Republican farmer., 1919-08-08

Sioux Falls, g. D., Aug. 4-The
 brutal treatment of American soldiers
 at Prison Farm No. 2, near Paris
 now under Investigation by a sub-
 committee of the House of Represen-
 tatives of which Congressman Roya
 C. Johnson of South Dakota is Chair
 man was an ugly reality for one Sioux
 himself was a prisoner at this camp
 for . period of two months. and wit
 messed many of the shocking thins1
 that occurred there.
 Smith had in his possession the
 charge sheets giving the character o1
 the offenses, dates, specifications
 charUes and names of witnesses
 which he brought back from France
 with him. These charge sheets are
 extremely vivid in their description
 of the various acts of cruelty enum-
 erated. Clifford Smith for a period
 of nine weeks was at Tours as a wit
 ness during court martial proceed
 lngD.
 "I was court martialed and sem
 fenced to three months at hard labor
 in Prison Farm No. 2, under Lieut..
 Hard Boiled" Smith. I was fined
 two-thirds of my pay for three
 months and reduced from rank of corporal to buck private. l had . furlough to Nice. which was the first time I had been away from my outfit for Il months. but I was caught in forbidden Paris without a pass. That was my crime"
 The cruelty charges were filed di- rectly against the sergeants in charge. as shown by the reports in Smiths possession. but they natur- ally passed the buck" to Lieut.. hn in turn told the Congressional com mittee that he was acting strictly under orders from Major Gen. F. s. Strong and Col. E. F. Grinstead.
 Clifford Smith tells the following thrilling story of his experiences in the prison camp. sections of which bhow conditions about as bad as ever existed in darkest Russia:
 "I volunteered in the army on Dec. 20, 1917, being past the draft age. and went to France the last of February, 1918. We were promised a furlough every four months. but on account of the emergency I did not get q day off until after the armistice was signed. I had worked hard all this time, and was mighty glad to do 1t.
 "On Nov. 14 several men of our company were given furloughs to Nice. We were at that time at Mont- faucon, in the Argonne Woods sector. We all went to Paris to catch the Nice train. American soldiers were not allowed in Paris (for some un- known reason), yet that was the city that every American soldier wanted to soc. All the American papers printed there gave details of the great things that were being done there for the amusement of the American sol diers: so for that reason the men who had been at the front for long time were anxious to sse Paris.
 ''So we were told to take the next train out and given a pass until that time Another soldier. Frank T. Flynn and I started for the train. but rot confused and missed 1t. We were told by other American soldiers and Q couple of military police that since the arn,Astice had been declared no arrests had been made for being in Paris. Neither Flynn nor myself had ever broken an army rule. but thought 1t would be all right to stay . day in Paris before starting for Nice.
 "The next evening we were caught in . raid on Y. M. c. A. for A. W. o. L. (absent without leave) and were taken to the St. Ann's hotel and
 
 was . dirty lousy. unsanitary place. From St Ann's we were taken in trucks to the old French prison. the Bastille. It was a cold winter night that we were taken across-about a lE-minuto ride in an open truck. We had no hats. coats or overcoats on, but were taken in our shit sleeves, even though we were warm when we started from working all day long at double time.
 "At the Bastille we were put into stone cells. two men in cell. There was no fire. and part of the window lights were broken out. We were, as I stated. in our shirt sleeves. and had 10 sleep. or try to sleep. on hard boards with no blankets. At this same time it was cold enough to frcsa icicles on the big drain just out s.dc. Sick men and we'll men were | treated alike. I slept with a man ehaf had had his legs shot to pieces with shrapnel. who had missed his l train by an hour. going from hos pitai. He was . physical wreck and vUsy weak. yet had to stand that treatment.
 Prom the Bastiie we were taken to , prison at Schelles. . little town i Bbout z6 miles out of Paris. and put A Q prison known 00 SCn0tIe9 TT13On. We stayed there all night. In the morning we were lined up and looked vver by the pi<son 3erxsants. who 1 look for themselves our russet shoes l Bnd good 1egnngs. !
 '.A<tsr spending the night and fore | Doon at schelies ws were marched 10 | prason. Farm No. !. which was about | v Kilometres away. GA big farm | ewned by . Afr. 1a1enin, where he for- | DnGay kspe race horssA) Here we | Uw<~ searched ana all our valuables | tnfen away. Thoss who had on good | Ihoss or clothes had to take them off | and give them to the prison Sergeants | eur shssr own psrsoaal use. Even bs- | 1ors the men were oh~c1ked into the | pe4Don the 6srgeAn:s iocked them over | And d1vadsd their oaothes and shoes. | 1Gnc1dnAws wero very popular with Il s1e ssrgsAn4s. and mon That were saek | anA warm from tho long hike were | compelled eo stand around In tho cold | WoeAout any ovsrcoats. while the Ser | BoAmeD put them on and wors them | 1< q ps1sonsr protest06 and cd not |
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