New-York tribune., 1908-12-30
TCHAYkOVSKYINPRIS0N
Russian Released Through Foreign
appeals Relates Experiences.

The current issue Of The independent contains
an article. the first written since his release
By Nicholas Tcha yzovsky. descriptive OF MS m
prisonmsnt in the Trubetzkoi BastiOn in St Peters
burg. The release Of this champion Of Russian I'D
erty IT will be remembered was principally due 70
the demands Of hundreds OF thousands OF men and
in the United States. England and France
and his bail ot 5000 rubles raised largely IN
New York and London. when the Russian govern
msnt finally bowed the force OF public opinion
abroad In telling Of his arrest Tchaykovsky
writes:
knew only too well that my plans were g bound "a
tie 70 os srratsd S by NJ my arrest had had
provided myself with an assumed name and a @ false
provinces by rail. by boat and by horse chaise :!
from the capital for England. On that last day
tail. PROBABLY through merely the accidental co.
incidence OF having entered n9ISe as
entered the railway station the foIL2wing
a gendarne and arrested by order.
5aen al ny 1sRsGs PaS6SS anf no1 o9t os
sions and disappearauces1 sealed. and together
na4y 15h s pTson SSRa unff ers bad to i've for three
days in an an empty and ID dirty T9o @ seeD1 without
undressing on a bare and hard OilclOth coucn,
gng bnFs Ty fE 5 805t % as as PGT ser qnf % ne a o
explained to me disclosed my rea name, 1 alG
IN England and inform them OF what had happened
10 me learned afterward that these hrs1 letters
never reached their destination
No food was given him for the first eighteen
in this dirty prison Of his life IN his cell IN
the Trubetzkoi Bastion he writes;
found myself in spacious yaqI5ed Itss Ss Go64 Tt5n
scantiy lighted by one narrow window Iar 4s aocss
my sF Fheh bT m nv 53e gafs k Whe fey stood in front
OF me eagerly scrutiriztng every motion $3.50
feet and allowed least good walking space;
ten PAGES one way al ana aTe T6, 5hf ro3 table bsted
to the wall an iron bedstead ciose Z 10 me e Cz217:
an electric lamp covered with a convex glass over
the table IN Jhe VAL "a, P0rceln T os of tbe Corners
and. last. but not least, ordinary water cIoseC
thin mattress so that the iron trelis underneath
could be distinctly felt; sheet oa1keI 'o5 or ["0;;
the New Testament in Russian and a quart mug
0" PiaTcin9 fs the wall 2l4x3 feet thick was the
window. about 2x3 feet with double sass fran1ed 1s
visiting the cell through the venttlators III. Ih!s
wlndow adfntLLeC d HsIy 5c aITa-Tsi Wall of the
fortress of the same height the Trubetskol Bas-
feet from the windows OF the cells Of both foorsi
consequently only very 7I nqrow 4 sCp & u al rom
the lower ones. as I learned subsequently,. oelns
WBen enPered the he Trbetzko BasT0n he
allowed by the prison consisted OF not water an9 70
meat for dinner at noon and a pudding or Stew
All additions this, such tea and sugar mix
white bread, fruit sweets tobacco IL, u did n0e Fs
smoze1, etc. had 10 be ordered once week az me
money and could all the extras JhaC wanted
materials fresh and the supply sJrncierr- Al
though the cooking was somewhat 1noiIerert
There is a small but select library OF books leiI
bv previous inmates for many years. Each Pris-
oner may borrow through warders two books AZ
the time three times week having not more tnan
five books altogether in the cell
As myself. I wrote once 70 NY daughter ron
the fortress that 1 there passing through q
supplementary course of higher education as l
read and studied in the course OF eleven months
over one hundred volumes OF different WORKS
Letters are allowed TO be written from tne IoI
twice = week to near relations Cnly- AL
such letters undergo the inspection not only OF Ls
authorities but also rorWaT1ed 70 t--c
ministry for strictest censorship or procratrs
and examiners No current politics or social topics
are allowed be discussed no Complains. or
criticisms Of any authorities, no literary produc
tons- in fact in order express ones opinion on
anv su bject of general interest beyond merely pei
Eonal wants one ought TO learn the speclal Rus-
sian art OF writing between the lines And II Tnusl
be admitted atta1ns conslderaole pIonc40H~s
/ IN art under the circumstances
Generally speaking I could not complain o. me
rsefrne in the fortress as applied TO myself But
rad good reason to ascribe the comparative eniey
OF the authorities to myself much more 70 the eX
preston of public sympathy and interest IN NJ
cas- IN England. the United States and france
than anything else