The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-17
Not So Gloomy as Depicted
by the NOyeliStS.
VISITING IN sCHLUSSELBOURG
Only Complaint of Prisoners Was rs
10 Brand of TObaccO-CeiI Doors
Never Locked, and the Clank of
Chains Was Absent-SOme of Its
Famed Former Tenants.

midst OF q dismal lake, Jnt wafer oL which !
is inky black. and the shores Of which .
are clothed with impenetrable forests. a /
place of mist and night and terror A +
prison with dark cells built below the /
water level. into which light never pene- /
trated except when the grim warden made /
his round TO give the daily ration OF 4
bread and water. In these dread cells lay, /
dead to the world, gallant gentlemen who /
had dared TO say some word against the /
terrible governor Of the province, or now 4
and then a beautiful young girl. who had |
not smiled upon his awful excellency
No sound ever came to these unfortu- /
mates except the clank of their own /
chains. They lay and longed for death |
for death their only hope.
Thus the English novelist and Journal /
list. says the London Mall.
Would it be possible to see this dread /
| full placer" 1 asked the courteous minis /
ter M
But certainly. only there are now no /
prisoners. Since three months there have /
been there none. We intend soon TO re- I
build the prison and make IT modern. But /
you shall see. and also any other prison /
you like anywhere IN Russia"
| And you have seen the place yourself |
sir?'
But yes: some time back 7 was the 1
minister OF the department which con- /
/ trolls political prisons, and many times /
20 to SchIusse Ibourg and hear the com /
| plants Of prisoners. if, perhaps. they have 7.
any"
| IT any" said I in surprise; surely /.
| they were many and terrible"
| The minister IN turn expressed surprise I
But why many and terrible? II IS not I
good TO be in prison, but at Schlusselbourg /
| ii was very comfortable. The cells were
/ large-veritable chambers-and well light F.
ed. The prisoners might be out I'm the
/ gardens all day; they were well fed. they
complained only OF the quality OF the T.
tobacco that was supplied-they wanted
Turkish. not Russian"
& Touch OF Comic Opera.
| It seemed to me as II this grave minister /
had strayed from the realm OF comic /
opera, aud that he was attempting a
somewhat ponderous joke. He saw my in /
credulity, and politely inquired the rea- /
son.
| Tobacco, Gardens. Schlusselbourg.
Certainly tobacco. All Russian prison I
ers may smoke Ordinary criminals only I
in their cells; political prisoners any
where. AS to the gardens. you shall see /
yourself"
It was rude shock to my English /
prejudice-this tobacco and these gardens; /
but 1 meant 10 90 and see.
The prisoners be continued, were /
very interesting people. Mainly they were +
those who had committed some grave po- !
lHticaI crime: plotted against the life of the /
emperor or such. one there was whom /
came % look upon as my friend. He was
inceniVur civil who made q mine under /
the mint He was Of a very good spirit |
very clever. He wrote often to me OF /
many things lie complained Of the tooth /
he could not eat: the tooth was very bad (
Thus I sent him from Petersburg a-how. /
you saga surgeon de tOoths but. yes. /
q surgeon dc 5ooths; then he eat very we'll (
Aftcrward he wrote me many letters
which I have. For the rest you so to see; /
go anywhere you like
So now picture yourself a river steamer, /
an excellent lunch Of cold salmon and
roast chicken. the broad River Neva. the
banks beautiful with woods and country
mansions. At many places bands Of girls
bathing or froicking on the shore.
In Middle OF n River.
Then in four hours SchlusselbourS-a !
/ busy little port at the head of the immense
Lake I.adoga On an island in the middle
/ OF the river looking out over the lake
stands tie fortress prison. An unarmed
sentry was smoking a cigarette at the
| only entrance: he summoned the CUstO-
dian, tail. venerable man. who took our
| card of admission with a very polite bow.
| Yes, he would show lbs over; he knew the
place well; he had been there as warder
/ for thirty years. and his one wish was
/ that the minister would leave him there
/ for the rest of his life. Perhaps we would
speak for him.
/ Everything was stepped in sunshine:
swallows flew swiftly past. many-cClored
butterflies hung about on the wing;
pigeons so tame that one had to push
/ them aside from the path. Little fair
/ haired children peeped shyly at us from
/ behind bushes and doors; in a while they
| joined US and became embarrassingly |
| friendly One little girl seemed to think
We were her old playmates, the prison
| ers. come back again.
/ Sure enough, there were the gardens,
but now overgrown with wild flowers and
httNos lAlt II tAiittS III NtiNtt Ni- III ANti'is
grew cucumbcrs were almost hidden with
wild lUpins and fox gloves; one great
I bush of red dog roses was a grand sight.
| The gentle breeze slightly stirred into a
murmuring sound the leaves Of the silver
birch trees. 1t was a dream Of lazy
peace.
Comfortable Chambers.
And the ceIls-the veritable chambers?
| Yes. there they were; very large and
comfortable looking. each provided with
Russian stove for winter time. And the
/ cell doors were never locked during the
/ daytime; the prisoners went in and out
as they liked They worked in the gar
dens or at carpentry. or at any other
/ hobby they might have. Some were
there for twenty years who had been
/ concerned in the murder of Alexander
/ II; others for various crimes
A note of sad memories, for all the
/ dreamy peace. Here for years and years
men of acute but misguided intelligence
watched the changing seasons. and found
/ themselves lost to the world of affairs
and actions. Here in the Empress Annes
/ time the young car Ivan spent fifteen
years OF his short Iife; here Peter the
! Greats wife ended her days prisoner;
/ here Paul III was murdered by order of
! his wife, the dreadful Catherine H. Even
/ in the sunshine the ghosts walked. And
/ there in the middle Of all was the great
common grave of the Preobajensky
/ Guards who took the fortress from Swed-
/ en- in 1902
We wandered about for long while.
/ and we repeopled it with the dead and
their hopes. and when the time came to
/ catch the last boat back to Petersburg