The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1906-01-10
ST.PETER}BURG prisons.
Solitary Confinement, Slow
Hanglngs, Eye-Hole Torture.
GAR SHOWS NO MERCY

Typical Horrors Perpetrated Within
Fortresses of ST. Peter ard ST.
Paul and the Schluessslbur9-
Books Nor Anything to Distract
the Mind Allowed.
A special refinement Of the Russian
prison system in the case OF poltlcai
prisoners and suspects, who are not
given a short shift on the glacis or
the gallows, is continued solitary con-
frement until, as in the case OF thar
splendid intellectual reformer, Dmltrl
Pissareff, they can be reported a.:
harmless" Some prisoners he. :
were relieved Of their senses Q.l.e
gently and almost politely. Theywefs
shut up in comfortable cells well 1t
with electric light, and Tor men.a.
pabulum they were supplied with ON,
religious and technical works. Wu~E
insanity or suicide supervened, the
appointed end had been secured.
But the doom Of others presents
even greater features Of horror. ~
agine dark, damp cell, Measuring
about 10 by 6, beneath the level G.:
the surrounding waters, in which TIC
chained man or woman is coLdetnn =:
to lie in absolute idleness, Studi0d@ii
isolated from any intercourse VITA
human beings. There is no bed, no
sort of pillow, nothing whatever to
cover the body but the prisoner
gray cloak. The amount allowed ..
food is five farthings a day, wh.ca
provides bread and water, and thrc4
times a week a small bowl Of wal 4
soup. For ten minutes every second
day the miserable wretch is alic"2 {!
II see the light and breathe the air
IN the prison yard.
For the rest, intolerable loneliness.
absolute silence, occupation Of not the
smallest kind, no books, no writing
materials, no instruments Of m2DEa!
labor. Madness comes to, such gid
ually with the passing years, not as
it came to an unhappy young lady, {
rising painter, who received slch
treatment at the hands of the brU!' 5h
prison police that she lost her re -:
instantly. In the majority Of c'~Is
the mind rots gradually in the enc
bling body. Suicide and madness ar"
the two great weapons in which Rus
sian autccracy puts its trust.
Frequently, says one who has been
q prisoner in one OF these Russian
hells, some poor wretches will make
a feeble attempt upon a wardar in TIE
hope of at last beng brought totri1l.
Shooting or hanging has hoen their
let. The scenes of suffering wit.
messed at slow hanging. occupying
at least half an hour. have been terri
lie. Within the courtyard Of ths
prison is hand hoist for loTer;lg
ropes depending over a gallows. To
these the victims are cttarhed and
then slowly elevated into raidair To
ctruggle and gasp till death relieves
them from their agony. Should TIE
governor or superior present be de-
sirous of getting through the business
speedily q warder is ordered to seize
the suspended victims feet and hang
on, swinging backward and fo"":-.:'::ii l.
On, previous occasions when there
has been large number of political
Offenders insubordinaticn has been de.
liberately manufactured to afford o
rretext for judicial murder From q
Polish nobleman, the husband of an
English lady now in London, /
learned details of his experiences in
such case. "We never knew" he
said, 81 and those who had been taken
at the same time, until after our
morning parade in the prison yard
who would return alive to his cell or
who would remain in the yard-upon
his back on the stones. Every morn.
ing we were subjected to the grim
sport of a lottery. After being brought
from our cell to the yards we were
placed in line, and certain number
being drawn-say flve-that number
of men told off from the right. The
doomed fifth was then marched with
his back to the farther wall and a file
of soldiers did the rest. l saw my
own brother shot before my eyes one
r. orning. was eventually exiled to
Siberia, and from there | managed to
escape"
Do You know what it is to have
your sentence Of death committed by
the czar? A little while ago Europe
commented with satisfaction on the
communication by the czar of three
death sentences out of FIVE These
fortunate ones" were immured in
cells in the fortress of st. Peter and
St. Paul. Not only were these dens
dark for twenty-five hours out of
twenty-four, but the walls were run
mig with damp and pools of water
had gathered on the floor. Neither
books nor anything that might dis
tract the mind was allowed, and one
prisoner having been found designing
geometrical figures with his bread had
it removed by the jailor. with the re-
mark that hard labor convicts were
not permitted to amuse themselves"
Another calculated torture in these
cells is the eyehole, at which a war
der or soldier is posed to watch the
prisoner. BY this means the quietest
prisoner is soon moved to frenzy, and
the slightest INSTRUMENTATION is al
MIN nichnd h1, riarcilacc Qnnnin o.