The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-23
BRUTALITY OF
GERMAN CAPTAIN
Nearly Killed Recruit Whom He
Thought Was Trying to shirk
by FeIanIne
Sickness.
GOT LIGHT SENTENCE
Ridiculous Punishment Meets Storm
Of Indignation And Further
Developments viii
Ensue.

BERLIN, Aug 23.-Another of those
rcases of brutal treatment of soldiers
An the German army, and particularly
of raw recruits, was brought to light
recently when battery captain of
Bavarian regiment of foot artillery
was brought before the Supreme mill
tary court to answer charge of mis-
use of q military authority. The evil
dence showed that the captain seemed
to have personal spite against re-
cruit named Nicholas Schmidt, who
suffered from severe attacks Of ner-
yous Mysteries and weakness. The
officer, believed. or professed to be-
s1ieve that these attacks were merely
simulated on the part OF the recruit in
order to escape the performance of
his military duties, and he frequently
made use Of the most brutal means
TO help Schmidt to recover"
On January s5 Schmidt was sent
with batch Of other recruits to the
gymnasium for exercise AS he was
pulling himself up to the horizontal
bar. his grip suddenly relaxed, and he
fell to the ground in one of his par
oxysms of Mysteries. Captain Carl
had previously given orders that the
next time Schmidt fell into one of his
fits he, the captain, should be sum-
moned together with the regimental
doctor. This was done, and the cap
tain Immediately appeared on the spot
while the doctor could not be found
for some time.
In the meanwhile, the captain used
his own methods of restoring the I'M
conscious man. First he ordered that
Schmidt should be rubbed with snow,
and then had buckets of cold water
thrown over him. This having no eff
feet, Schmidt was next placed in
certain position which no man con
scious of pain can endure long, but
the recruit remained motionless. This
only seemed to convince the officer
that he had hardened pretender to
deal with, and he decided on still
stronger measures.
Two Sc iers were ordered to take
Schmidt back to the barracks. To do
this they were obliged to support the
recruit one on each side by the arms.
AS they half dragged, half led the
staggering man across the parade
grounds, the officer suddenly ordered
them to let go. They did so, and the
unhappy man dropped helpless to the
ground This maneuyer was repeated
several times. Once, as the recruit
was being dragged over part of the
ground which was strewn with brok-
en bottles and sharp stones, the off
ger again ordered the soldiers to let
lgo, and as the recruit by chance fell
clear of the jagged glass. the officer
became firmer in his conviction that
the man was merely shamming. He
6trode towards him and called him by
name. Receiving no answer, he
struck him savagly in the mouth and
on both sides Of the head. The officer
then left his victim for a time, and
Schmidt's comrades carried him to his
cell in the barracks. stripped him, RIB
bed him down and put dry clothes on
him.
An hour later, however the officer
Fsppeared in the recruits cell and de-
manded whether he was ready to go
back to his exercises Schmidt, par
tally recovered, answered that II was
all the same to him and was again
taken out to the parade grounds.