CAPTIVES IN WAR.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11563, 16 June 1900, Page 6

CAPTIVES IN WAR.

. The captive in war has ceased to be I regarded as a chattel, the spoil of war, and is now looked npon bb a fighting asset of whose services the enemy are deprived by his oaptivity, of whioh that alone is the objeot. The anoient Irish oannlbalß, says a writer in the Globe, cooked their captives, having a pteference for certain joints. The drnids, a more religious folk, enclosed their prisoners in hog* wicker idols and burnt tbem as Idols an 1 burnt then as sacrifices. Among th.< Romans tbe sufferings of fallen enemies were lesß speedily terminated, for it was recognised both by the Romans ani their enemies that a soldier once a prisoner was lost for ever to his oountry. It was forbidden by law to ransom a Roman soldier, and it was very rare for a Roman general to accept a ransom from a Barbarian foe. After figuring in the general's triumphal progress through tbe streets of Rome, one of the band of "fettered warriors who followed his ohariot, the captive was dealt with aa a slave. Oharlemange, after slaying in battle the bnlk of the Saxon army, had 4,500 Saxon prisoners beheaded in 000 l blood. Henry V. after Aglncourt, fearing an attaok on his camp, pnt to the sword a large number of French prisoners whom he had with him. Again, Maironaldns, > when he invaded Sicily at the end of tbe twelfth oentury, thought fit to deal somewhat summarily with his prisoners Most of them _c buried alive. The ecolealautios he burned. ' Those whom he treated with the greatest leniency he threw into the sea.' Bnt the most interesting episodes of the history of this subjeot ate those dealing with tha