The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-08-23

WcT0 l01OFmcU LQ8b lie 06u U66u IN the
village. These instances could be multi
piled without end. The noteworthy point
about them is not so much the atrocity of
the crime as that the whole population,
even those who disapprove of it, are &C.
cessOries either before or after the fact.
The notion that there il law of justice
other than the will and power of the
strong, or any power by which that law
can be enforced, seems not to have entered
the Sicilian mind.-L0ndon Spectator.
The Russian Private Soldier.
The Russian soldier has been very
much moderated by most European
writers. We have heard a great deal
about his dirty and drunken habits, and
any observation as to his fighting powers
has always been met by reference to the
Battle OF Inkermann, where handful of
British troops was enabled u hold in
check whole Russian Army. But, if we
consult reliable authorities, we shall dis.
cover that the Russian soldier has, since
the Crimean campaign, shown that he is
capable of great things. Probably the
conduct of the men who composed Kauf-
mann's army during the compaign against
Khiva has never been surpassed. The
army was almost entirely without water -
the allowance per man, in the broiling
heat of desert sun, having been reduced
to pint day; the Turcoman horse sur
rounded the small force, compelling them
to fight every inch of the way; the cam
els, and even some Of the native guides,
died of thirst: but no murmur was heard
from the Russian ranks. And when, at
last, the army arrived at the edge of q
small lake, although mad with thirst, not
q man broke the ranks to get at the water
until permission was granted. Mr.. Schuy.
Ter tells US that Gen. Kaufman said, with
tears in his eyes, that there were no other
soldiers in the world capable of doing
what these men had done. During all the
privations of the Khivan campaign, the
Russian soldier was always full Of conf
dence in his officers, always lighthearted
and merry, singing endless songs even
when parched with thirst. in the trackless
desert. He is almost as great fatalist as
the Turk. Mr.. Schuyler informs US: "lf
no meat is given him, it is evidently be-
cause there is none; if the meat is rotten. it
is Oh account Of the hot weather, and
there is no help for it. If his shoes are
worthless, and his feet get frozen, it is by
reason of the cold; If his biscuits are
worm. eaten, it is the fault of the worms.
If, by any bungling mistake, he is brought
under fire, and his regiment undergOes
sure humiliation. it is the will of God,
and must be submitted to-" Taken at an
early age from his native village to serve
the c. II for fifteen or twenty years, he has
nothing to love but his comrades and his
officers; and for them his affection is un-
bounded. He has one very curious way
of showing his affection for an officer who
is a particular favorite, and that is by toss
ing the aforesaid officer some ten feet in
the air twenty or thirty times. The Grand
Duke Nicholas underwent this curious
ceremony at the hands of the men of his
regiment after the capture of Khiva. The
Grand Duke appears to be still as great q
favorite with his men as he was then.
Only the other day q division passed
through Plojesti, and def1led in front of
the Commander In Chiefs house. His
appearance on the Ialcony was greeted
with hearty and enthusiastic cheering,
and each battalion replied to his inquiry,
How's your health, lads? ?" with " We
are we'll, good father" There is prOba-
bly, no army in the world in which the
entente cordiale between officers and men
exists to such an extent. Perhaps this
may be, in some degree. due to the fact
that an officer is at any time liable to be
reduced to the ranks for misconduct,
though this seldom happens. An eye
witness reports that during the passage of
the Russian Army through Bucharest he
has frequently seen the field officers
trudging on foot at the head of their regi-
ments, their horses being led, and, in some
instances, even employed in giving q lift
to weary and footsore privates. To
each division of the army Greek
priest is attached, and the re-
spect with which he is treated by
all ranks says much for the morale
of the army. The behavior of the troops
is stated to be excellent; cases of drunk
enness are few and far between, and. as
a necessary consequence. the health of the
men is good; indeed, the percentage of
sick is stated by Russian medical officer
to be far below the usual rate. Officers
and men look upon the campaign as a
crusade, and their enthusiasm tends to
strengthen the bonds of discipline for which
the Russian Army has been renowned
for many years. Count Moltke tells a
story of Russian sentinel on duty in the
corridor Of the chapel of the Winter Pal
ace. During the conflagration q priest
rushed into the chapel to save the sacred
vessels. and ON his return urged the SEN
try to fly and save his life. The soldier,
with devotion worthy of Caeabianca, or
of the Roman legionaiy of Herculaneum,
stated that his orders were to remain on
duty till relieved, asked the priest to grant
him dissolution, and died at his post.
With enthusiasm, discipline and numbers
on their side, the issue of the campaign
upon which Russia has entered cannot be
doubtful. The private soldier in the Rus.
sian Army is not to be envied in the mat
ter of pay. His years wages amount to
about to e. 3d., with daily ration Of
two pounds of flour, with peeled barley
and salt. In addition to this he receives
a mess allowance in money, which is cal
culated to give him one-third of . pound
of meat on each of the 1876 days in the
year on which the Greek Church allows
meat to be consumed; and the pay is
now some months in arrear, and the ra-
ton somewhat uncertain, a. the contract
tors are refusing to supply provisions un-
til their unpaid claims are settled.-Lon-
don Echo.