The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-26
SELF-MURDER IN BATTLE.
MODERN AND ANCIENT INSTANCES
OF TRAGEDIES OF THAT CLASS.
Suicides of Soldiers in the Wars in
Greece and China-Instances Re-
lated in Sacred and PrOfane His
tOrN-Eear of Torture.

From the st. Louis Globe Democrat.
self-inncted death on the field of battle
Is tragedy within tragedies. Having ex-
listed from very ancient times, it has con-
tinued until the present. During the re-
cent war between China and Japan, some
attention was drawn to this little known
aspect of war. Messages came to US in
regard to the suicide of Chinese officers
in order to prevent capture and torture
by the enemy. It became known that all
Chinese officers went into battle prepared
with prussic acid or opium to kill them
selves In case there was danger of cap
ture. 1t was also made known that Chi
nese officers who are defeated in battle
are expected or commanded by their gov
ernment to suicide. in order to avoid dis
grace and torture by their own people,
and that in case of failure to carry out
this behest they lose standing thereby. A
notable instance during that war was the
suicide of Admiral Ting, one of the great
est and noblest of modern Asiatics
man who, in his personal qualities and
attachments compared well with any
man of his time. After the battle of Yalu
he had the choice between capture by
the Japanese, torture and disgrace by his
own countrymen, or suicide. He chose the
last.
During the recent Graeco-Turksh war
reports have come of the suicide of
number of Greek officers, who, when they
found themselves unable to escape from
capture, have killed themselves rather
than submit to probable torture. The re-
ports contain some terrible announce
ments. 1t is stated that the Turks burned
the Greek wounded in a church at Kurtzi-
voli. They lighted fires under the bodies
of wounded beasts Many of the Greek
wounded implored their comrades to kill
them; others committed suicide. During
the retreat from the Milouna pass Capt.
Tagaras, who had been wounded in the
struggle to hold the blockhouses, commit
ted suicide to avoid falling alive into the
hands of the Turks.
The Princess Sophia, in an interview
with the Athens correspondent of the
London Daily Chronicle, stated that while
she was in the hospital the wounded
Greeks told how the Turks treated the
wounded who fell into their hands. They
built fires around some of them and
roasted them to death, and inflicted hor-
rible tortures upon others of their prison
ers before dispatching them Another re-
port, dated April 10, said that the Turks
had killed the Greek irregulars who had
been recently captured at some of the
points on the frontier. On April % it
was stated that stories of Mussuman
atrocities were current in Arta. One eye
witness said that number of women who
were captives in the hands of the Turks
were marched in front of the Turkish
lines in the hope that their countrymen
would not fire lest they kill the women.
On the other hand the Greeks treated the
Turkish wounded as they treated their
own. Turkish prisoners in the Greek mil
itary hospitals express themselves as
amazed at receiving attention instead Of
being shot.
Our old-time Indian fighters made it a
point not to fall into the hands of the
redskins alive. Their maxim was Never
fire your last cartridge at the enemy;
keep it for yourself These words give
a hint al their dread of the mutilation and
tortures known to await those who were
taken, and make plain their conviction, {
that under the circumstances suicide was
justifiable as il was preferable. Our In
dams, however, took another view of the
matter They torture their captives, but
In the fight they do not seek TO avoid by
sef-slaughter the fate that they knew
awaited them on falling into the hands
of enemies of their own kind. When an
Indian realized that capture was in
evitable, he prepared for the event. by
getting ready his scalp lock for the hand
of his foe. If he We're not killed and
sealped on the field he made it point Of
pride to endure the tortures to which he
was subjected stoically, and with a show
of indifference, and thus to deny his
enemies the qualification of seeing signs
of weakness.
These facts Indicate that among unciv
ilized peoples the torture of enemies, TAX
en- in battle has long existed and still con-
tinues, and that there is a fixed idea among
soldiers who oppose the hosts among
whom such customs exist that 1t is not un-
soldiery to prefer suicide to otherwke in
evitable torture These are ideas that have
not been publicly advocated that are not
generally known to exist; hut ii is evident
that they are currently known among sol
diers themselves, or at least among those
whose fate it is to fight with the armies
of the unciviized.
1t may be noticed in passing that 1t has
been shown by statisticians that the sui
eide rate among soldiers under all circum-
stances is high in all countries-greatly
in excess of that in any other occupation.
This is attributed partly to the fact that
drinking is common among soldiers, and,
as the proportion of suicides is next great
est among those who deal in alcohol, this
is fairly considered a sound reason. Anoth-
er is the fact that soldiers have always at
hand the means of self-destruction. This
is also a plausible reason. since medical
men and chemists who likewise are ia
rniliar with means of self-destruction, have
a high rate of suicide.
Ancient history throws much light upon
the custom of suicide in battle, as it has
emerged again in our own time. In the
old testament scriptures we are told Of
only one deliberate suicide, that Of Achi-
thopel, and in the new testament that of
Judas But in the old testament there are
several instances of suicide in battle. AT
the battle of Mount Gilboa the Philistines
defeated the armies of Israel under King
Saul. and three of the kings sons were
slain. Saul himself was hard hit by the
archers, and, realizing that the defeat was
final, and that he, being wounded, would
be captured, he called to him his
armor bearer, ordering him to draw his
sword and dispatch him, lest, as he said.
the Philistines should take him and abuse
him. The armor-bearer was afraid to kill
the king, so Saul placed the hilt of his
sword on the ground and fell upon its
point and died. He became suicide be-
cause he dreaded torture at the hands of
his captors.
The history of the nation was not with
out precedent in this kind, and Saul well