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HE FRENCH SOLDIER
ME OF THE BRUTALITIESTO WHICH
HE IS SUBJECTED.
zings nml Other Punishments
Fhlch Sometimes Knd In the Vic
es'* Death- Tlint Are Winked at. If
ct Ordered, hr the OfllccrB.
oidlers In the French army are not
ijected by law to corporal punish-
nt any more than It has been a part
the regulations governing the Mill-
y academy at West I’oint that ca-
:s should “braeo" or “qualify" on
►lasses and prunes. Nevertheless
► French soldier Is put through a
sing process which Is most severe
d several times hns caused death,
e French soldier Is known as Rlctou
Dutuanet. just as the English soldier
known ns Tommy Atkins. Dumanet
ds when he Joins the colors that life
riot nil skittles for a soldier.
The thing which distinguishes the
sing in the French army from th;
zing in American colleges and unl-
lsltlcs is that It Is suggested and al-
.st ordered by the commissioned offl-
rs. An officer will say to a corporal
a sergeant, "You have a mnn here
jo has done so and so,” naming seme
vial offense, mere than likely to be
me neglect of the deference due tc-
<■ officer. "It would do him good If
■ were icssert in a blanket."
The officer turns on his heel and.
niks away, while the unfortunate sol
er Is placed in a blnnket.-wlth saber,
■urs. Jack boots, bayonets and such
l osnnt bedfellows, and the comblna
ui Is tossed until the hay.era are too
red continue. This Is great sporl
•r the man’s comrades, especially If
:>.ey are half drunk, which they arc
l.ely to be. This diversion has rotbei
cno out of favor just now, beconsi
(vot'd ‘■oidlers who have l>een tossed
nil the bad taste to die after the dLsc!
iRne.
In some of the French barracks a
avorlte method of punishment Is to
ni:g the offending soldier up by his
ieeln at’.d then to spank him with a
word inyonet. In Algiers, whore the
rim are far removed lu the outlying
rarrlsons from Ihe central authority
bid at t!ie mercy t.f their tormentors,
hey •are subjected to many forms of
lazing at the suggestion of the officers.
At cue time the "vllo” was much t»i
’a vor among the liazors in the Algerian
irmv of cccupat'cn. It consisted In
I’ltittlng a man In a deep hole made In
.he shape of a reversed funnel dug by
the Arabs In the ground as a place fit*
the storage of eoru. The unfortunate
can was left there sometimes for days,
with hardly anything to rot or drink
and exposed all the time to the heat of
the sun. while at night the place was
cold. Many died from hunger, thirst
or co.ld. while many others became In
sane.
The military authorities when they
became aware of these tortures Issued
no order prohibiting such a punish
moot. but it Is still practiced in isolated;
parts of Algiers v, here no eye can set-
of which the officers cro afraid.
Several years ago Prluee Plgnatelll
d’Aragon, a young Simnisb noble, ran
nwny from bis home and went to Al
giers to Join the foreign legion, the
refuge for men “with a past.” Ills
friends announced to the French mill
tary authorities that the prince had
gone to join the legion, but the author!
ties were able to get no word of bis
arrival. At lost a soldier suggested
that perhaps a stranger who wandered
Into camp and had considerable diffi
culty In speaking French might be the
prince. The sergeant to whom the
prince bad spoken was drunk at the
time and became nnueyed at the Span
iard’s broken French, so he ordered
I that the stronger be placed In the
“vllo" without more" ado. Here the
miserable young man remained for two
days without eating or drinking, and
then a good natured sentry broke the
rules and gave hint food. As scon as
he was rescued from the “vllo” the
young man started, for Spain, having
most thoroughly reconsidered his de
termination to enter the celebrated
foreign teglon.
Another form of punishment which
nsod to be popular In Algiers was the
“carcan.” A piece of wood, usually
the trunk of a tree, was used. The
man was laid on it. usually bouud so
that the middle of his back would be
resting on the wood, with his bead and
feet hanging down to the ground. His
feet were tied to an Iron bar and his
hands to another, and, left lying face
upward, he wus exiwscd for hours to
the terrible heat of the sun. Some men
have survived la hours of this torture.
A form of punishment still populnr
among the French colonial troops—that
Is, popular with those who Inflict It and
not with those who suffer It—Is the
“crapadine." It consists of throwing
the man face downward and tying his
wrists and ankles behind his back so
that his wrists and ankles are brought
together.—New York Press.
.—rr~TT’.; ,y-j-r--
' A Wild Ride.
“tYhen ! was younger than I will
ever be again,” said the professor with
a three story head and eyeglasses of
the telescopic order, “I was the victim
of such intense mental abstraction
that 1 removed myself entirely from
the world of practical affairs. I was In
the boundless realms of thought and
paid but fleeting attention to the active
field of human action. It was neces
sary to uotify mo when I should attend
my classes,' eat my meals and even
when I should retire.
“I was at one time requested to lec
ture In a. New England village and
agreed to do so. The theme was one
that had received my host thoughts,
and the mere prospect of delivering It
wns a physical pleasure. When 1 ar
rived at the depot my thoughts were
concentrated upon the prepared ad
dress. 1 realized that my train was an
hour late and that I must hurry, but
beyond the mere fact of hurrying 1 did
not grusp a detail.
“ ‘Drive fast!’ I shouted to the drlvei
of n dingy looking vehicle ns 1 sprang
in and handed him a $,"> bill. ‘Spare
neither horse nor whip.’
“Away we went with a plunge. Tin
carriage rolled like a ship lu the trough
of the sea. Street lights seemed a
torchlight procession moving rapidly
by the ether way. Constables shouted,
dogs barked, small beys chased us and
business ceased that people might stem
on the sidewalks and gaze. Up on«
street and down another we dashed
madly. We took corners on two wheels,
grazed telegraph poles nud knocked
over such movables ns ash barrels and
dry goods boxes.
“After half an hour of this bewilder
lng experience 1 stuck my bend out of
the window and shouted, ‘Are we near
ly there?
“ ‘Where did yez want to go. sir?’
came the edifying answer.”—Washing
ton Star.
The Dude and (!ie Artist.
Paris Is laughing over how an artist
got even with a dude who, having sat
for bis picture, wns so dissatisfied with
the result that he refused to pay for It.
The Couut <le X. rccoutly hud a eruyon
picture of himself made, which lit
afterward pretended to find fault with.
"It does not bear the slightest resem
blance to me,” he said, "and 1 will not
take It" Tlx* artist protested, but all
to no avail. "All right, monsieur.” hr
remarked finally, “If It Is not ut all like
you, of course I can’t reasonably ex
pect to get paid for It.” After thi-
count had gone the painter added to the
portrait a mugniilceut pair of uss' ears
and exhibited It to the gaze of the
curious public. It bad not been long
so exposed when the count broke Into
the artist's studio In u towering rnge
and, finding that threats avnlkd him
nothing, nt last offered to buy it nt n
considerable advance upon the original
price.
"It was no! strange that you failed
to recognize your resemblance to the
picture at first." said the painter, de
termined to be revenged for the slight
put upon his work. "Bur I knew you
would notice the likeness os soon as 1
added those ears."
He Was Sni>**mt5tion».
He wns a big, hearty workingman,
and when n spare, thin little mnn en
tered the train ear, stumbled and sat
upon blm he said In reply to the little
man's topologies:
‘‘Don’t trouble, sir; It’s all right.
There's no 'arm doue.”
When we sow the big man a week
Juier, we were shocked at the change
In him. He fiddled to have shrunk to
half his former bulk.
“Why. whatever's the matter?” we
exclaimed.
"You remember that-little man wot
sat ou me In the train Inst week, sir?”
“Yes.”
“Well. It's all through 'lm I’m wastln
away like this!”
"Preserve us!" we cried. “How?
Why?”
The shrunken giant wrung bis hands
In despair.
“I found out nest day,” he groaned,
“that 'e wns the coroner. An 'e sat on
me! I’m shuperstishus. an It's lcokld
ahead 1 am. Oh. I.or’!”—London Malt
How She fettled the Question.
The question of precedence at dinner
and at social functions at Washington
Is a weighty one la official circles, but
once upon a time there wns o western
senator whose wife thought very light
ly ou this subject. She was In Wash
ington for u good time, and she re
solved to bnve It without bothering
about precedence.
This fearless little woman gave a
dinner on oue occasion, nud when It
wns time to get her guests from the
drawing room into the dining room she
said:
“There Is some precedence about, all
this, but I don’t know what it Is. Just
shoo out to dinner, evefy one of you,
and sit down nuywbere you please.”
This stroke of western diplomacy
worked perfectly.—Exchange.
Triumph of Thrift,
‘The old man seems mighty pleased
with himself.” said Mr. Grlndner’s
coachman.
“Sure,” said the cook. “He’s been
saving all his burned matches for six
months, and this morning be found he
had enough for me to start the kitchen
fire with.”—Indianapolis Press.
or ill* Abundance.
“Your neighbor bus Just given me an
old coat.'Vsaid the tramp. “Can you
give something?” »
"Yes," replied the clergyman. “I will
go through the collection box and find
some buttons to match the coat.”—
Philadelphia. Record,
The Sqnlw and the Summing TJp,
At a lawyers' dinner lu Buffalo one
of the best stories told was of Squire
Murray, who weighed 300 pounds nud
who was bom In Ireland, was tn the
whisky business here and held his
court on the Terrace. The courtroom
was like a courtroom In Ireland. The
bench wns five feet from the floor,
with a chair whose back reached to the
celling. Thu trimmings of the room
were all green. Mr. Lockwood and
Judge Beckwith wore trying out a
cuso before the squire. There was no
Jury. At the close the squire paused.
“Do you wish to sura up?” he asked.
"I leave It all with your honor,” said
Mr. Lockwood, who advises young law
yers with a ticklish cause nnd friendly
face on the bench to do likewise.
“I’ll sum up,” said Judge Beckwith.
“Very well,” replied Squint Murray.
"While you’re at It I'll slip down In
Murray Bros.’ and have a drink with
Lockwood. But I’ll be back before you
finish.”
The squire nnd Mr. Lockwood went
out. The squire was In search of the
spirit of the law at the root of the law.
Mr. Lockwood thinks they had a drink.
On the stairs, half way back to the
courtroom, with the echo of Beckwith's
voice sounding In their ears, the squire
stopped.
“Lockwood,” said ho, “you’ve won
your case.”
Then they went In nnd hoard Beck
with finish summing up.—Buffalo Ex
press.
Methodical Punctuation,
Speaking of W. H. (‘‘Coin") Harvey,
a Chicago man said:
“An amusing Incident took plnco
while Harvey was editor of Coin, a pa
per which he published- In Chicago.
Harvey, In talklug to one of his part
ners, took exception to the want of
punctuation In the paper. There Isn't
enough punctuation,’ he complained,
‘and Coin doesn't look right without It.
There ought to be a comma once In so
often, then so often a colon, and all
the rest. Don't you think so?’ he wound
up apponllngly.
“ ’I da Indeed,’ heartily replied the
partner, who was not wholly devoid of
humor. ‘Tlmfs a gnat idea of yours.
Harvey. If I were you.’ he suggested,
‘I’d draw up a rule to that effect.’
“Harvey thought It over, nnd the
thought commended Itself. The next
(lay, therefore, a rule rending some
what ns follows was posted lu the of
fice of Coin: ‘Hereafter It Is the rule of
tills office that articles appearing In the
columns of this paper must be punctu
ated as follows: Every 12 words shall
carry a comma: every three lines a
semicolon; every four lines a colon; ev
ery five lines a period; exclamation and
question marks may be used as hereto
fore. The employees cf this paper will
please observe this order.’ “—New York
Tribune.
A Failure la Coopering.
A certain man who wns once a
piomlnent Kentucky politician was'
more a demagogue than a statesman.
He was, according to Short Stories, lu
the habit of boasting that his father
was a cooper In an obscure town In
the state—that he wns “odc of the
people” nud didn't belong to the "kid
gloved aristocracy."
The “general's" great falling being
bis fondness for liquor. It will surprise
no one to be told that the more he drank
the more loudly he declaimed Ills
political sentiments and the prouder
of being the sou of a cooper he became.
During u political campaign, where his
opponent was the southern orator, Tom
Marshall, he bad beeu unusually noisy
and offensive In his boasting regarding
his obscure origin. In replying, Mar
shall sold, looking bard at the genefal:
"Fellow citizens, my opponent's
father may have beeu a very good
cooper. 1 don't deny that: hut I do say,
gentlemen, that he put a mighty poor
head Into that whisky barrel.”
Real Klee Uniting,
It may be doubted If a tub bath lu
Jamaica Is a luxury. Tho bathhouses
make a brave show In a row of low
brick buildings In tbe rear of the ho
tels, each little bouse with a big stone
tank for u bathtub,
I' went out to see the baths on my
first day In Kingston and wus surpris
ed to see a sign nailed against the wall
bearing tbe words:
“Gentlemen Are Requested Not to
Use Soap In the Baths.”
“Why are gentlemen requested not to
use soap In tbe baths’/” I asked the ho
tel clerk, a dignified young woman of
dark complexion.
“Because It soils the water and makes
It nnpleasaut for the next bather," she
said.
“But do your guests all bathe in the
same water?” I asked.
“Oh, yes," she replied. “You see, the
tanks are so large and the pipes are
small. It takes all night to fill the
tanks, and the water has to last all
day.”
A Woman's !fo,
“Learn to say ‘no,’ my daughter,” ad
vised the wise mamma.
“But why?” Inquired the coy debu
tante.
“Because It is more fun to beep the
men guessing for awhile.”
Thus we see that woman's “no”
means “guess” in stead of “yes.” as
the proverb would have us believe.—
Baltimore American.
Oan be properly run without being
Advertised,
And no advertising pays better than
newspaper advertising. The news-
paper goes into jbo homes of the
people nud is read through. If bar
gains are offered, they make a note
of it.
a drst-class advertising medium,
As it is read by the people very
generally in tliiH county nnd by
many hi adjoining counties.
AD. IN
And work up your business to a/
payin point.
Our book atid job office is busy turn-
ihg ont first-class job work all the
time, and we propose to give satis
faction at reasonable prices.
If yon need anything in the job
printing line, write to us or see ua
before placing your order.
It will pay you.
RESPECTFULLY
THE SEARCH-LIGHT,