Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-23

Officers Who Die in Battle From Bull
let's Fired From Rear.


Officers Who Die in Battle From Bull
let's Fired From Rear.
From London Tit Bits
Tragic indeed is every incident connected
with the battlefield. but more So are some
of the mysterious occurrences which have
| ofttimes taken place during a campaign.
and which might be put down as cold
FLOODED murders. 1t seems very unlikely
thing that in the heat Of a hard-fouyht
conflict the origin Of a mans death can be
determned-that is to say. whether he
died by the hands Of one of mis- comrades or
by those of the eremy: consequently men
with grievance against their officers have
often made use of such opportunities to
wipe off old scores and have gone undis-
covered
A notable instance of this occurred Just
before the battle of Woerth in the Franco
lruSsian war. A certain officer of cGnsid-
erable repute had got himself generally dis
liked by his perseverance in bullying those
under him. A few days before this the
first great battle of the war. when the
French were nearing the border in their
hopeless endeavor TO reach Berlin a rumor
ran through the camp late at night that
the Prussians were advancing and would
shortly be up. Instantly pandemonium
reigned and scouting parties went sent out
IN all directions. One of these under
the officer in question and when some way
from camp he was fired upon, the bullet
bringing him down. The Frenchmen.
thinking they had got into an ambush re-
tired. firing at an invisible foe as they did
so. but as no counter-shots were received
they grew courageous again and. after be-
ing reinforced, advanced to the fatal spot
The body of the officer was found, but not
so that of his assaiant, who had evidently
escaped unscathed
On returning to the camp 1t was found
that no trace of the enemy had been dis
covered, in fact, at that time the Prus-
slams were far away from the spot on the
other side of Woerth. Accordingly post
morten examination was held on the off,
GERS body and a French service bullet
was extracted therefrom. but the murderer
was never detected, although he was doubt
less in the camp and had slipped out I'M
awares to commit the crime.
But this Is only one of many tragedies
which took place during the war, and 1t Is
said that at least per cent of the French
officers killed fell by the hands of their
Der in the Prussian army. In the former
instance the crimes were due for the most
part to the national feeling of never for
getting grievance, and In the latter to
the rigidity of discipline, which sometimes
amounts to bullying
Even Marshal BaZalne was nearly muir
dered before he capitulated at Metz. He
was by no means a popular man. and on
this account always stood in dread of the
assassin, and his fears were not lessened
when plot was discovered to put poison
his own men. The offenders. or some Of
| them. were promptly tried and shot before
many hours were over.
rather sad case is forwarded In con-
nection with the Italian disaster at Adowa,
of a few years ago. During the melee q
man was seen to shoot in the direction Of
his captain. who at The same time fell
MORALLY wounded. When the battle was
over the man was charged with the crime,
and after a scant trial shot by his COM
rades. despite his protests Of innocence. one
of the chief reasons for his condemnat ton
being that he was known to have a griev-
ance against the officer Nevertheless, the
affair was soon forgotten till some nine
months afterward. when soldier came for
ward from the same regiment, f-charged
with the crime. He related the facts in
detail. giving his motive petty tyranny
on the part Of the officer some years pre-
viously. when he, the murderer. was a
cruit. and stated that he would never have
given himself up had not another man died
in his stead. Needless to say. this did not
excuse him, and he persisted in the prison
yard at Naples.
Not many months ago three Spanish SOL
diers were executed at Madrid for the al
legged murder of an officer during the hos
Titles in Cuba, although the evidence
against them was very meager. Sufficient
was 1t that subsequent to the battle Of
San Juan the officer was found dead some
way from the battlefield with a Mauser
bullet In his brain. and the three men re-
ferred to were seen in the vicinity at about
the time the affair must have taken place.
Of course tney may nave Deen justly con-
demned, as tragedies of this nature were
especially frequent in the Spanish army
throughout the war, but at the same time
the authorities failed to take into account
that there were many so-caled loyal
Cubans attached to the Spanish forces and
also present at San Juan who had been
given Mauser rifles and ammunition by
their oppressors. but whose dislike to Span
ish officers was proverbial
Although such crimes more common
In the majority of continental armies than
in our own. must not imagine that
similar cases have never taken place in
which Tommy Atkins has participated In
the Zulu war. just prior to the battle OF
Ulindi, young Lieutenant in one of the
line regiments was found shot some way
from camp. and after the campaign n SOL
der on his deathbed a Davenport confessed
to having been his murderer.
Similarly, too, during the hostilities In the
Soudan in 1885 officer of some repute
was found to have been mysteriously killed
by an English bullet. and. although the
affair was hushed up and put down 10 the
dervishes. who were said to have obtained
some British rifles by inexplicable means
1t was subsequently disclosed that. where
as, they actually did gain possession OF
some of our rifles, they obtained no ammu-
milton with them. Despite this significant
fact. however. the perpetrator Of the crime
was never arrested.