The morning call., 1892-12-26
THE LOST HOPE.
A Strange Legion of So
Cial Outlaws.
INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH
fien Who Know Not the r1eaning OF
Fear = What They Have Done
for the Republic.

The victories achieved by General Dodds
In Dahomey, says the Paris correspondent
of the New York Tribune. have served to
attract once more public attention TO the
daring bravery Of the two or three regi-
ments known by the name of the Foreign
Legion, which constitute the nucleus of his
force. IL is TO this legion that is invariably
assigned the NEST dangerous of service In
warfare. and il is they, too, who, as rule.
head the forlorn hope. Whenever there
are hardships to be borne to which the
French authorities do not care TO eX-
pose the regular line regiments, the
Foreign Legion is almost Invariably
designated for the purpose Unlike the
other French regim ents, II is composed en-
trely of mea who have voluntarily enlisted.
Some of them are French, while al least 30
per cent of the entire corps is composed of
foreigners. There is scarcely man In the
entire brigade who has not behind him some
history of a more or less romantic and fire.
quently dramatic character. Thus l have
found in one aud the same company aRouma-
man Prince, who was under suspicion of
having murdered his brother; an Italian lieu
tenant-colonel of cavalry, bearing an illustri-
Gus name. who had been dismissed from King
Humberps army ia disgrace for having
been found cheating at cards; n Russian
nihilist who had escaped from Siberia, and
an ex-Canon of the Cathedral of Notre
Dame of Paris, who had been SUSPENDED
from his ecclesiastical functions in conse-
Quence OF an offeDse committed against
public morality, an English ex-captain of
the rife brigade, and German count who
had not only served as lieutenant in the
First Regiment Of Guards at Berlin, but
who had also held position on the military
staff of the late Emperor OF Germany. Ali
these men were serving as simple priyates
in the ranks and were subjected to the iron
discipline for which this corps is cele-
Drated.
In no other European army are the pun
ishments so severe as in the Foreign Lee
gion of France Composed. as il is, almost
entirely Of social outlaws, men who have
broken with their past and who have in
many cases a criminal record behind them,
men, in one word, who seek oblivion, and
who are mostly serving under pseud0Dyms.
II is not astonishing that the utmost Sc
verify Is needed to render them subsei-
Went to orders. The slightest offeu Sc
or act OF agrees against SUI
and during the Tonquin war there
have been as many as eleven members Of
one regiment court-martialpd and shot in
one day. The minor otfenses are punish
able by the so-ealled "silo." which consists
of burying the prisoner in the sand for
hours, leaving only his bead exposed to the
rays OF the sun by day and 20 the stings of
the insects BY night, and the "crapaudine,"
in which the man is bound hand and foot
and left for hours, nay sometimes DAYS on
the sand lying helpless, somewhat in the po-
sition of trussed fowl. Many of the most
famous names of France have figured at the
head Of these regiments.
Among those who have held the rank OF
Colonel OF the Foreign Legion | find. for
instance, the names OF Marshal Bazaine
General de Negrier, General Dupin, who so
| distinguished himself by his cruelty during
the guerrilla warfare in Mexico, and last
but not least, the brilliant Colonel de
| Malaret. The last had, in his younger DAYS
| been one OF the gayest and most popular
| officers of the TuileTies and a particular
| favorite OF the Empress Eugene. However
| having contracted some horrible malady
which had practical lily eaten away almost one
| entire side OF his face, he asked for and OBJ
| tanned the command of regiment of the
| Foreign Legion. anxious to serve his cOun-
| try and yet to withdraw sufficiently from
| the world to be 10 longer exposed TO the
looks OF horror, disgust and pity which the
appearance of his face excited, not only
among strangers but even among former
| friends. j well remember the dramatic
| picture drawn by one of his fellow-offieers
| OF his appearance a the morning parade of
| his regiment. He would arrive on the
! ground with the hood of his Mill
tary mantle drawn over bis head,
| even in the hottest weather, in such a
manner as TO shrond and almost entirely
| conceal his face. Indeed. one could see lit
lie else Dub his Dfilll60L steel gray eyes
! piercing through the gloom. He reminded
one OF those terror inspiring men,
| bers OF the lnquisition or the Middle Ages
and like them his lips rarely opened save
| TO order some more or less severe punish
| menL Very different was the General de
| NegrieT, who was beloved rather than feared
| by these strange troops, Of whom Ii has
| been said with some justice that they were
| a strange mixture between the grand dame
| and the fTaiest OF the frail, between the
4 n -. IA
| birth, breeding and honor and the most
| criminal blackguards,
General de Negrior won bis present ran
| Tor having, on one memorable occasion.
| disobeyed orders, an offense which. had it
been committed by one of his subordinates
| would have been punished by death. Two
companies Of his regiment, which had been
| sent forward On outpost duty or to select
| the ground for camp had been surrounded
| by the enemy on the frontier of Morocco.
| An Arab scout brought In the news that
they were surrounded by an overwhelming
force and would be unable TO hold out long.
| Colonel de Negrier Immediately gave orders
TO hasten to the rescue, and the troops were
I about to start when an orderly arrived from
the general II command OF the expedi-
ton, and bidding Colonel de Ne
| grier to rejoin the main body of
| the army and to retreat without
! delay on receipt of the order. you, my
friend" exclaimed Colonel de Negrier. ad-
| dressing the orderly, twill have to arrange
to reach me with this order sometime to-
| morrow, but not before, so right about
face" With that the colonel placed him.
| self at the head of his regiment and gave
| the order 10 march forward to the rescue.
| After an almost unparalleled and contin-
uou5 march of twenty-eight hours the regi-
ment reached the two companies already
| half deelnated by the enemy and arrived
| just in time to save the remainder from
massacre. In this case the end may have
| been said to have justified the means and
| the colonel'S disobedence to the orders of
| his superior officers was rewarded by his
| promotion to the rank Of general.