The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-04-28
THE COURT OF HONOR"

| An Instrument of Terror for the Ger man Army--One of the Means by
 Which the Emperor Rules and How | 1t Works
 | It occurred to me that English folk might like to know how Kaiser Will helm, the Controller of the British fleet and conductor of the concert, manages his own peculiar darling-the army of i the Fatherland. First Lieutenant Rhein, who has been good enough to discuss the subject with me, is the vic l tim of Court of Honor, so that his opinions do not pretend to be entirely judicial. He had to leave the service In | 1892 for throwing civilian who insult | ed him into the corner of a restaurant instead of running him through with his sword. Sentence was passed by the Court of Honor, consisting of his broth- CT officers, and indorsed by the empe- TOT, and with it came the end of Lieu | tenant Rheims military career. Last year his friends, Baron won Ehrhardt and Herr von Kamptz, were haled be- | fore similar court for refusing to ac- l cept a challenge of civilian who had | broken his word of honor. Lieutenant Rhein, who is from the Rhenish provin- ces, and gifted with certain indepen- dence of character, resented the sen tence of dismissal and deprivation of rank passed upon his colleagues, and after a prolonged correspondence he challenged the members of the court They replied by setting the public l,t a to England in October, having dis taste for the idea of prison life in the Fatherland.
 Does the emperor encourage such judgments as these?" I asked.
 Unquestionably Every decision goes before him for ratification. The old emperor pardoned almost invaria- bly, if the case was one of some exter- nal breach of the code of honor. The 1 present emperor, never. The idea of real honor was dear to the old emperor, but to-day it has all become a matter of externals, and that just suits the temper of the grandson. He is using I these courts to maintain false stand ards of right and wrong and the most ridiculous notions of honor, to say nothing of the encouragement of duel- ling. And in the Landwehr and the re- serves the courts are even more dan gerous. There you find them used as instruments against progress and po- litical liberty They mark off every man who has been an officer into a class apart with a special code of honor and special disabilities. The officer has gone back into civil life, but he Is en- titled to wear the uniform, and the em- peror keeps his grip upon him through the Court of Honor"
 What was the charge against Won Ehrhardt?' I asked.
 There were two charges-that he asked mans word of honor on triv- ial matter, and that he would not fight a duel with the same man when chal- lenged. Baron von Ehrhardt was pres- ident of a Spiritualist society at Dus- seldorf, of which I was a member. The lawyer with whom the trouble arose was asked by the president at a seance to give his word of honor that every thing should be above-board. He gave it, and then we found him producing so-called manifestations himself, and we turned him out He challenged Von Ehrhardt and Won Kamptz. They went to the Court of Honor and said We are challenged by this man. He has broken his word of honor, so we can't fight The court answered: First fight and then we will inquire That is always the way. It was so in the duel where the officer of the empe- TOTS yacht killed an innocent officer in the army. The dead mans character was vindicated after death by the court, and the emperor's friend was pronounced to be in the wrong. So in- terested was the emperor in this duel that he ordered a telegram to be sent to him of the result. It was the same with my friends. They said: No: if we must fight, we will fight you, as you champion the honor of dishonorable man. Won Kamptz had the right of
 wearing his uniform taken away, and Von Ehrhardt was deprived of uniform and commission. That is the heaviest punishment they can give to the most
 dishonorable or traitorous man." But where was the fault in askine | for mans word of honor?" I asked. F'The old emperor ordered that such a
 solemn expression should not be used ir trivial matters. That Is very good But every officer says it of dogs, horses girls. The girl may be ugly, the horse old, the dog not at all a dog, but they do not bring 1t before court. But Baron von Ehrhardt, who is a con-
 vinced Spirituanst. used the words se- riously-the first time, perhaps, Ger
 man officer had ever done so, and they
 came down upon him for using then trivially."
 Had the emperor anything to say about it?"
 "He confirmed the sentence, but oi
 his clemency he wrote: I will as a ia. i vor Gin grenade) allow him CVon Ehr. l hardt) to retain the Iron Cross Fol P Won Ehrhardt, who was to be pun.
 ished in this way. was a grand soldier