The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-14

Paris, April 1.-Two thirds Of the court martial eases at the war front and immediately behind the front have developed from either drunken ness or fear, sometimes from both; ac- cording to Monsieur Rene de Planhol who has had more than two years ex- perience as counsel for the defense Tn such cases. um-head court mar tials, with summary executions or spies and deserters, have been far less frequent than might be imagined. Not only have sentences to death been infrequent, but, extraordinary at ap- pears the verdicts of justice at the front are seldom executed. II
 The general in command of the sec tor has the power. of suspending all court martial sentences until the end of the war, and he exercises that pre- rogative nearly always, even in cases of second offences. The only penal ties immediately applied are those ol death and punishment that involves military degradation. Even in these cases the condemned man usually begs to be sent back to the battle line and his request is sometimes accoroed nl
 Sentences to prison and hard labor are few. It is considered absurd to lodge in prison rugged soldiers whose misdeeds would thus have the effect of relieving them from fighting while well behaved soldiers are riskipg their lives. That is why military jurisdic- ton at the front has become essential ly a jurisdiction of honor.
 . &f wry, ,1pfa . have developed situations to which old martial laws are not adaptable A
 much disputed point is: When has an infraction of discipline ora crime been committed fin the presence of the enemy" an aggravating circumstance under military Jurisprudence. In trench warfare the old definitions or "presence of the enemy" have become obsolete; great latitude is noy given for leniency on this point and it is exercised in all but the most fragrant cases.
 Under the old martial laws the s1s- pension of sentences for first offences was not obligatory but was simply a matter of discretion on the part of the general commanding. Amendments passed by parliament in the course of the present war make such extensions of sentence obligatory for all cases excepting those of capital offence.
 DYunkenness; the most frequent of all i7fractions of law and discipline, is punished by Imprisonment from two months upward.
 A freduert and effective means of defence invoked by counsel for accus- ed soldiers is the citation for gallant conduct on the battlefield. It often happens that a soldier refractory to army discipline is great fighter, be- tween court martials accumulates honors and decorations that it is diff ficu1t to ignore.
 One of the most obstinate drinkers and most insolent men of his regi- ment when under the influence of li- quor, when back to the front by fa- yoF M a suspended sentence and won the signal honor of an individual cf- tntlon in an engagement in which his regiment was collectively cited. He appeared before the court martial with q new bar on his war cross rib bon and his judges couldn't refuse his request for "another chance at the Germans.'
 Cases of desertion with downright fear as the cause are not uncomm on and Monsieur de PIanho1 concludes that very few soldiers are totally ex- smpt from fear, Men who have fought7 bravsly in numerous actions.