars peaceful sub
jeots. That charge was one that he was
hardly likely to clear himself Of What
moEe, then, could his enemies desire?
When the poor old man entered the
gloomy fortress on the banks of the Neva,
lie himself felt that his life was done.
Crushed by the death of his wife, to whom
he had been passionately attached, he had
scarcely been able to think of anything
else. Even anxiety about his daughter was
deadened, but when his thoughts did turn
to her he tried to believe that she was safe,
and that in consigning her into the keep
ing OF Ivan Alexieff he had placed her in
SOOu HdnuS. L bOO-eNGn III MS
blank despair-he had some shadowy idea
that he and she would meet again. This
idea, however, was killed when the an
nOuncement was made to him that he was
to be removed. He knew too much of Rus
sian administration 10 be indifferent as to
what this meant.
it was night time when he was taken
from his cell. He was loaded with chains
which clanked with his every movement.
When he was brought up he beheld his
arch enemy Peter Alexieff, and troop of
gendarmes and he was handed over by
the Governor of the fortress to custody of
the Chief of the Police.
"Whither would you take me now2" he
asked as he was thus once more confronted
knew he had the most to fear.
ITO place Of greater security" answer
ed Peter, brusquely.
Arama smiled sadly as he asked:-
els an old and broken man considered so
dangerous that the great fortress of st.
Peter and Paul isnotsttrong enough to hold
him? My life tlickers but teebly now; a lit
tie puff will extinguish it. Why not do
that here?'
Jew" exclaimed the Chief of the Police
contemptuously, 'even one who has Of
!ended against the law as deeply as you
have is not condemned unheard. We who
administer the law are not assassins."
energy of o sudden uprising fierceness.
"Peter Alexieff," he cried, ''many a man
who has suffered the laws vengeance for
murder has been less of an assassin than
you are. The lies uttered BY your lips can
not deceive one who can read YOUR heart as
l can. When the great day of Judgment
comes the souls of those who have suffered
at your hands will rise up to bear witness
against your infamous deeds of cruelty"
For moment or two Alexietf stood
dumbfounded by the very audacity of these
words. Then, his passion overcoming his
discretion, he spatF in the Jews face, and
Missed forth these Words ~"
"pog of an pnbelieying Jew, think you
That Heaven Eill ever punish me me for aught
cursed race, against whom the gates of
Paradise are for eyer shul?"
The insult was more than even Arama
could withstand, and with the passion be-
gotten by his deeply wounded pride, he
twisted the cham that bound his hands,
face with such force that blood gushed forth,
and he fell stunned to the ground. Then
arose sudden cry of alarm amongst the po-
lice and soldiers grouped around, and they
Swooped down on Aaron, and seemed dis
posed to rend him in pieces. But the Gov
ernor inteTposed. and babe them bind the
prisoner still more securely, as the chief
magistrates order would have to be COM
piled with. Then doctor was hastily sum
moned. The wounded man was raised up.
Blood was flowing freely from terrible
CASH. in his face that had cut deeply into
one OF the eyes. When the surgeon came
and examined him The prohourccd the
wound serious and said The Sight on one
eye was entirely destroyed, and the other
might also become affected.
They cafriet him into an inner part of
the fortress where lie gould receive the
jew bending beneath the weight of his
chains, was thrust into wagon, and, aft
er a terribly rough journey, he was taken
by boat to The island OH which Schlussel-
burg stood, and in the cold grey light of a
dismal morning he entered the gloomy
prison, and the great iron gate Changed
ominiou ly behind him.
CHAPTER XII.