Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-04-24
THE FRENCH SOLDIER
SOME OF THE eRuTALIrlEsTow WHICH
NE IS SUBJECTED.

Hasinss and Other Punlshmenas
Which Sometimes END In the We
Tins Death That Are winked II, ~
Not Ordered, by the OMos.s.
Soldiers in the French army are not
subjected by law to corporal punish
mcnt any more than It has been a part
Of the regulations governing the Mill
tary academy ut West Point that ca
dets should "brace" or Qualify" on
molasses and prunes. Nevertheless
the French soldier is put through d
hazing process which is most severe
and several times has caused death.
The French soldier is known as Picton
or Dumanet, just as the English soldier
is known as Tommy Atkins. Dumanet
finds when he joins the colors that life
Is not all skittles for soldier.
The thing which distinguishes the
hazing In the French army from the
hazing in American colleges and uni
versities is that it is suggested and al
most ordered by the commissioned off,
GERS. An officer will say to corporal
or sergeant, you have a man here
who has done SO and so," naming some
trivial offense, more than likely to be
some neglect Of the Difference due to
the officer. "It would do him good II
he were tossed in a blanket"
The officer turns on his heel and
walks away, while the unfortunate SOL
dier is placed In blanket, with saber,
spurs. Jack boots, bayonets and such
pleasant bedfellows. and the combina-
ton is tossed until the hnzers are too
tired to continue. This Is great sport
for the mans comrades, especially II
they are half drunk, which they are
likely to be. This diversion has rather
gone out Of favor just now, because
several soldiers who have been tossed
had the bad taste to die after the discl.
pline.
In some Of the French barracks
favorite method of punishment is to
hang the offending soldier up by his
heels and then to spank him with a
sword bayonet. In Algiers, where the
men are far removed In the outlying
garrisons from the central authority
and at the mercy Of their tormentors,
they are subjected to many forms Of
hazing at the suggestion of the officers.
At one time the ''vilo" was much III
favor among the hazers in the Algerian
army of occupation. It consisted in
putting man In deep hole made in
the shape Of a reversed funnel dug by
the Arabs In the ground as place for
the storage, Of corn. The unfortunate
man was left there sometimes for days,
with hardly anything to eat or drink
and exposed all the time to the heat Of
the sun, while at night the place was
cold. Many died from hunger, thirst
or cold, while many others became In
sane.
The military authorities when they
became aware Of these toftures issued
an order prohibiting such a punish
ment, but 1t is still practiced in isolated
parts Of Algiers where no eye can see
OF which the officers arc afraid.
Several years ago Prince Piguatelli
dAragon, a young Spanish noble, ran
away from his home and went to Al
giers to Join the foreign legion. the
refuge for men with a past" His
friends announced to the French mill.
tary authorities that the prince had
gone to Join the legion, but the authori-
ties were able to get no word Of his
arrival. At last soldier suggested
that perhaps a stranger who wandered
Into camp and had considerable diff.
Guilty in speaking French might be the
prince. The sergeant to whom the
prince had spoken was drunk ut the
time and became annoyed at the Span
iard's broken French. SO he ordered
that the stranger be placed in the
"vilo" without more ado. Here the
miserable yong man remained for two
days without eating or drinking, and
then a good natured sentry broke the
rules and gave him food. AS soon as
he was rescued from the ''vilo' the
young man started for Spain, having
most thoroughly reconsidered his de-
termination to enter the celebrated
foreign legion.
Another form of punishment which
used to be popular In Algiers was the
''carcan." A piece Of wood, usually
the trunk of tree. was used. The
man was laid on IL, usually bound 50
that the middle Of his back would be
resting onfthe wood, with his head and
feet hanging down to the ground. His
feet were tied to an iron bar and his
hands to another. and, left lying face
upward, he was exposed for hours to
the terrible heat OF the sun. Some men
have survived 12 hours Of this torture.
A form Of punishment still popular
among the French colonial troops-that
Is, popular with those who inflict 1t and
not with. those who suffer it's the
"crapadine." It consists of throwing
the man face downward and tying his