New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-28
CRUEL SAXON OFFICERS.
THE TORTURE OF PRIVATE SOLDIERS EN-
POSED BY PRINCE GEORGE.
Dresden. Febrnary

of Saxony. heir to his uncles crown,
regarding the crueltes in the army. Coming as
il does from a ROYAL Prince and the commanding
General Of the Saxon army corps, The ehec' oil
the exposure is all the more startling. The report
discloses state OF things in the army winch
taxes credibility and almost persuadcs the reader
that he is perusing an account OF SIBERIAN ABUSES
and atrocities The civilians not in touch with
the army have had idea of the hardshlps oil
the common soldiers. The military rule Is 81
stringent that the recruits fear TO speak 10 out
siders, and few people have had any knowieoge
of the extent of the crueltes and prosecutions
The orders will doubtless be the subject oil
parliamentary investigations and may lead TO wide
spread reforms In the army
A series Of military Investigations made recently
into alleged maltreaTment of the common soldiers,
reads the order in part, has disclosed condl-
ton of affairs that is bameworthy in the extreme.
His Majesty the King, having learned OF THESE
cases has directed the c0mmandng-general 10
bring about an entire change in this direction, ana
10 lay before the officers the rules which must oe
Implicitly followed j have seen from the docu-
m,nts laid before me that the cruclties and bodily
chastisement have not been the rcsulthof momeh-
tary excitement. Such cases of maltreatment
are also punishable and must not be permitted;
but they may be explained if n 1t c>carscd. by de-
fective character the excitement Of the service, or
Incidence. But great many instances OF the
numerous corporal punishments have been found
TO result from much worse motives fhey were
dealt out intentionally, emanating from love OF
torture, o condition Of crudencss and seml-Dar-
barism. This treatment has bad eiect upon the
discipline of the troops These outragcs. often
committed in the presence OF witnesses nave not
been reported in many cases, from feag of more
and hnsp mi
have been matreated appear later as abuscrs of
others. The documents show that rccr'uts, many
of them old men, have suffered clastsement regu-
larly for months every week and even every day.
They have received as means Of discipline, as
MANY as fifty blows; they have been forced to
bend their knees, present arms or hold out the
'schemeP Ia heavy thrce-egged chair or
stool at arms length, SO long that they have
tainted from exhaustion. Such instances have
occurred with especial frequency in the Regiment
No. IL, Foot Artillery, and Infantry Regiment
No. 1850. The following instances will give
an idea of the extent Of the cruelty and lack OF
human feeling:
Sergeant Zwar of the Third Company Of the
18th Regiment of Foot Artillery-already cuipablc.
because he forced his to present arms during
the recess allowed for breakfast and also'as many
as five hundred times without INTERRUPT lion, even
after he had gone to bed-one day placed a'oowi
Of hot coffee upon a chair He then Obliged the
recruit Hunger, TO raise the chair. hold it out az
arms length and draw it toward his body. lie
had to repeat this motion until he fell to the hoor
and the coffee ran over his face and bodSt
sThe Sub-Serceant Hoffman lof the First Com
pany of the same regiment ordered fhe man
Dobert. in company with another almost daily
10 receive as many as $50 blows with a. boot or
l;1< rOr1 N
long intervals Once when he had gone through
the manual of arms $3.50 times, counting aloud
each time Dobert became unconscious, and had
to he taken to the hospital for treatment
Sergeant Weise of the First Company OF the
same regiment, one day ordered the eaSihoheer
I,orenz, on account of inattentiOn while unl'lng,
IN Law himself across the schemer or three-legged
stool In answer to his request 10 be allowed 10
for q few minutes he replied that he 'rnIst get
his punishment first He then gave him thirty
strokes with the strap on the back por'lon Ol MS
body When he had fallen from the sch 'lnei lac
had other men place him upon it again aud hold
his mouth, while he gave him kick ana CON
tnued the beating. In consequence OF tn IS treat
mept he had TO be taken to the hospital.
Sergeant Zehme of the First Company'jof the
same regiment in January, 1890, forced his men
10 get up in the night, put on their helmets and
side-arms, and otherwise clad only in theryshirt'
practise the double-quck step for half an hour
The same sergeant gave his men lighted cigars
and then ordered them TO continue the double
quick step while he counted fifty, requiring that
the cigars be entirely smoked up at the end of that
time. Once again, while Iehme ate his supper.
he ordered his men 20 bend their knees l,so0
times, at the same time requiring them 10 hold
the schemel in their outstretched hands,
Sub-Sergeant Liebing, while still in bed one
,1oA llnf 10
practise with the schemel. holding it ate arms
length and then drawing it toward tLe'i body
before him. He boxed his ears when he went
TOO slowly After the practice had been con-
tinued for almost an hour and Bischof was almost
exhausted, Liebing placed another schep,el on
top of the FIST and commanded him TO continue
the movement Bischof unable TO DO so.
and was covered with perspiration Lebing
then poured q pitcher of cold water over, him,
struck him on the head with a leather belt,
causing bloody wounds, and then contlnuoH his
chastisement with whip until it was iroken
and Bischors legs were swollen and covered with
sores In consequence of this treatment, Bischof
lost his senses and was taken to the hospital
Subsequent Lohel, of the Fourth C0mEany
of the l05th Infantry Regiment. becoming angry
because the recruit Neubert failed to hold his
Gun pnpery struck him with the gun SO lbard
on the shoulders that his collar bone was jfrac-
tnred The bones in his arm became so swollen
that he could not use it for a long time L'hel
prevented for several days the announcemern OF
Neubert's injury and in order to forego thei I'M
pending punishment attempted to kill himself
Despite the wound inflicted upon himseif7 ne
struck the hospital servant Ritter who 'dls-
covered the cause of Neuberts suherinss n'im-
Der of times in the face.
Sergeant Plug, of the Seventh Company or'he
1o4th Regiment in the list of romcers " ne
have specially distinguished themselves ny u,s
.,s;n, their soldiers His troops during almOststhe
whole time that they belonged TO the awkward
sar.ds had their ears boxed either by himself