A DREADFUL RUSSIAN STATE PRISON.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 7266, 14 October 1891, Page 3

A DREADFUL RUSSIAN STATE PRISON.

Home GO miles from St. Petersburg' upon tho Lake of Lidoga, there is a small granite island entirely occupied by a fortress. It is Schlussolburg, the dreadful prison of State, worse than the French Baslile, worse than the fortress of St. Peter and St. P.\ul with its Troubotzkot and Aleneevsky ravolius and its underground cells. The most re3oluto of the revolutionists, men and women, who have taken part in actual conspiracies, whom it is nob considered safe to keep in tho fortress of St. Peter and St, Paul, uro sent there. Tho absence of any inluibitantH except those employed in tho service render it possible to iuolato tho prisoners to a degree unattainable anywhere else. No one is allowed to land on the island ; sentinels have orders to shoot nnyone who approaches. If tho near relatives of a prisoner enquiro concerning him at tho Police Department in St. Petersburg thoy are Gometimes told "alivo" or "dead"; somotimos no answer is given. The soldiers and guards are themselves prisoners, who mingle

only with ouch othor, and are carefully watched on rnre occasions when they arc allowed to make a visit to the mainland. Ib was possible to establish secret communications with even the moat jealouslyguarded ravelins of the St. Petersburg fortress. Bub the fort roes of Sohlussolburg remained dumb, like the gravo it is. Though some of tho best known men of the revolution party, in whom tho greatest interest whs felt among tho whole body of revolutionists, wero kcpl there, wo rarely could even toll whether they wore alive or dead. A few months ago, however, our frionds in Russia ro j ceivod some nowa from this place of endless misery. It is very brief, only ouch us can bo convoyed on a piece of papor smugglod with tho greatest danger through some friendly hand, lb morely tolls which of tho prisouors nro dead and which aro still alive, but oven this summary is eloquent enough. Wo lo;irn from it th.it out of the 52 prisoners srnt thero in tho oourso of tho last eight years, twonty, or about 40 por cent, aro already dead. Several of thoso who survivo should bo added to tho lint of tho dead. They nro insane, and have lost what is as precious, if nob more precious, to a man than life. — Freo Russia.