The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-20
OFFICERS CRUEL TO SOLDIERS
Tortures Devised to Punish Trifiing
 Offenses of Privates.

Chicago Tribune.
 The debates in the German reichstag on the military estimates give the Social Democrats an opportunity of again II ringing before the house the subject of the illt-eatment of soldiers.
 The cases disclosed by Herren Bebel and Kunert, supposing that they can be au- ttenticated, cast garing light upon the condition of things existing in this mill itary state. Herr Bsbel made the fol- lawing statement. A non-commissioned sficer at Breslau on certain Sunday mo, ming tore the buttons off d private s coat, and made him stand in bathing drawers while he beat him On the head with his trousers. He then cut the seams of his clothes till they were in pieces, and ordered him to sew them up again and to dre ss in full marching order Later he again cut his clothes and made him sew them up second time. This fellow was finally found guilty of sixty three cases of ill-treatment. In 200 cases he had boxed mems cars or struck them with the fiat of his sword. For all this he received only nine months imprison- ment and degradation.
 In another case an officer who had caused a soldiers death by ill-treatment received only one year and seven months imprisonment with degradation. In yet another case at Stettin. non-commis- stoned officer was charged with ninety seven cases of ill-treatment. He was degraded and sent to prison for eight months-a comparatively light punish ment.
 At oIdenburg a non-commissioned of ficer was proved to have committed 100 cases of assault, etc. He ordered cor porals to throw themselves down on the grass and eat it like cattle. It is almost incredible that the men obeyed, but had they not done so they would have been severely punished for insubordination.
 A private in a rife battalion appeared unshaven. His non-commisisoned officer shouted at him: You pig, I'll shave you." He took his penknife out of his pocket and tore and pinched off the hair. While this was going on sergeant came in and said You must do as I did. :" He proceeded to light a match and then held it burning under the mans chin and cheeks. A captain received three months detention in a fortress for sixty three cases of ill., treatment. one of them being a grossy immora offense. Such crimes in the army are exceedingly leniently treated and when superior of- ficers are concerned they are generally pardoned.
 The socialist member Kunert mention ed two cases in which two soldiers met their deaths in consequence of ill-treat- ment while bathing. One man was held under water for long time and was hurt in such a way that he took the first opportunity to commit suicide, A man in a fusiler regiment was killed by blows on the breast with the butt end of a rife. It was undoubtedly d case of manslaughter. The case may be remem- bered of Captain Count Stelberg- -Werni- gerode, who first insulted a sergeant with the basest of invectives. then boxed his ears, and finally stabbed him. The army doctors regularly report that ill treat-' ment has nothing to do with such deaths
 Indiscipline on the part of privates is punished differently from that of the non-commissioned officers If a soldier ill-treats a horse he is sentenced to nine months imprisonment. A non-comms- stoned officers who gave soldier two boxes on thc ear got twelve days under arrest. A man who had scratched on his chair the words Long live work, free dom. equality, and fraternity.' received six months imprisonment for manifest ing democratic tendencies.
 The serious eXccsseS of officers are hardly punished at all. Prince Wrede, who on Christmas night in q rolicking, it went through the quiet streets of Bam- berg preceded by the military band was placed under arrest for one day Three reservists, who in a drunken fit, thrash ed a gendarme, got fifteen years hard labor. this offcnse being more severely punished as Herr Kunert pointed out than is the impaling of a man in the Ger man colonies. The speaker ended by drawing attention to the increasing num- Der of suicides in the German army. Last year there were 235 such cases.
 On behalf of the war office t was re- piled that cases in which superiors had been punished for il-treatment or subor- dinates numbered in 1899 only 5S7. This alone is significant.
 Finally Herr kunert was called to order for lese majeste. He spoke of a tele- graphic order which the German emperor during the Chinese expedition had sent to Count Walder~ee ordering him to attack the Chinese collected on the great wall Arrant diletautism. declared the deputy, made itself fel. not only in art. sciencey and naval matters. but also in military