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INDIA'S WAR ELEPHANTS, THEY ARE COURT MARTIALED LIKE HUMAN OFFENDERS. note4 rer XnreW- Mew Tk.se Hm*f talmaU Wrru When Aroa.r I - ritrlr Mamtrarrr* to *av aeUlers fr.tn rnlihmif>i>t lanauri oa Faraile mmtt Battle. Captain Montague W. M vr'.in say* that of all the animals in the world the elephant i* by far the most intelligent. Few people who have not travelled in India are aware of it* extraordinary sagacity. Kverybody will doul'tles* admit that he is tne strong- eat animal living and poe*e*sed of a most marvsllona memory, but beyond this there I* very little knnown or thought about him, excepting that he i* exoeediugly awkward and ungainly to look at. Rut those who have lived in India and viaited places where the elephant convict station* an and who havi met an elephant battery have a little more to say on th* matter. Klephaul* are used for many purpone.i, m' principally for carrying heavy load* from an* part of the country to another. Tbe Indian Government procures the beat of them, whio'- -hey us* M transports and for their artilic . . When guriaou artillery go to India they become either mule or elephant batteries. There are elephant! to eacu nattery. To each gun (forty pounden) are attached tor > elephants tandem fashion, and a third elephant follow* *s a reserve. When they oome to a vry rougu road or steep hill, wnere the twu are unable to pull it, tbe reserve dephaat calcae. hold f the gun behind w.lii uis trunk and Elepnanta are very p*r> icuiar auout taeir rights. For instance, when tortued up on parade, tbe senior or longest serviug eie- nhani take* th* ri{U of tbe rank, tb* ethers forming up iu lucjesiiDU according te their temerity, JtJST UKK tOLDIBlU, the tallest man always taking tne right, the ethers forming on his left according to *i*e. If, lay, No. U elephant, by mistake or otherwise, formed up on tne rigut of No. 7, elephant* No*. 7aadS would push him bodily out of their way. There in quit* frequently a tremendou* row in th* rank*, occasioned by this sort of thing and only topped by the officer ia command shouting "Attention '." 1 uere wa* on*' betury in India of which I took particular notice, ae 1 lay in the ; lame utation with it for along tune; m fact, 1 bei-ame just as well acquainted with the men and elephant* a* if I really belonged to the Daltery. It was known as the first battsry of th* First Brigade of garriaon artillery. We wen stationed at Campbell- pore, near Rowall 1'iudi. Bengal. On one occasion I noticed, as tne battery fell in ae usual for th* morning parade, a scutllj in the centre between two elephaiitu, originat- ing by No. 9 elephant forming up on the right hand aide of No. $ elephant. No. 8 objected to thi* and by reining back out of the ranki and pushing forward again jam- med in between No. 9 and No. 7. being particular to knock a* roughly against No. 9 as possible. No. 9 gunner was angry and ot easily p*>ci6ed. He said No. gunner did it himself and not the elephant. The oonaequcnce wa* a fierce tight. No. 9 proved inure than a match for No. 8 aud kept hitting bin unmercifully, when No. elephant, who had lingered behind the other elephants, apparently suspecting mischief, ran to tbe rescue and, picking No. 9 gunner up with hi* trunk, TliRBW HIM UP INTO Wit All. H* wa. afterward found in an unocnsciou* condition and nvived with difficulty though practically unhurt. No, 8 elephant was brought a* a prisoner to orderly room and charged with violent aasault. It i* a fact that in India elephant* are tried aad punished by reducing their diet, by term* of imprisonment or flogging, all according te the merit of their crime . On a certain occasion then was an after- noon parade ordered. It happened to be pay day, and, a* the canteen had been open all day, some ef th* men were a little late in turning out, but the one that seemed more troubled than anybody else wa* No. ft elephant, who moved about searching for bis absent rider. The ele- phant continually turned his little eye IB the direction of the canteen, and wa* pre- sently rewarded by seeing hi* worthy master running from there with very unsteady steps, but hen within a few feit of the parade ground, the unfortunate gunner fell flat on the ground, and, though struggling bard to git up, appeared utterly incapable of doing ao. His friend, the lephant, took the position in at a glance. In three itrides be waa at tne gunner'* id*, and, picking him up gintly with his trunk and placing him in hi* correct position on hi* head, formed up in hi. proper place on parade, with Burke, the gunner, sitting to attention a* if nothing unusual had occurred. During that afternoon No. 6 elephant went through every movement, including the march past, without a single mistake, although hi* n.ler was practically incap- able of guiding him. The following morn- ing thi lieutenant temporarily in charge of tbe battery aent for Gunner Burke and addressed him as follows: "Gunner Burke, do not run away with the idea that I did not notice your drunken condition on parade yesterday. By right I should nave had you confined to tbe guardroom, but my reason! for not doing no were simply because I knew you to be a clean and in every respect, except being too partial to Shortly after thu I happen*! te be ap- pointed a member of a court-martial enter- ed to aiaamlile at Campbellpor* for the pnrpoee of trying Elephant Abdul (3o. laj for canting the <ieatb of Syce Rtmbnuules. Thu court-martial was certainly the most imprasaive one I had ever witnetesd. The prisoner, with hi* eye* filled with tear*, ws marched in front of u* between an escort composed of No. 2 and Mo. 3 ele pliant*. Along with them oame all tin witnesses. The president of th* cmirt- mar'ial waa Major Cameron, a gray- haired man of the Tnirty-fourtb Kugra* Native Infantry, who had been for years in India. He read the charge* : " Elephant Abdul is charged with causing the death of Syoe rUmbuuclea by catching him by thu legs in hi* truuk and beating h.a brains out againit the wail of tue grun huU" Th* first wit- nes* called WM Bombardier Robert!, who laid he was in th lines at twelve o'clock seeing th* elephant* fed. When the trumpeter sonndsd " feed" h* saw Syo* Ramboucle* ran with a bag of grain toward Elephant AbduL At thu time all the other elephant* were fed, consequently Syce Rambouele* was late in feeding E.ephant Aodul. He, the bom >>ar< tier, ordered the Syoe to hurry and feed him, but he d>d not seem to inove any quicker. As coon ae he approached Elspiiaut Abdul sized him by the legi and DAHHBO HIS BHA1MS DOT against the little grain but. Kiyht Syoe* aid th* .lemmo lull gave iimilar s'atemants When they had onishod, th* president, MILITARY _SIGNALLM HOW COMMUNICATION IS KEPT UP WITH THE MAIN BODY. lae Telrpheiie I .cd ( TraMmll Morae oil* unit .>! fur terka Work ef the Hell* nil mauds IB Ike Front Bank ! This Bra ark. The rapid traunniaaion of nawi, report* and order* has ever been indispensable to the suacew of a campaign. From the ear- lieet ages every good peueral has made it hn tint caie to secure hii oommuuioationi. Ai tinin rolled on, countries became more thickly populated, new route* opened and the primitive imail armies swelled to the mighty post* of the present day till this con- idaration bai now become ef the highest importance. VVuen an army n scattered over a wide track of country, or is separated into dil'erent bodies on the march, victory often depeudf oa the accurate junction of be various force* at a givn point and at a given moment. Therefore, in future wan even more than hitherto the news aivl intelligence deptr'meu', i. . , the army telegraph, in divers forms, will piny alnios a decisive part. tor* of cable U exhausted. Further, a two-horsed waggon goes with each regi- ment, containing thirty kilometre* of tele- graph wire, aiaolrio baiterie* and tool*. Altogether each telegraph contingent can lay tully forty-two kilometre* of line. At the French m.nojuvre. held . few year. age. N " .^ ^ H^^J^"^ ." .. the telegrapn corpa laid in five hours a line of forty tin e kilometre* with ten miorven- ing stations, giving uninterrupted ooniinun- oation between tbe two headquarters. The MARROW ESCAPE PROM DEATH. O*> te UU Ankles ! a.ee .mo we>r A Tale eflhe IxUna WsUlBr. Sergeant F-ri*e-Mjto:.ell, late of the very iaoenoe* of the great Mutiny," deuribe* one ef hi. narrow escapes from death during the siege of Lucknow an eaoape not only the wnoi kilometres long, wa. kept at work'on the j ol<iier with him. On the night i ' capture of the Shah Nujeef it fell to hi* let to patrol the firat two hour* of the night a* corporal in charge of the sen- tries, whilit, the reit of tbe company bivouacked around the piled arms which were arranged ready fur initaut action in the center of the Shah Nujeef. He bad 'cat hi* greatcoat during tbe previousday'* W.'ESE UV TH* during ui* whole of the battle without suffering the slightest interrupt ion, although whole cavalry division galloped UT * r the ground intersected by the telegraph line*, experiment! were also made to give the telegrapiiiit* more freedom in their move- ment*. lhu, a (peaking telephone wa* fixed to thiir headgear, so that tbe wearer ' f might have one hand M liberty whilst the fi -" 1 " nt{ ' ' nd wl:en h " lurn ol Jut * WM other managed tbe transmitter. VV hen from I r be aiked permission from the color- rhe nature of the country the telegraph I sergant to go out of the gate to where the cannot, be u.ed, optical .ignalhrg come* to deild wtn ooUected and get eae of tboee tbe rescue. KnRland stand, in the first rank in thi. ' wh ' oh h * * l W* <Je*eed oom- branch, using elaborate >>su-in* of tlav!*, radee. Color-8urgeaot Morton, tow.i^m bo lantern., limelight *ml the neliugrapb. | applied, refilled saying that tbe captain Optical .Calling po^esse. two iue.ii in. j ha<1 , wlet ,, for MOV.K, leave able advantages over tbe electric telegraph A UOOO gOI.DIKR. Th* noble act performed by your elephant showed that yon were kind to it, and, further, ihoold I hai had you pat in the guardroom, the elephant might poaaibly have thought it had done wrong in lifting you H), *"*' perhaps at another time.where it might be ' i4u!! y the means of caving your lite by *o doing, tbe elephaat might let you lie to die. Just try and keep aober en the next afternoon parade,* who had kept hi* head down the whole time, with the elephant'* deisulter sheet iu m, ni of him, suddenly looked up and glared at the prisoner. Meeing the ele- pliant/* eye* swimming with Mars he said : " It's no ua* ; tkat game won't do me. I am quite accustomed to aee tears anil nev- er take any notice of them. I see by '.hi* defaulter book that you have been guilty of no fewer than sixteen crime* of injuring people, and I have not the iliuhtest com- passion for you." Wo members all agreed with the old major, and after a short ad- journment found Abdul guilty, and aent- enoed him to fifty la*h*a and two year*' imprisonment. When tne elephant wa* marched back a prisoner heroared,not fromgrief for having killed Kamlxiucle*, but for hi* own sake. He anticipated some eevere punishment, especially a* he wa* marched to the pr won shed, where only thoee who are awarded along term of imprisonment are taken. Three Jaysalter 1 wae informed the Hogging prooeee would take plaoe, and a* I wa* very anxious to tee how the gigantic Abdul would stand hi* punishment I resolved to be an eye witness to tbia painful, though neoeeeary, mod* of enforcing discipline. Tbe whole thing struck me as being a moat peculiar tight, but rendered very distress- ing owing to A Wai's pitiful howl* ; but you could not help laughing occasionally at the comical action* of tbe dogger. When I arrived on the aoene 1 found the WMiiI.E BATTBKY D&AWH Or in a square, fourteen elephants forming one side and the non-commia*iond officer* and men the other tbree auies. In the centre were two huge elephants, the prisoner Abdul and bis flogger, Lai la No. I. It alway* fall*) to the senior elephant's lot to inflict the punishment- Beside* these two ele- phante all the officer* of the battery, tbe provoete, the brigade major and the doctor, were in the centre, and elephant* No*. '1 and 3 stood on either plank as an escort in oaie the prisoner might try to aecepe. There were four great irou pegs driven into the gruui.d, to each of which one ef the prisoner's legs wa* obained. Llla No. 1 elephant stood by with a huge cable ehain tautened round her trunk, waiting further order*. When all wa* proaoanced ready the doctor, who stood with a watch in hi* hand, gave the signal to begin. Ltlla railed her trunk in the air, gave it two turn* and down came the cable with terrific force on Abdul's back. A loud thud wa* heard, followed by mm unearthly roar from the unfortunate AbduL Again tbe doctor gave tbe *ignal and down oam* the cable with terrific force, causing nor* roaring. Again and again it oarae down until tbe full number of laibe* were given, after which the prisoner wae marched back to hi* quarter*, trembling from head to foot aud having a few lump* on his back ae the result oi the lashing. The parade wa* di* misted and things went on as usual. Thi* i* an exact description of bow they u*o elephant* in India, all of which can be reri tied by writing to the Civil and Military Qaxette, Lahore, India. Cost of Living In Europe's Capitals. An investigation into the comparative coat of living at the various European capital* result* in the following interesting fact* : At Vienna the prices ot moet arti- cle* of foed are loweet ; at Madrid they are dearer than any ether capital, and snob thing* a* bread, meat, sugar, and coal are very expensive. At St. Petersburg also the price of bread i* ao high that white bread i* (till considered u luxury above the mean* of the working clave*. Next to Vienna, Brussels i* an inexpensive city. I'aiwie a lull* higher iu the settle, hut London i* " terribly expensive." greater moveablenew and security agamit hostile attacks. It is, therefore, better suited than any other system lor use with ki* poet. Tbe Shah Nnjeef wa* a place ot Moham- medan pilgrimage, and around tbe uiaido an advano* body and also tor conmmuica- ; of :.ue four wall* were a number of small tious between skip* and land star ion*. For rooms for th* accommodation of pilgrim*, in.Uu.-e, the heliograph enabled tne beaeix- i winlst in th* centre wa* ed garriion at Caudabor to aend word ef I tbe enemy's positions and to keep up communication over a distance of 77 kilo- metre* with General KoUerta advancing to their relief. In South Africa the Garrison maintained communication through the heliograph belw anon, some, 112 kilo- metre* apart. In Chancery. The fund* in tbe Britmii Court of Chan- eery, in 1S94 amounted to tbe huge total of 64,075,187 **. Id. ; but tl> proportion 01 A 8KKAT DOMKD TOMB, It occurred to ForotuwM.lcnell that bke .Sepoys, who bad ueru routed from the p. ace that day, might have left behind them IB one of these building* eorae nag or coat. With thi* hope he fetoned from on*) of the room* a lamp which wa* burning there, aud (hading the dame wuli hi* Dana walked to the dour of the great torni) ad- joining. He peered into the dark vault, not knowing it wa* tomb, and seeing nothing advanced slowly. He held the lamp high above hi* iwad ami looked oan- | tioualy roand for fear of surprise from a thi. .urn ,n want of owner, i. not stated. ^JStl . nemy . Near the isntr. of the It is interesting to uute that during u.e vault he came to a black heap, five tee* In iu primitive condition*, military sig- nalling can be traced back distinctly to the day* of antiquity in the Trojan war. Tbe Scotch signal led the approach ot their hereditary foe* by meau* of beaoona on hill to pa. One fire beacon denoted that the enemy was coming, two that they were m strong party, aud three beacon* that the force wa* overwhelming. By the same mean* and with the aid of mounted mveaenger* the whole I of Kngland wa* made aware of the approach of the Spanish Armada, In later age* the ' place of the** rude method* wa* taken by " visual" or " optical telegraphy," with which many inventor* appeared in the field, including King Jame* 11, then l)nko of York. At the end of the last century the semaphore wa* imported from France into England and became highly popular. These semaphores consisted of tower* poeted on lofty height* EIGHT HI I.C.- APART. carrying at the top an apparatu* reeembling the present fia*h light system, a* the signal* were conveyed by doling and open- ing shutters at intervals. Afterward* a mast, with two moving arm* superseded the shutter method. A farther development | followed on the invention of the " aerial telegraph" by Claude Cbappe, in 18 2, which wa* utilized moet effectively by Napoleon. Toward* the middle of thi* cen- tury electric telegraphy superseded thi* nysiem, which wa* first used by the Kuglish in toe Indian mutiny. Nearly the whole burden of maintaining the intelligence service in an army corps devolve* upon the cavalry. To lighten this duty many armies have introduced cyclist*, war-dog* and carrier pigeons. The brst two can only be used, however, under certain circumstance*, and th value of the last, at leaat to France, ha* been greatly curtailed by tbe Germans training hawk* to attack them, and bring both pigeon and despatch to the German linos. Iu asveral aruies the communication i* kept up between tbe advance guard and the main body by the telephone, the most popular form of which is the mioro-tele- phone and the Summer. Theee are not need for ipeiking purpose*, but limply a* a mode of transmitting the M one sign of dot and dash, which i* much more eaiy to understand than the human voice. By mean* of the telephone the cavalry can in- tercept the enemy'* despatches, can restore interrupted communication or establish new line* with the shortest expenditure of time. THC riKLD TXI.KUKAl'll SEKVI. in the French army i* particularly will organized. Each cavalry regiment contains six telegraphist* in two group* of three men apmce. This telegraph troop is more like an independent technical division than an actual bgting body. Each telegraphist car- ries a tiny electric battery iu hi* holster pocket besides a telephone in bi* shoulder belt in*ia.l of cartridges. A light single- honed waggon accompanies the regiment, carrying four coil* of telegraph cable, each half a kilometre in length. When a line i* to be laid, the first telegraphist of the first group goes on in advance, taking on his back in a small box one of the coils, which unroll* a* he Roe* along. The second man follow*, also carrying a coil and a light bamboo pole with hook*. He guide* tbe cable of the first coil an it unrolU, protecting it from injury when paasing over boughs of tree*, wall*, hedge*, and ditcbee. Tbe third man remain* at the starting point of line. Tbe second group of telegraphists follow ith thi waggon, and are ready to relieve tbe firat detachment at soon a* their preceding year payment* were made to luuoeasful claimant* and others amounting to I6,.T24,15'A 3s. There is alao a large urn in court under the heading "Foreign Currencies," made up of rupee*, crown*, dollar*, florin*, francs, guilder*, lire, and maras. Reference should alao be made to a long list of boxes and other miaoelianeon* effect* remaining in tne custody of the Bank of England, on behalf of tiia Supreme Court of Judicature. An official list of the title* of Chancery cause* undealt with for fifteen yean or upward is published triennialiy ; but, a* the name* of the tes'.atora or person* entitled to the fund* are in the majority of cases not stated, the information u of little value to the general public. To give an instance : In l.S-'.'i Nathaniel Briggs, one of the next of km of Thomae 8torke, who died in 176O, was advertiaed for by order of the Court of Chancery . The fund wa* not claimed ; and in the latest list of dormant funds we find the title of the Chancery suit given thus : "Pomeroy v*. Brewer." No mention u mad* that the next of kin of Thomas Stork* are wanted. An idea of the large DU nber of similar oaeee may be gained from the tact that the lut of unclaimed fund* till* IS" page*. Thi* lilt is only an index to the title* of acoounU, and is not in any nenae either a register of next of kin wanted, or of lapsed legaciee, intestate*' estate*, unclaimed dividends, pnz money, *to. Grim Highlanders. My father had no end of anecdote* about our ancestor*, part* of which I remember, though I wa* only a *cbool-room child of under fourteen when I heard him relating them, say* a writer in Black wood's Mag- azine. I was, however, old enough to feel keenly interested in them. One story that impressed me very muoh wa* related to account for tbe origin of tbe Clan Macmtyre. A party of MaodonnelU on one occasion were out in a boat, when a knot of wood sprang out causing a serious leak; whereupon one of the party stuck in his linger to fill the hole ana then out it off with his dirk, thus saving the life of the whole psrty. From this circumstance his descendant, were called the Macintyrea, or Son* of the Carpenter. Another story which I heard my father tell reUted to the bloody hand which ap- pears in our coat of arms. A doubt havirq arisen as to whicii of two brother* a certain eitate belonged, it wa. agreed that he whose flesh and blood should first touch the property was to be regarded a* the rightful owner. Accordingly, the two young men started into two boat* for tbe land in question. On* of them seeing that he was losing hi* race, when near the shore pulled out bis dirk, cut off hi< hand, and tl.rew it on land, thu establishing hi* right to the property, a* hi* flesh and blood had touched it nr*t. Its Name. There i* a pretty story told about the naming of the Mareohal Niel roee. When the famous General N iel of Franco- A ustrian War, returning from the aoene of his many victories, passed through a certain small town, one of the peasant women of tbe plaoe presented to him abaeketof beautiful yellow roses. One of the flower* still clung to a portion of the root, and Niel, enamored of the flower, transplanted it to hi* garden in Part*. It thrived in its new soil and when a large buah, covered with hloasom*, he presented a* a gift to the Kinpres* Ku- genie, She wa* greatly plemed with the flower, and on inquiry fonnd it had no name. She smiled at the General significantly, and said, " Then I will be the one to give it a name," and added, graciously, " I will christen it tbe ' Man-dial Niel,' " and at the lams moment she bestowed upon the man tbe Jewelled emblem which revealed to him hi* promotion and gave him tbe title Marshal of France, high, whioh felt to his feet as though h* were walking on looe* sand. Ha lowered the lamp to see what it was, and with a tart of terror discovered that he wae tandiug up to thu ankle* in looee gun- powder ! Forty hundredweight of it lay in front of him, while to tbe right and left were barrel* of gunpowder, twenty or thirty in number, and with luer* fixed to them, over a hundred eight- inch sneile and a miscellaneous max ot stow matched port fires, and spare fuse*. Describing in* seusaliou* at thu moment Forbes-Mitchell say* : "My hair literally stood on end ; 1 felt the skin ef my head lifting my feather bonnet off my scalp ; my knee* knocked together, and despite i he chilly night air, a cold perspiration bunt out all over me and ran down my face and lev*. I bad neither cloth nor handkerchief in my pocket, and there wa* not a moment to be lost a* already tna overhanging wiuk of the) lamp wa* threatenmgto cried its smoulder- ing rod tip into the live magazine at my feet, with consequences TOO KHKiHTTL TO OONTIHrLATB. Quick a* thought 1 put my left hand under the downdrooping flame, and clastwii it with a grasp of determination. Holding it firmly I slowly turned to the door and walked out with my knee* knocking one against the other." When he got outaid* he poured th* oil out of tbe lamp into hi* burnt hand, and kneeling down thanked God for having laved him and all the men lying round from horrible destruction. A bumorou* aspect i* given te the a lair by the color- sergeant who had refused Forbes- Mitchell to leave the piled arm*. When every precaution had been taken, he proposed to the captain that Forbei- Mitchell should be placed under arrest for disobeying order* by leaving hi* poet after permission to do so had been refused. Karly nex- morning the ammunition wa* removed to a place of safety, and the work of removal completed before the enemy from a fort across '.be river commenced firing sneil and red hot hot straight for the door of the tomb, showing that they believed the powder wan till there, and hoped to explode it and blow up the whole place. Needed a Change. There are some thing* which even the poor may get more of than is neomsry. The Indianapolii Journal telUthata weary and hungry man fell from sheer famtnee* by the wayside, A crowd gathered at once, and an otfic- iou* bystander bustled forward, shout- ing : Stand back ! Givu him air ! The fainting man rallied ind sat up. Air 1 he gasped. Give me air t Why, gentlemen I've bad nothing but air tor tbree day*. Too Previous. I oould get a heap more advertising out of this ride, hoarsely muttered Paul Rev- ere, bouncing up and down in hi* saddle, if I were doing it on a pneumatic tired bi- cycle. Cause and Effect. He There is something wrong with my watch. : t doesn't go. She That n.iMt be due to the unconscious power of personal influence. A Reflection. Landlady I'm alway* forgetting de> you lake cream ia your coffee, Mr. Spines' Mr. Spluda (apeesim stio l>oarder) Very seldom in thi* bouse, madam. A Correction. Turnpike Walkei Oh, Willie, Willie, what a hollow mockery you are. Willie Work (with dignity) Hallow, perhaps Mr. Walker, but not the other. The Flower Maid. What flower is your favorite? She lisped-: I fain would know, air, And he, the practical, replied: You'll have to a*k my grocer.