Year: 1873

Putting Down Good Onicer


The evidence published in a recent


military trial in Russia indicates that the
spirit Of snobbery is even more domi'


nant among the officers Of the Russian
army than among the same class in
Great Britain. A captain of artillery ei
the name of Kwitnitzky, who was assign


ed to the First Brigade, entered upon his


duties, bringing from the Military Acad'


emy a high reputation for scientific at


tainments This was enough to bring


upon him the persecution OF his fellow


officers who, arrogant from the pride OF


birth, affected to despise the scholar


ship which they had neither the disposi


ton nor the industry to attain In


addition to being studiously inclined


Captain Kwitnitzky, although no


bleman, was guilty of the absurd


habit Of treating his men with kind


ness and consideration, which was
considered exceedingly Objectionable by
the tyrannical martinets of his battery


who were accustomed to regard private
soldiers as little better than brutes. Fol
an officer and a nobleman to be scholar
and a gentleman was deemed by the off


GERS OF Captain Kwitnitzky's brigade
something entirely incompatible with the
existing custom, at least so far as that
brigade was concerned; and a systematic
course of persecution was commenced
against the offender. The Society OF
Officers, an organization existing IN
Russian regiments for the regulation Of
social concerns, took the matter up and
decreed the exclusion of Captain Kwit-
nitzky from all fellowship or courtesy on
the part of his brother officers. His
Colonel, named Khlebnikof, was the
most oAicious of his prosecutors. Finally
the Captain found himself compelled
to leave the brigade, procuring his
transfer to the Third Artillery Brigade,
stationed at Warsaw. But his enemies
followed him to his new post. One
day while with the First Brigade Captain
Kwitnitzky had wished to obtain some
books from the little library in the guard
house, and the key being missing he sent
for a locksmith and had the bookcase
opeued. After he had Joined his new
brigade a notification signed by six otfi-
GERS of the First Brigade was sent to the
officers of the Third, stating that Capt
K Kwitnitzky had been guilty of burglary.
Justly indignant at this new and cow
ardly outrage, the captain sent his sec
onds to challenge, one after the other,
the six officers who had signed the accu-
sation. They all refused to fight, shell
.ering themselves under the pretense
that as they were acting under the or
ders of the Society of Officers they were
relieved of any personal responsibility.
Then Kwitnitzky lost his patience. and
going to St. Petersburg he tracked his
most active enemy, Colonel khlebnikof,
the streets and into the house
of a distinguished person, when,
after vainly challenging him TO q
duel he attacked the colonel, and gave
him a terrible beating about the head
with the fat of his saber. Col. khleb-
nikof took his castigation with the meek
ness of a martyr, and then made for
NAL complaint against bis sssaiiant. A
court martial, after tedious trial, con-
demned Captain Kwitnitzky for his as
sault on a superior officer to the loss OF
all civil rights and transportation to 81
IBERIA; but at the same time, In CONSIDER
alton of the circumstances, joined in a
unanimous petition to the Emperor to
give . complete pardon to the culpritl
II is said that this petition will be
granted, and the reader will doubtless
take satisfaction 10 also learning that
Colonel Khlebnikof and four or five
other oHicerR who had been conspicuous
in the demonstration against Captain
Kwitnitzky have been dismissed from
the military service.