The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-06-19
WITH VARS HONORS.
Defeated Soldiers Who Are Ac-
corded Distinction.
Defenders Forced Through circum-
stances to Surrender Fortified
Places Usually Treated With
Generosity by caPtors-

When Przemysl. the great fortress
on the Hungarian frontier, fell into
the hands Of the Russians, the terms
of surrender provided that the garrison
should be accorded ''honors of war"
AS a consequence, the defenders
marched out with their colors flying.
and surrendered to the commander of
the attacking forces to the sounds Of
drums and bugles. The prisoners were
neither deported to Siberia nor sent to
concentration camps, but were placed
on parole in a certain town Of Russia,
and the officers were allowed to retain
their swords.
1t is interesting OF recall that at Port
Arthur, the greatest siege ever known.
at the end Of seven months investment
the Russians made various offers of
surrender If they could march out with
all the honors of war, but the japanese
demanded unconditional surrender.
Ordinarily, in all these siege opera
tons, surrender of a fortress is IN
conditional, and the vanquished tacitly
agree to accept whatever terms the
victor, in his wisdom, may impose, re-
lying upon the latter's magnanimity
for good and Ienient treatment. The
usual course is this: The garrison is
disarmed. They are made to fall in.
all so many prisoners, and escorted to
wherever their conQuerors decide they
shall be detained.
The conQuerors, Of course, see that
the escort is a strong guard, properly
armed, able to put down at once any
attempt on the prisoners part to es-
cape or disobey orders Worst Of all.
and certainly the most CALLING to any
real soldier, the almost sacred trophies
Of the different regiments become the
spoils of the victors.
Guns, ammunition. colors and such
like things all have to be given up,
though men have given their lives to
defend them. For the future they
grace the homes of the enemy, or are
turned against their old owners in the
field.
1t is in these things that the humilia-
ton Of surrender becomes complete;
yet all of it is saved when the beaten
| garrison Is granted the 'honors Of
war" as the Austrians were at Pre-
/ mysl That means the defenders were
| simply defeated, but not disgraced !"
BY its use, the successful besiegers
/ admit to the world that the garrison
were able to make something better
than an unconditional surrender. Their
heroic defense had not left them at
their last gasp; they could maintain
hostilities for some time yet; and, al
| though they would undoubtedly be
beaten at the finish, the fortress could
only be taken after more or less had
been suffered.
In such a case all that is demanded
Of the beaten men is that they should
evacuate all their positions. These
the enemy take possession Of, as what
they have been striving for. All the
colors and other trophies are retained
by the garrison. The defenders are
not prisoners Of war, compelled to sur
render. They are simply beaten men.
voluntarily giving up the unequal con-
test
They are not disarmed and escorted
by guards. Mastering under their own
leaders, as they did at Przemysl, they
have no enemy over them giving or
ders Headed by their own bands, with
their own colors flying above them
and no foreign flag near, they march
out" OF the positions they have sc
nobly held, saIuted by their success
ors and acclaimed by the world as he
roes for whom circumstances have
been too strong
It has been previously settled where
they should go. and thither they march