THE CASE OF LIEUT

The New York Times
Published: March 04-1901


THE CASE OF LIEUT. -- Cable advices from Berlin have already reported the sentence of twelve year s penal servitude and expulsion from the army, inflicted by a Metz court-martial upon Lieut. Rugrer for shooting a comrade, Capt. Adams. German papers of a fortnight ago devoted considerable space to the case not only because, under the new law, it was the first occasion when court-martial proceedings were made entirely accessible to the public, but because the case in itself was unique, for Lieut. Ruger killed Adams in order that the latter might not kill his elder brother, Staff Surgeon Ruger in a duel. The tragedy took place in MSrchlngen, in Lorraine, on the Kaiser's birthday last January. The officers were celebrating the event, and most of them had partaken, freely of light wines and champagne, when a beer-drinking contest was proposed, called " Bierjunge," -which means that at command every glass must be emptied at one draught, and the man who fails to do so treats the company. Capt. Adams refused to drink, and when called to order began to-upset and break the glasses in his vicinity. Staff Surgeon Ruger and his brother caught him by the wrists to restrain him. He managed to get his hands free, and struck Staff Surgeon Ruger a light blow on the cheek, followed up by a heavier blow. Surgeon Ruger asked for an apology, but Capt. Adams left the room and went home. The officers remaining decided that a duel was inevitable in the circumstances, and the conditions were finally , ten paces, and the combat to continue one of the parties should be hors de combat. Two Captains were dispatched to Capt. Adams's rooms to convey the challenge, while Surgeon RUger remained In the room, saying: " I cfi.nnot see my wife and children till my honor Is vindicated."' At this juncture a me arrived from his wife which read: " Come home, the baby has fever." Lieut. Rtiger then Quietly left the company, and arrived at Adams's rooms before the bearers of the challenge. They came in a few moments later in time to,witness the shooting, but not to prevent it. Adams was shot through the heart the moment he entered the room in order to receive Th% asserted that the occurrences of the evening had sorely worked upon his nerves; he was deeply attached to his brother and to his brother s children, and the thought that they might^ be left without support through the Impending duel * almost drove him crazy: he also admitted that he had been in a state of intoxication (im Rausch) at the time. The court found that manslaughter had been committed, and that the action was unpremeditated, and that there were no mitigating circumstances. *^* A NEW DECORATION ron FRANCE.-In the future Frenchmen who go Into the interior of Africa and come out again alive or those who write important books about Africa are. if their efforts are deemed of sufficient honor to Prance, to be decorated with a. special medal, This decoration will at first be conferred upon those who have taken part in the different missions that have been engaged in the centre of Africa, between Lake Tchad and the High Oubangui. will be in two classes. The first will be in the form of a gold medal, for French officers and men. engraved " Central Africa." and the second, which may be conferred upon foreigners or native troops for " distinguished service." is a silver medal with a similar inscription. . SrccEss OF THE BRITISH SoiiALi EXPEDITION.-Recent advices received at Downing Street from Lamu, British East Africa, indicate that the punitive expedition sent into the territory of the Ogaden Somalia to exact reparation for the murder of Mr. Jenner. the British Sub-Commissioner of Jubaland, has been successful, Aff Muclu. the headquarters of the Ogaden Somalis, being occupied by the British and the Sultan made prisoner. The rising of the natives, which culminated in the murder of the Sub-Commissioner, was noticed in these columns last December. MoKtilities uga.in1/2t white travelers had for some time been inspired by a. " holy man " named Abdulla Ashur, who proclaimed himself an incarnation of Mohammed. In consequence, trade with tne interior greatly suffered, although until the murder of Mr. Jenner the official reports of the British Consul General, Lieut. Col. Haves Sadler, gave only a passing allusion to the long-standing disorder of the tribe in question. The expedition sent among the Ogaden Somalis Is chiefly composed of Indian troops, who will completely establish British authority in every quarter of the protectorate before retiring. *oo STRIKE OF LADIES' TAILORS IN PARIS.The strike among ladles' tailors in Paris was extended a fortnight ago by about 05,000 dressmakers and seamstresses employed by 1.950 establishments going out, and joining the cutters and fitters who are for the most part men. It is said that should the strike continue into the season employed In the making of Summer clothIng it will seriously affect important woman s clothing houses all over Europe, while the strikers can obtain plenty of profitable work by setting up for themselves, as many of them have already done. Another report is that preparations are being made In Paris for the establishment of a large union tailoring institution to be operated In opposition to the well-known and fashionable Paris tailors whose employes are out on strike. About 4,000 tailors and gathered recently in the Bourse du Travail, where many addresses were read. One woman read out the demands of the women strikers, saying that whatever might be .-:o'! at other occupations, in tailoring women should receive the same wages as men if not higher. Her demands for herself and fellow- were: Right hours a day, for lOf.; 2f. 50c. per hour for overtime: two hours for luncheon and dinner: the workrooms to be swept at least twice a day, during the time that the " slaves " were at their meals. *a* THE POLISH NATIONALIST MOVEMENT.The Berliner Correspondenz, which after a series of articles showing that an uprising in German Poland was Inevitable this Spring, suddenly became silent, has again renewed Its attacks, this time dealing with statistics. In the meantime the police have been making elaborate investigations, particularly in the province of West Prussia, and although few arrests have been made many books and papers In the Polish language have been confiscated. The Correspondenz is astonished that the authorities In Russian Poland have not heeded their warning, for, according to this organ, Warsaw is nurturing a volcano which at any moment may set all Central Europe aflame. The local Court of Strasburg, in West Prussia, has ordered the confiscation of a. photograph of which the following Is part, of the official description: " The picture represents Christ sitting under the cross and lovingly consoling a woman dressed in black and laden with chains, who is kneeling before Him. The flags lying beside the figure of Christ contain the dates of the three partitions of Poland-1772. 1793, and J.795. The dates 1794. 1830, 1848, and 1863, which are Inscribed In large figures, edged with white, on the border of the woman s skirt, refer to the four great Polish rebellions. The date May 3, 1791, is that of the promulgation of the Polish Constitution, c. The legend, in Polish, ' The moment of redemption is not yet come,' also figures in the picture." According to the most recent anti-Polish article in the Correspondenz, Poles have not only increased In numbers In the eastern provinces of Prussia, which once formed part of the Polish Kingdom, but have established large Polish colonies In Silesia and In the west of Prussia. It declares that between 1890 and 1898 the Polish-speaking population of Westphalia increased from 27.000 to 150.000; that of the Rhine Province from 6,000 to 23.000; that of Silesia from 994,000 to 1.023.000. The census of 1890 gave 3,000,000 as the number of Prussian subjects who spoke Polish as their native language, while the recent census will probably show a great Increase over 'this number. On the other hand, the paper points out that the German colonies in the Polish districts have gradually declined In strength and energy and that In many towns the administration of affairs is entirely in the hands of the Poles, who are thus able to devote the local funds to defraying the expense ofr teaching the Polish language In schools,' which, while designated as " private," are In reality supported by the community. The paper places the number of Polish Nationalists at over 100,000. while the Nationalist societies have increased in the last ten years from 300 to more than 994.