THE RUSSIAN BASTILLE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXX, Issue 8451, 16 May 1906, Page 5

THE RUSSIAN BASTILLE.

.— _ 1 The famous fortress of Schlusselbourg, in St. Petersburg, a veritable stronghold of tyranny, has at last opened its doors and yielded up most of its victims. The members of the old Liberal party, "La Volonte dv Peuple " —the Will of the People—as it was called, an organisation of which latter-day Nihilism was an offshoot, have been released, af.er suffering twenty years' confinement at Schlusselburg, or, to be more exact, the survivors have been released, and those who have retained their reason. Among these is the well-known philosophical writerLopatinc, a man who was considered particularly dangerous by the Russian Government. He was the friend of the great Socialist leader Lavioll, and the translator into Russian of Marx's ' Capital.' Another is Morosoif, the popular poet. Madness would have overtaken all the prisoners if the system at Schlusselburg had not been somewhat ameliorated during the past few years, but it still remained terribly cruel. At first it Avas forbidden to the prisoners to hold any communication with one another. They Avere completely isolated. Singing, whistling, or even walking about in their cell Avas forbidden. There Avas no prison infirmary, and Avhen they died they died alone, unattended by doctor or priest, without a single friend or relative near them. Those avHo went mad remained in their cells, a horrible reminder of their oavii possible fate to those avlio kept their reason. Latterly the prisoners have been alloAved books, to take exercise in couples, and to Avalk in the kitchen garden attached to the fortress.