The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-12
THE sERvIAN ARMY.
It's Record i'm Two Wars by No Means
Brilliant.

London Globe.
Servia's army can only look back upon a
history of forty years. Among its officers
you find many different elements. The old
est generation of them. which saw the
Turks still In the country. and which served
under Prince Michael, Is practically ex-
tinct not merely by natural death and the
retired list, but also by the fact that every
old soldier in Servia has dozen or OF
conspiracies on his list OF qualifications.
King Milan had a short way OF dealing
with these old warriors. He raised a new
corps of officers. men who had carried
rife in the ranks and had less TO do with
the military schools of Saint-Cyr, 81.
Petersburg and Odessa These under OH
GERS OF Milans day are found In a few
marked types among the army now, but
the "Frenchmen" and "Russiant still
form the backbone Of the stan appoint
ments. The "Frenchmen" have a reputa-
ton as able men and gentlemen, the RUS
slams" as ruffians and drunkards. For the
younger generation there is military acad-
envy in Belgrade. creation of King
Milan's which owes Its organization and
present abode to his murdered son. Lads
enter il at the age of seventeen or eighteen.
after a fair education, and become either
infantry lieutenants. after two years. or
first lieutenants in the cavalry, artillery or
engineers after three years. Both the two
Lunjevitzas. the brothers Of Queen Draga.
passed through the course. Specially quail
flied young officers, after leaving the
academy, are sent abroad and then placed
on the general stan.
The largest garrison in the country Is at
Nisch, where the principal maneuvers take
place every year. The next largest Is in
Belgrade. The Guards are lodged at a gun
shots distance from the Konak, some OF
them in former castle of Prince MiChaels.
A considerable part of the garrison IL in tho
fortress. With the Guards the garrisons
of Belgrade and Nisch form the cream OF
the army They are well uniformed and
draw their pay fairly regularly. Elsewhere
IL Is different. Officers go about In ragged
uniforms and get their pay chiefly In the
form OF remissions from taxation.
The standing army has since 1876 fought
against the Turks, and In 1856 against the
Bulgarians; in the one case with doubtful
and in the other with decidedly negative
result. Its officers were brought into the
self when, I'm 1893. by the help OF a well-prc--
pared mutiny, he declared himself or Age
and made sure of all the members OF the
provisional government. The officers are
drawn from the city jewellers and derive
a lively interest I'm politics from their reIa-
tives. On the other hand. the gcndarmcrie
recruit their leaders from picked members
Of the peasantry, who do not care whether
an Avakumovich a Vognovich Is at the
head OF the State 81 a distance from all
intrigues-for they are principally sta
toned on the turbulent Turkish frontier
they preserve the political neutrality ex-
pected from the professional soldier Their
audacity is as boundless as that OF the AL
banians, with whom they daily measure
themselves, and they were, blindly loyal
10 Milans son, Alexander. The cOnspir-
ator Arsenovich discovered this when ne
appeared at Schabatz IN March. l90z, and
was shot down at once by gendarmerle
officer.