Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1895-06-27

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, ined the seal and noticed ill.,. IL wa
! thc pri~r'' SOL ,- t.S emperor
! whicn Woes uaII Tor secret order
only. Then he bowed, and afte
crossing himself rapidly opened tn
letter. He read the order, looked a
me, read it again and then said:
You must seel You have to see?
II have to see, " l replied.
What have you TO seep"
You know"
but do you know"
"No."
Then he remained an instan
thinking.
You have como in sleigh9'
said he.
YES"
"How many persons can you,
sleigh hold?"
Three"
as this gentleman coming with
us?" said he, pointing to my guide.
hesitated, not knowing what TO say.
mo" said the latter. 1T will
wait"
Where will you waltz"
"Hore."
what will you wait for?"
1.-THE close of the act. "
Very well. Get ready another
sleigh, select three soldiers, let one
take o crowbar, the other a hammer
and the two others axes"
The man TO whom tho governor
addressed these words went out i'm.
mediately. Then turning to mo the
governor said, Come, and you shall
see.
He walked in front of me, lighting
the way. 1 followed him, and
turnkey walked behind us. We pro
coeded until we came in front of the
prison. The governor pointed to a
door, and the turnkey Immediately
opened il, passed in first, lighted a
lantern and carried it in front of us.
We descended ten stone steps and
found ourselves in tho first section
of the dungeon. But we did not stop
there. We had to go down ten steps
farther, and even there we did not
stop, but went down five more and
there we stopped.
The doors were all numbered, and
the governor stopped in front of No.
IL. He made n sign TO the turnkey
without speaking. One would im-
agine that in this tomb people had
lost the faculty of speech.
The door was opened, and we de
scended six more steep and damp |
stone steps. Here we found our
selves in a cell about eight feet
square. IN the light of the lantern
saw human figure move in this
cell. We could hear a duh and rus
Ting noise. l understood at once I
what it was and whence it came. 1t
was the water of the Neva rushing
against the walls of the fortress.
The cell was below the level Of the
river.
Get mp and dress yourself, said
the governor.
looked to SEQ to whom the order
was given, and as the turnkey threw
tho light of his lantern upon far
corner of the cell noticed q thin
and pale old man, with white hair
and long white beard. No doubt he
was put into that cell with the
clothes which he wore when he was
arrested, but these garments had
worn away piece by piece, and he
was now only half clad in a tattered
cloak Through the torn rags l could
see his shivering and bony body,
which perhaps at one time was
dressed in splendid garments. Per-
haps the insignia of the most noble
orders were once fastened upon that
leshless breast. Now he was q liv.
ing skeleton, without rank, without
dignity and even without name.
He was simply mo. H."
He got up and wrapped himself up
in his tattered old cloak without a
murmur. His body was bent, broken
down by long Imprisonment, humid
lty, darkness and perhaps hunger,
but his glance was still proud, al
most threatening.
"All right" said the governor.
'Come."
The prisoner cast a final glance
around his cell. For an instant his
eye rested upon his stone seat, his
water pitcher and his musty straw.
He heaved "a sigh. Good heavens
Could it be possible that ho could re-
gret anything there? He followed
the governor and passed in front of
me. | car never forget the look he
gave me as. he moved by and the
lepth of reproach that was in that
ook.
$50 young" he seemed to say,
and already at the orders of tyran-
ny" / cast down my eyes. That
glance went to my heart like q pom
ard. How long had he been in that
,ell? Perhaps he didn't know him
self. Probably he had long ceased
% measure the days and the nights
n the depth of that abyss.
He passed on, and l walked after
aim. The jailer followed us and
'arefully closed the cell door. No