New-York tribune., 1879-12-29

British since September g. the date of the attack on
inc Embassl Later an amnesty was proclaimed
Tor those who gave up their arms excepting those
who took rart in the attack on the Embassy or who
lhsilgated the Afghan troops and people TO oppose
the British. Under this exception, General Roberts
hanged, among others, tho Chief Mollah of Cabul
for preaching religious war. 1t was his business
TO preach religious war; He was there for that
What should We have said ifNapoeon ]. had hanged
Plus VII. for siding with his enemies OF, to take a
more modern instance. if Victor Emanuel had
hanged Plus TX. for resisting his entry into Rome
or hanged the priests who preached a igous war
against him, as they did all Italy Yet APP
prehehd il will he difficult to distinguish the two
cases morally. The Chief of Police of Cabul was
also hanged because he melted Mahometans to
light against the British at Charasiab. Charasab is
battle which the Jingo organs in London agreed
IN hailinG as great British victory. The soldiers
who took part in 1t on the Afghan sde-not all, but
somo-and at least two of their generals, were
hanged after the battle by General Roberts. If the
battle had gone the other way and the Afghan
loader had hanged General Roberts the world would
have echoed with denuncaions of Afghan barbarity.
And justly But in what respect is tho barbarity
less barbarous because Generals who boast of their
" civilization" " take upon themselves the office of
hangmani
The hanging policy lasted down to November IL
our latest date by post from Camp Cabul. Down
TO that date aud especially during the last few days.
says the correspondent whom | am quoting. the
work of the Military Commission has been unusually
heavy. Under the amnesty of November ~, lit
is probable that this distasteful task of sentencing
men TO be hangad by the score will now be almost
closed" The principle which they were hanged
we have seen already. In practice 1t works some
thing like this On the 9th seven men brought
a.
and intermediate villages were hangcd-not a word
TO show why or wherefore OF prisoners taken in
fight there not enough to glut General Robertss
appetite. On the sth Brigadier-General Baker
went in search of fresh patches. Lest the alarm
might be gwen, his destination was kept secret
He took with him the 81 Sikhs, 5th Punjab cavalry
and the mountain guns. They made for the
Chardeh Valley, "the villagers of which were
known to be harbonng disbanded Sepcys"-in other
words, the remnants of the Afghan army. which
had thus far escaped the British sword
after their defeat at Charasiab. The valley
surrounded, the guns were trained on the vii
lage then the Sikhs marched III. There
was no resistance Of any kind. The head
men of the village were ordered by General
Baker to bring ont all Afghan Sepoys. Five min
utes were allowed the head men 10 produce their
guests; what would have happened 10 the head men
it, at the expiration of the five minutes, the Scpoys
had not been produced is not stated but left TO the
imagination of the reader-who must he dull if he
cannot guess. Thirty Sepoys gave themselves up.
Twenty Others, down on General Bakers list, were
missing: the head men were called on TO account
for them and forced to promise that they should be
forthcoming hereafter. fine was then imposed
on the village; 10000 pounds of grain aud 600
loads of chopped straw for forage to be delivered
at Shirpur by the 18TH under pain of seeing their
village destroyed by fire. 1t is impossible not to
pause long enough to notice that on the 10TH the
date fixed for this ransom, General Roberts was
himself beleaguered In those very Shirpur canton
ments; some of these villagers, perhaps, assisting
in the operation.
Other villages were visited by General Baker, and
more Afghan soldiers captured. Then came what
is called, with grim military pleasantly, their
trial. They did not attempt to give false names.
Admitting their identity, which the Afghan muster
rolls in Bakers possession enabled him to establish,
they were then called upon to prove their " nno-
cence" TO prove that they had not been guilty OF
the crime Of taking part in an organized military
defence of their country against foreign invader.
SAYS our correspondent, writing with staff officer
looking over his shoulder, such could not give
a clear account of their movements were condemned
to death" Men who were fortunate enough to be
able to prove by such evidence satisfied this mill
itary tribunal d" that they absent from Cabul.
living sick in their villages, or otherwise engaged
when the mntny u and after events took place,
were released" The Others, those who Mt q mo-
ment's notice could not prove an alibi after such
fashion as their executioners approved, were ad-
Judged guilty. and were hanged. The number Of the
hanged on tins one raid of General Baker forty
nine. They met their fate with
heroism which might, one would think. have ex-
torted word of generous recognition from their
enemy He says: Their seeming carelessness as
TO their tate never varied the sentence was
death or acqlittal." But in his eyes this is not
heroism, not even manly courage; ii Is " fanatl-
cism." They were only "nIggers" how can the
British soldier, turned hangman for The nonce, be
expected to discover great qualiesin his wretched
victims7 They are the mere rank aud file VINO go
thus cheery TO the gallows; the " great regret OF
the hanging Briton Is that he cannot hang the ring
leaders instead of such poor specimens OF humanity
as these marched daily to execution" who " are OF
but little account in our sight, and Will not be
missed in a country like this"
These forty-nine men were not even charged with
any share in the killing of the British Envoy. If
fbcre he any charge against them. ii is that OF re-
bellion as above stated. II any reader of mine
thinks they were rebels in any such sense as TO ex-
cuse the hanging of them Ihave nothing more to say
l;ut the real reason for hanging them was very
different one and has been cyncally avowed 1t was
necessary to terrorize Afghanistan. There is no
public law known to Europe which permits this thing
70 be done, but every Anglo indian will tell You
that in India it is impossible to act on European
notions of law He may be right. but. in that case
what one would like TO ask OF our Anglo-lndian
friend is, why then do you invoke the sanction oil
European public law so long as it serves your pur-
pose and reject 1t whent stays your hand from snch
cruelties AS tbesef That is question which nobody
hos vet found time to answer. And there IS one
,hor o,es.iou riz what name In the absence of