Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-16
rRENcH x1I1rARY p1sc1pLINE.
Horrible Punishment to Which Soldiers
are Subjected.
Translated from a Croix

FRENCH MILITARY DISCIPLINE.
Horrible Punishment to Which Soldiers
are Subjected.
Translated from La Croix
When soldier by his delinquencies has
earned certain number of DAYS impris-
onment, the Council of Discipline of his
regiment is convoked to decide upon his
being sent to the disciplinary companies.
Soldiers thus sent have neither killed nor
robbed, but, regardless of repeated punish
ments, have continued to stay out nights
by scaling the walls, have been guilty Of
repeated unauthorized absences, too brief
to justify the charge of desertion or per-
sisted in being dirty, lazy or peryerse.
But is not out of all proportion TO their
guilt the punishment thus inflicted? 1t
will be remembered that few years ago
number of them died from exposure to the
sun, shut up in that horrible instrument of
torture called the crapaudine, the use of
which has since been forbidden by the
Government.
Millerand intends to quote as basis of
his Interpolation of the Ministry, shows
that IN the progress of reform toward the
humanity (douceur) much remains to be
done. He himself had been of the number
disciplined.
Here is his description of regiment on
its return "A lamentable procession of
exhausted, lame men, their complexion of
hue either leaden or sallow; their eyes
spiritless, their limbs devoid of all elias
ITCHY; scarcely dozen carry their KNAPP
sacks; at least fifty have candaverous
appearance, their eyes either half closed
or swollen by fever, wearing adisagreeable
brilliancy; they must be taken under the
arm-pits to be assisted in dismounting, and
scarcely reach the ground when, careless
of the kick of the mule, deaf to the or
ders of their officers, they succumb in the
middle of the road"
The Captain approaches them and sheer
ingly observes: There, Mr.. Dusaule, are
able-bodied men, are they not? Ali
what are these sticks | see there? Throw
me one, and quickly Soldiers promenad-
| ing with canes Here is truly afiecta-
ton What would your families say,
| should they see you? Mr.. Lieutenant
you are very wrong to permit such things
There ION addressing the last one, whose
teeth are chatterins1, did you not hear
me? Throw away that stick, tell your
The man obeys the order and through
weakness falls on his knees. 'There, Mr..
Dusaule, you see the effect of his carrying
stick? The men become so accustomed
to it that when deprived of it they tum-
ble."
A soldier who had made away with a
couple of cartridges, on the discovery of it,
feeling sure that he would be by the coun-
Gil condemned to the discipline, rushed to
the trapeze and hung himself
Bnt listen to the remark of the same
Captain:
ga bad soldier, that Loupat, is he not? !"
inquired the Captain. "Was he skilled in
gymnastics"
mo, Captain" answered Dusaule, che
knew nothing about it. He could scarcely
hold to the bar. | would every day for
this reason deprive him of his wine, but it
did no good"
FAnd yet, see!" reioined the Captain
"He was able to climb to the top, tie cord
| to it, wrap the cord around his neck and
then drop into space. 1t must be very
difficult to do all this. Then to say that
| these rascals can display energy only in
evil-doing"
Another illustration: "a poor devil
can't keep up with the troop. He is tied
to mule. This is notorious fact.) With
his knapsaek on his shoulder, the strap of
his gun around his neck, his hands tied to-
gether, he is bound to the tail of a mule.
He really has not the strength to lift his
feet from the ground, hence shuffles along
to keep up with the too-rapid gait of the
animal, raising clouds of dust A Ser
geant, switch in hand, mounts the mule
Suddenly the man stumbles ON the rough
road, falls first on his knees, is rolled to
the ground, dragged by the mule, which
continues on. He is ON his side, his arms
fearfully strained, his face pale and turned
backward, his mouth wide open and all
black, he shrieks with pain"
The chronicler of the "Ellair" from
which we Gull these statements adds
'The disciplined call 'tombs' the tents
under which they sleep. They are barely
twenty inches in hight, and are not thirty
in breadth. They are entered by crawl
| ing into them with ones stomach flat upon
the ground. 1t is under such tent, ex-
posed to every severity of the weather,
that the laborers must recruit their
strength"
They get no ration of either coffee or
wine. Their first platter is supposed to
contain meat, the second soup; and if pun
ished, the soldier must remain in his tent
without moving, receiving only one
ration of soup out of four, or one only on
every other day.
There are other punishments even more
frightful. First the cell of irons. The
soldier has the same rations as for the
simple cell. But he has his feet passed
through bar. His hands are manacled
behind his back. And thus ironed he is
pushed into his cell. When, every other
day, soup is brought to him, he eats it as
best he may, tapping it up like dog. If
he wishes to drink he must take the neck
of his canteen between his teeth and hold
his head far enough back to let the water
| flow into his mouth. If he upsets the
platter or lets his canteen fall, for twenty
four hours he is deprived of drink and for
thirty-six hours of food 1t hecry, or COM
plain, or groan, he is gagged by piece of
| wood across his mouth and fastened behind
his neck
As was said to us: "The-e are three now
at the end of the ravine who already for
several days have been ironed, their limbs
sore, themselves eaten ny nieS, AT night De-
numbed with cold and alive with vermin
When we mounted guard, piteously they
begged of us to throw little water on their
bloody gag and on their swollen, discolored
wrists"
SICKNESS comes unlimited, and strong
men and women are forced to employ
means to restore their health and strength
The most successful of all know remedies
for weakness, the origin of all disease, is