ALL ABOUT ZABREN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16003, 20 February 1914, Page 3

ALL ABOUT ZABREN.

"MARS RULES THE HOUR."

THE CROWN PRINCE AGAIN

(Fbom Oub Own- Corbespondent.) LOiNUUN, January 7. It seems the recall 01 wio Crown Princo of Germany troin jj&iftig where, as too la-ad ot His Hussars, lie" lias revelled out two ytars of ' disciplinary ' bunisnnient, does not signify a reconciliation wir.h tlic jvaisor at all, but oniy anotner punishment lor irresponsibility. In ibli, wiien Germany ana England were waving tneir arms at eacn otner, tne Crown Jfr.noe eat in mo ganery 01 tine Ke.chstag and audibly approved of sundry anti-Briusn utterances. Wnereupon the Aa-iser sent him off to Hast Prussia in displeasure, and waited two long yeurs expectant ot tlic contrite heart, liut tne baniShmont oiviy served to make tno Drown Prince more and more irresponsible, and people began to think the stern lather would some aay relent. 'lhe day seemed to have arrived when the i J nnce got notice to pack up and conw to the hc»adquart.ors start' at Berlin. East Prussia .waved him u. sad farewell and ottered him a free villa on the shores of tne Baltic. But now it appears the move is only another measure of discipline. The Crown Prince is not to bw " of the general staff in ,the fullest sense. In fact, ho is to occupy in the War Office something the position of a pieco of string, " wholly subordinate." tie was not invited to the Kaiser's New Year dinner to the Commanding General, but he was " ordered to attend after tho dinner and listen for 24 hoars to what the War Lord thought oi tho manoeuvres of 1913. All this severity, it seems, is duo to the action of the Prince in sending a telegram of congratulation to Colonel von Renter, the unlortiinato colonel of the regiment that kicked 'over the traces at Zabern. THE ZABERN COURT-MARTIAL. At present Uoionel von neuter is on trial at strassuurg, Witn .Lieutenant Sonad, in conntction with tne Aisacu trouble. Tne umes describes tne coionel as " a tali, narrow-cnested, small-headed man, witn cfose-cropped grey hair, a Heavy moustacne, a. small fortanead, a largo nose, protruberant cheekDones, and large, ouistanamg tars." 'i-his unhappy-looking oilicer declared : " I acted according to law and r.gut, duty and conscience-^and J. may aad tnat, in iiKe c»rounwtances 1 should not in iature aot otherwise." rie sa.d he came to Aleace at his own wisn, lull ot goodwill to-wards Alsatians, and attempted to establish friendly relations with che local press. All went well till a satirical poem appeared in the Zabern U-a/.ette. Shortly aiierwards a leakage in ins confidential instructions to othcers begun— a tiling unprecedented m h.s experience. He nad notning against Alsat.ans, but his relations witn the civil, and especially the judicial, authorities was anotner question. Alter a street scuffle between soldiers and civilians, tho former were punished and the latter acquitted. Hence he wrote to tho Burgomaster demanding that the police should protect tho soldiers. He instructed the soldiers to use their weapons m selfdefence, so energetically that there should bo no difficulty in establishing the identity of the assailants. When Lieutenant von Forstner's remarks against wackes (rascals) were divulged in the press, he made inquiry and found Lieutenant von forstner's conduct ill-considered but not punishable. Ho, Colonel von Reutcr, had received insulting letters and post-cards. Crowds had collected in the streets and whooped like Indians. When Lieutenant l&iiod was sent out the street was black with people who were insulting tho soldiers. "MARS RULES." The President: About how many people were there? Colonel von Reuter: Forty or fifty, perhaps a hundred. I stood by the side of the iieutonant in order to give the order to fire if needful. Tho district administrator had asked him whether he would let it come to bloodshed, and he had replied: " Yes, blood may flow, and in certain circumstances it would be a Rood thing that blood should flow, for wo are defending tho prestige and honour_ of the whole army." He was convinced that the Government was letting tho reins of authority trail. As to the views of jurists he had replied: "Here is where jurisprudence ends," and it had been on the tip of hi 6 tongue to say " Mars rules the hour." At this point Colonel von Reuter read a passage from a Prussian Cabinet Order of 1820, instructing the military authorities to assume control of public, order in case of need. He trad no doub',6 as to the validity of this order, especially in tho Reichsland, adding : " I am a Prussian officer. I command Prussian troops, and I execute the orders of my king." , THE ETHICS OF FISTICUFFS. Lieutenant Schad then made a statement. Ho is a slender youth, 19 years of age, who addressed the court as though it were an awkward squad of recruits. His orders were to arrest and interrogate the persons who were shouting. " The first I arrested," ho said. '" was the bank clerk Cahn, who laughed at me." "Did you see him laugh?' inquired the president: " No, but I suspected him of laughing. When we cleared the street the workmen

went away quietly, but the gentlemen from the courthouse refused. The Public Praaeeiitor was positively provocative. As the people were too cowardly to insult, us to our faces and the worst elements hid themselves in the crowd, we had to be guided by presumption. I was obliged to force open a number of front doors."

-~A R J"'' 10 arrest of judges of the Zabcrn Civil Tribunal, the judges had remained standing in the streets after orders had been given to move on. One judge said to Lieu'"nantSohad, " I take no orders from you." I hat judge was, of course, arrested. As to '''inching a civilian's head, witness said th.ii is a,n oflicor ho stood too high above tin people to come to fisticuffs with them in tin street. Wherever he susuccted people o; laughing ho arretted them. -The evidence of tho District Administra tor showed that from the first there had' been no co-operation between Colonel von Reuter and the civil authorities Witney intervened only when the street troubles began, and gave instructions that the military must be protected from insults. He required the burgomaster to give tho necessary instructions to the police and gendarmerie One afternoon the police received a letter from Colonel von Reuter threatening a proclaiiMfcon of martial law. He replied that lie had taken all the necessary measures, and that the right to proclaim martial hvr {ay with the Emperor. A few minutes later he received a note from Colonel von Reuter .to the effect that a fresh crowd was cnilc,*mg in the street. Thereupon he .and the burgomaster went for a walk and found that three-quarters of the crowd consisted of women and children. The police made about du arrests.

THE STATTHALTER'S INSTRUCTIONS. The people wore annoyed by the patrols with fixed bayonets, and by Lieutenant \on forstners standing in his verandah smoking a cigarette. Colonel von Reuter had repeatedly asked him to come and see him bus he had refused upon the cxprecs instructions of tho Sbitthalter of Alsace-Lorraine who had safd that if the colonel wanted anything from the Krekdirektor he was to visit him. He had asked the factory owners to exercise a soothing influence upon the'r men, and had also requested the voting officers to appear in the streets as little as possible. Everything went well until the office™ had a guest-night, and made a great deal of noise in the street. He-wont" out and met L'oiit<mant Sell ad with a patrol of four men. He told him that he had no right to arrest' anyone, and that he must hand the person over to the police. He was under the imnression that Lieutenant Felnd was drunk There wa« 'a discussion between Herr Mvlil and tho lieutenant as to degrees of :nsol.vi"tv—the difference betwoen beir<r " hntvniiken" nnd being " anjretninken." Herr M.'hl :"id riho IWcnant wis "iTVo-etrnnlcer! '• but t . n n()(J tnaf -,Tf-> Ol he had ohyouslv dnink mor« th*»n his rVrst required, ho did not dishonour his uniform.