Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-07-17

those who resort to it. The writer can recall but one notable instance in which the trick proved successful.
 That was the famous white apronsH affair during Bacon's revolt against Gov. Berkley, in 1676 This noted ''yir- ginia rebel" true antetype of the revolutionary patriots who took the field century later, was in momen- tary expectation of an attack, and sorely needed time to complete his earthworks and mount his guns for de- fense. The case was urgent; success or failure turned upon securing a few hours of delay. So the resourceful leader, though he we'll knew the taunts to which he would be exposed, threw aside all scruples, and having made captiYes of the wives of several of Berlley's officers, he conspicuously paraded in front of his entrenchments these and other ladies closely related to the enemy. Naturally the gov ernor's troops didn't shoot. The play was very dubious one, but it proved a checkmate. The Qualifications were completed without interference, and Bacon was presently enabled to drive his opponents from the field. He burned Jamestown; and but for his sudden death shortly after. the history of Virginia might have been changed in a very notable manner.
 Bacon was an old Indian fighter, and quite probably it was from the savages that he got the hint he used so cleverly. To interpose captives be- tween themselves ard their pursuers was q fayorite Indian stratagem when retreating after q raid, but these per formances were on a small scale and hardly rise to the dignity of acts of war. The eommonest ease was where prowling brave who had surprised farmhouse, seized some screaming girl, and bore her away on his shoulders, utilizing her form as a screen against the bullets of her friends as he fled to the forest.
 During the civil war few instances of exposure of prisoners to the fire of their own batteries arose from the ex= treme bitterness of feeling excited by the use of negro troops. For example, captured negroes were sometimes com pelled to work on Notifications while bombardment was in progress. This practice, however was speedily checked by retaliatory measures; and it is not strictly case in point, any how, as there was probably no inten- tion of using as screen the prisoners thus exposed.
 And just here q word i'll regard to the usual effect of threats and acts of re- taliation seems not out of place. These are usually as effieacious as the unprovoked exposures which we have been discussing are futile. When it is proposed to shoot or hang a number of innocent prisoners, selected, perhaps, by lot, in case their friends persist in certain outrages. people are apt to ex- claim: How horrible! How cold blooded and unjustl" In point of fact, such action is ordinarily merciful. The mere threat is sufficient, and instead of resulting in double tragedy the up shot of the matter is that nobody is hurt on either side. In this connee- tion it is now interesting 10 recall that Gen. Fitzhugh Lee was for time held as a hostage in this manner during the civil war, but happily was exchanged little later without having been sub jected to any extreme rigors.
 A very unexpected use of this expe- dient was that recently practiced by Admiral Dewey at Manila, when by threat of retaliation he actually saved an unfortunate Spanish officer from the hands of his own countrymen.
 Apart from the holding of hostages under forfeit of their lives-which was very common-instanees of the use of prisoners as a shield are scarcely more frequent in ancient times than nowadays. At Thermopylae Leonidas had with him 400 terrified and most un- willing Thebans, who were practically prisoners, for they were there under compulsion, Thebes having concluded an alliance with the Persians But these men took no active part in the fight, and got off without injury. The remarkable ease of Regulus, though scarcely germain to our theme, we'll il- lustrates the utter futility of most at tempts to influence in enemy by play ing upon the fears of captives. The bluff did not work. The old Roman at Carthage and our own Bainbridge at TriPoli show precisely the same heroic spirit-the same self-sacrifcing patriot ism. It is impossible to make tools of men of this type.
 A celebrated medieval episode still further illustrates hopelessness of these methods when employed against sturdy and seasoned soldiers. It oc- cured at the time of the Third Cru sade, when Conrad Of Montferrat was defending Tyre against a great army of Saracens. Saladin, who wished to avoid the loss and delay of protract- ed siege, offered in exchange for the immediate surrender of the city Con- rad's aged father, who had been made prisoner; but this was refused. Then Saladin threatened to expose the old