The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-04-22
FEW EXECUTIONS
At WAR FRONT
MOST OF COURT MARTIAL CASES
NAVE DEVELOPED FROM
ORUHkENkES
FEW DEATH PENAL TIES
Not Only Have Sentences Of Death
Been lnfrequent, But Extraordinary.
Desertion Because Of Downright
Fear Not Uncommon.

Paris, April S, CBy MaiD,
Two-thirds of the court mar
tial cases at the war front
and Immediately behind the front have
developed from either drunkenness or
fear, sometimes from both accord.
ing to Monsieur Rene de Planhol who
has had more than two years eXper.
ience as counsel for the defense in
such cases Drum.head court martals.
with summary executions Of spies and
deserters, have been far less frequent
than might be imagined Not only
have sentences to death been in'rC.
quent but extraordinary as it ap-
pears, the yerdicts Of justice at the
front are seldom executed
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 i'm cases
OF oi'enses. The only penalties imme.
diatcly applied are those Of death and
punishment that involves military de.
graduation Even in these cases the
condemned man usually begs to be
sent back to the battle line and his
request is sometimes accorded after
a certain lapse OF time
Few Severe Sentences.
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 risking their
lives. That is why military iurisdic
tion at the front has become essent-
ially jurisdiction of honor.
The changed conditions of warfare
have developed situations to which
old martial laws are not adaptable A
much disputed point is When has an
intracti0n Of discipline or a crime
been committed lin the presence OF
the enemy an aggravatine circum
stance under military Jurisprudence.
In trench warfare the old definitions
of presence of the enemy" have be.
come obsolete, great latitude is now
given for leniency on this point and
it is exercised in all but the most
flagrant cases.
Under the old martial laws the sus.
pension Of sentences for first offenses
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 offense.
Drunkenness, the most frequent OF
all infractions OF law and discipline
is punished by Imprisonment from
two months upward.
Many Redeem Themselves.
\ frequent and effective means o!
defense Invoked by counsel for &C
,Cused soldiers Is the citation for gal
liant conduct on the battlefield It Otter
happens that a soldier refractory tC
army discipline is a great fighter and
between court martials, accumulate.
honors and decorations that II is diff
iicult TO ignore.
One of the most obstinate drinker
and most insolent men Of his regimen
when under the influence Of liquor
went back to the front by favor Of ;
suspended sentence and won the sir
nal honor OF an individual citation il
an engagement in which his regimen
was collectively cited. He appeare
before the court martial with a new
bar on his war cross ribbon and hi
judges couldn't refuse his request 70
another chance at the Germans"
Cases OF desertion with downright
fear as the cause are not uncommon
and Monsieur de Planhol conclude
that very few soldiers are totally eN
empt from fear Men who have tough
brayely in numerous actions, he SAYS
finally give way to what he call
nerve wear their moral courage I
no longer sufficient to overcome ply
steal fear and they run away fror
danger Their number, thought
small in comparison with those VIII
forget their duty in the stupefactio
OF excessive drinking Even thes,
considering the millions of men mol
ilized, are so small a percentage as {
constitute no reflection on the army q
a whole.
Anyone from a private to a colon,
may act as a defender Of the cou,
martialed soldier Civilians also al
allowed to represent them and SON
eminent French lawyers, such
Maitre Demange who was the chit
counsel for Captain Dreyfus, Matt
Michel Pelletier, and Maitre Hen
Gerand have acted as counsel for n
defense OF soldiers at the front.