Evening star., 1917-09-26
RUSSIAS BASTION CONDUCTED
ALONG MODERN PRISON SYSTEM
Obsolete Fortress Is Sanitary, Has Substan-
tial Furniture, Electric Lig hts and Grass
Covered Court for Recreation.

PETRoGRAD. Monday. September "a
As tho result Of months negot@-
~tions. after which a decision by fre-
nnier Kerensky was finally asked. the
Associated Press correspondent was
permitted today to inspect the noeori-
Gus Troubetskoi bastion of the fortress
of St. Peter and St. Paul. the eastiiie
of Petrograd Here during the CEN
turtles there have been immured high
born traitors, pretenders to the throne.
assassins of emperors, propagandists OF
nihilism and bomb-throwers, and mere
the most hated adherents of the BAN
ished autocratic regime are awaiting
the nations verdict.
In this bastion now are interned eight
exalted culprits. They are Gen Ken
nenkampff. whose record is military
Judge in 1906. during the attempted
revolution, constituted a Nhangman
progress to Siberia, classed as equal
ing, il not surprising. the infamies OF
the notorious Jeffreys; NJ. BieletskN,
former director of police and accom-
plice of agents provocateur: the reac-
tionary former minister of the interior.
NJ Makaroff. who procured the election
of n burglar to the duma to act as
spy: NJ. Sikremieff, accused of serious
offenses as chief of the army motor
tice ]. Chtche heglovitoff, whom the late
Count Witte characterized as the most
clever. most corrupt man IN europe
Prince Alexander DolgorukoT, the
cavalry commander seized last week as
a supporter of Gen. 'Kornilof; Gen.
Voyeil<off. the former emperor's palace
commandant, and finally Alexander
Protopopoff, once classed as a patriotic
member of the duma. next oPpres.
the ally and slave of the mystic monk
Rasputin.
Automobile Is Examined.
In company with the assistant procu-
ror of the Petrograd high court, the
correspondent drove to the fortress.
bile. although an official car. was eN-
amined by the soldiers on guard. who
conducted a long cross-questioning OF
the occupants, after which they were
passed through the residential section
of the Fortress Enceinte and on to the
prison.
The bastion. which is part of the
obsolete fortifcation, is on the banks
of the Neva. separated from it only
by a wall. from which daily salute
is fired at midday. 1t is a two-story,
hexagonal building surrounding a
courtyard. along five sides of which
runs double tier of low. arched win
dows. heavily barred. The sixth side
is high wall.
According to popular belief the bas-
tion cells are "stone sacks which, be-
ing below the level of the river, are
liable to inundation. but this idea is
erroneous The lower row. in which
there are thirty-six cells. is on the
ground level. but there are no pris-
Soners here, and the upper story, with
the same number of cells, is out of
Visited Prison Chancellery.
Before inspecting the cells the cor
respondent visited the prison chancel-
1ery, out of which lead two doors.
Pointing to them, the procuror said:
Inside are prisoners under examina-
ton He opened the first door imme-
diately, showing a stoutish. gray beard
ed man. who was Bieletsky. gesticulat-
ing to an examining magistrate. while
through the other door when it was
opened could be seen only a regular,
aquiline profile silhouetted against a
barred window.
That is Protopopoff," said the pro-
curor. closing the door.
The correspondent was then conduct
ed to the cells on the upper story in
which the prisoners are confined at
present. The cells open on corridor
which follows the hexagonal construc-
tion of the building. On one side of
the corridor are barred windows open
ing out on the courtyard. while on the
other side is a row of red painted, iron
bound. oaken doors with slots for peer
ing and pigeoDholes. which may be
closed at will, for handing in food to
the occupants.
No Physical Suffering.
From the condition of a vacant cell
the correspondent gained the impress
sion. that so long as the jailer behaves
eonsiderately, Imprisonment in the
Troubetskoi bastion involves no physi-
cal suffering. The whitewashed cell
was a large and clean one, paved with
red cement. lighted with an electric
lamp set into the wall and attached to
which was night light, ena bling the
warder to watch the prisone through
the slot.
The cell was not damp and the sani-
tary arrangements were modern. The
furniture consists of a good bed, and a
table screwed to the wall. The only
defective arrangement is the made
uuate natural lighting, which the pro-
c0ror admitted, saying that the five-foot
thick wall prevents the enlargement of
the windows.
Wear Own Clothipo