TRIED FOR COWARDICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6099, 4 June 1881, Page 7

TRIED FOR COWARDICE.

The court-martial' cm Colonel llalcolmson was opened at Bombay on April 13 before the same officers who tried Major Currie. The charge was one of misbehaviour before the enemy, amounting to cowardice, in the following instances .-—First, in'having openly expressed to General Burrows his desire to abandon the guns laden with wounded officers and men and push on to Candahar, giving as his reason that the enemy's artillery were pursuing them, and that three companies of Native Infantry in advance at Askukana required aid ; secondly, in having outmarched the rest of the retreating force and placed a distance of three miles between himself and the guns laden with wounded, although ordered by General Burrows not to lose sight of them ; thirdly, in having at the beginning of the retreat, while General Nuttall, with the rear guard, was employed in placing the- wounded and tired men on the baggage animals, proposed to retire at once, assigning as'his reason that he saw a strong body of calvalry advancing^; which was not the fact.; fourthly, in having, when commanding a regiment, among which were the guides on whom the retreating force depended for the direction of the night march, marched to'Atafearey,' and for a time abandoned the wounded! and tired men, reaching two hohrs before'the rear guard, although* ordered ,by Geiieral Nuttall to .more slowly. Generals Burrows and Nuttall were called on the first day of the trial, and gave evidence to the effect that the prisoner "repeatedly urged a" retirement before i the wounded had 'been attended vto. Their cross-examination. was reserved, at • the prisoner's request. - Lieutenant John Monteath, who was examined on the second day, stated that on the alarm being raised at Askukana the prisoner said to several officers, "Can you not persuade General Burrows to retire and abandon the cuns?" He added that the prisoner seemed highly flurried and excited,, and the witness himself felt rather despondent about ever getting, out .of the: affair successfully. The next witness, Colonel Leach, . stated that! the. question of retiromcnt had been openly discussed at Askukana, and the prisoner: was only giving his opinion; The l trial is proceeding.—Times' Telegram. " i . . -