The Washington herald., 1915-01-03

The German service bullet is very SINH
lar to the British bullet. Its muzzle We
lOcity is rather more than that Of the
British bullet, and its weight and size
rather less.
Neither of these bullets would cause
wounds similar to those inflicted by
dumdum bullets. which are so eviIly de-
structive because of heir explosive ma
ture, except in circumstances such as
related by Sir Victor Horsely.
The regulations laid down by the
Hague conference in 1907 are not very
clear in regard to expanding bullets. the
definition being confined to the prohibi-
tiOn of "projeCtiles calculated to cause
unnecessary suffering"
Based on Two Declarations.
These recent regulations were, how
ever. based upon two international dec
larations, one signed at St Petersburg in
1868 on the subject of explosive projec-
tiles; the other, signed at the Hague in
1893, which explicitly stated that bull
let's with hard envelope which does not
entirely cover the core or is pierced with
inCisions'' should not be used.
Bullets with soft cores and thin en-
velopes which are shattered on contact
with the human body are not and have
not been served out as ammunition tC
British soldiers during this war
Such bullets have not been in the pos
session of British soldiers at any time
since the war began. No bullet authorized
by the British war office could in its
legitimate shape produce the kind of
wound seen In photographs distributed
in the United States.
Makes COunterchnrges.
1t is certainly a fact. however. that
soldiers treated in British hospitals dur
ing the fighting in German Togoland have
been wounded by bullets of large caIiber,
which contravented the Hague conven-
tion. bones being shattered. and in the
words of an official memorandum, ''tis-
sue so extensively damaged that ampu-
tation had to be performed"
These bullets were found upon bodies
of prisoners, both German and native,
captured in TogOland, also in bodies of
dead native soldiers serving with the
Germans.
The British war Office has one of these
bullets in its possession today, and the
officer commanding the British troops
made a protest to the German acting
governor concerning their use while yet
operations were proceeding.
Defends F1at-nOsed Bullet.
German newspapers also made great
play with the fact that our revolver am
munition, marks 4 and s pattern, are
fiat at the fore end instead Of conical.
Here they say is proof that we have de-
fed international law and that these are
dumdum bullets Intended to produce
CHASTITY wounds.
The dumdum bullet Is not, however.
fiat nosed. A fat-nosed bullet is as hu-
name is any other bullet. 1t is, indeed.
in absolute accordance with interna-
tional law that these revolver bullets
with fiat fore end are not sheathed at all
and have neither a hard envelope or a
soft core.
They are in substance solid and Of one
material. They do not expand and in
deed are less likely to expand than the
regular service bullet In a sheath with
conicaI nose.
Sir Victor Horsley. one OF the greatest
surgeons in the world, in making a re-
port Upon these revolver bullets with
fiat nose, says:
THE wounding effect due to the diam
eter of projectile depends on its pos
sible increase by reformation, and mas
much as that is the case OF the revolver
bullet. mark a is notably small. there is
no question but that the fat-nosed re-
W yer bullet. mark a. Is In fun accord
with the provisions Of The Hague con-
vention.'