Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-26
FRENCH COURT MARTIAL
YELLED IN SECRECY

LONDON. March 25.-rhe veil Of So
rr"cy is nowhere deeper than over the
doinSS OF the u"t-martial. In one
DIVISION OF the French army. II IS
known that since the beginning of
the war the cour;-martial has dealt
with @l5 cases Il has passed the
"eaih sentence on twenty -four Zen.
OF whom. however, only hftccn we're
executed. the other nine obtaining
nard"nS or communications.
An officer attached TO this division
AS permanent court official has Civ
Ell 10 correspondent of the Daily
Mail some details oc the workings OF
The tribunal. You must remember. -
"" sad that armies to-day are made
Ip OF men OF all shades and colors Of
belief and creed. anarchists rerubIi
cans, r"yal'sts atheists ana wha, no,
Out 81 this material We have welded
together an army. the like Of which
tie world has never seen
IT Is not. however. the bad eg, ~,
"hoh' ther" are a few in every reri
!"e"'' VINO gives us trouble in the mat
Ter OF desertion in tn. face :. IN,
.nchF' nut rather the better sor, OF
'eito"S who canrot understand ~.
'hl!ilarN necessity OF harsh disCiplin.
our first court-martial in u cas-. Of
'H'S Nind occurred fairly carly il, Tho
al we We're new to the business
ourselves hut II was Il tiaerant breach.
gu" I" eh.tk It's repetition il had to he
"'aH Win according TO the rules OF
me VA. IN" man was duly tried and
sentenced. went TO his cell and read
N" death sentence to him. He listened
without seeming TO understand what
had taken place and mat he was con-
dcmued 10 die.
THAT .
to cal! for q firin@ squad No; a man
volunteered for that task We had 10
commander squad. The prisoner
was marched out Al dawn. stood quiet
~ facing the !eveled rifles. and died
without faltering. am sure he never
realized the gravity OF mis- omcnse Bat
war is war.
Now It j. different The men know
the value Of discipline. know that q
breach may endamGer the lives % many
comrades or even The safety of France
and though breaches OF this kind sti!l
occur, 'hey are met in Il different spirit.
Sow. when ! cali for a tiriny SQUAD
i'iiN men ut once vOlunteerI
Is the family notified that a man
has been secuted asked the inter-
viewer
Yes ana no. ,he Officer replied
The Fremc. code IS peculiar NotiGca-
ton % death is sent to the family
SUI al t"f it- execution as though the
man died IN action. Then three months
later the family receives biz for 1..55
francs S2."O). the expenses Of the exc.
euuon. But otherwise there Is no pub
lic!tN The grave is not marked Of
iic!"!lN, but record 10 kept. SO that
= VIII not be difficult to locate later
on
"Occasioually We have 70 deal with
ih- case pf man who has become sick
- The trenches ana thinks that the
"ssias, way 10 get IN honorable dis
charge i to wound himself. shoot OF
ms Trigger finger or the like. This Is
capital ofi"nse in time Of war. and
ls Invariably so punished.
y recent case OF this kind was that
"f young Lieutenant who was mar
fl"d tire. DAYS before tho outbreak OF
~" war He was Il 9ailan, soldier. but
after few months he became home.
s! r, and !" get back 30 his wife was
ms one desire Months passed aud he
could not get leave, so he took matters
IN his own hands ana drove bulIe,
through his LEFT forearm. lie did NOT
st"n 10 think that (, would soon be dis.
covered that MS wound was caused hy
d" French bullet.