Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-02-03
YANKEE SOLDIERS
HELD bLAMELESS
General Harts Proves Paris
Paper False in Crime
Charges.
PUBLICATION DOESN'T REPLY
Police Records Show Dough-
boys Behavior to Have
Been Commendable.
ny NABoTH HEDrN.

BY NABOTH HEDIN.
PARIS. Feb. 2.-The reports of law
lessness on the part of the American
soldiers in Paris are unfounded," said
General Williams IIarts. commander OF
American forces in the Paris area, to-
day
lie Matin has failed absolutely to
produce proofs of It's sensational "reve-
lations" last week, in which IL asserted
that the records of the Paris police
showed 159 holdups to have been COM
mitted By American soldiers during a
single week: American officials we're
Far from following up Of original
charges. lie Matin is now silent and the
whole subject has been dropped by the
Investigation meanwhile has estab-
sihshed shas. that that the Paris police .blotter
entire year of 1918, involving American
soldiers, including automobile acct
dents. the majority of the other cases
refusal to pay restaurant bills. for
which moral Justification is easy these
days.
French records since January of
| this year arc not available, but those
or the military police show that during
December, 1918, l73 arrests were made,
leave, which is a breach of discipline
rather than crime. In most Instances
soldiers overstayed their leaves. There
were In the same month eighteen cases
or impersonating officers. an oTrcnse
frequently committed by men not con-
nected with our army
ONLY 100 ARRESTS MADE
HI N. Il. IN JANUARY
During January of this year the
American military police made 100 ar
rests rests. of which ffty-five were for alb
cluded ofrenscs such as petty larceny
niwi,,, and selling Ing cigarettes to French
charges, however. have been extremely M neIy
rare.
During 1918 the French police re-
Yet the American forces stationed in
the Paris area have been varying from
400 to 1900, which is the present
| twenty and thirty years of age. Which
corresponds to the number of young
men IN an average city of 100000 in
In addition. there pass through Paris
daily between 1000 and 5000 Ameri-
| to blow OF: steam, In city fiiied1Wsttss
saloons and other places of 9ienhta.
y nSn; = l. Re msa,skae,y fsw OF these men
bear this out Is TO compare Withs tho no
Paris records those OF any American
city with an equal number OF young
men conCrexating for good times"
FRENCH OFFICIALS COMMEND
DEPORTMEST OF ANERICaNS
The French officials" said General
n marts to-day. give, the highest testi-
monlais TO the good average behavior
o1, or OUT our men: men The arrests include .wo
s6ullient spirits who do not mean
harm. som etimes coming without
proper ieave and. second. a small per-
2.oo0.000 necessarily contains
While fighting. under the strictcst
discipline. the men remained away.
now some desert and inevitably ;urn
70 Paris, which is the most fruitful
ieId Tor their operations. For rack
ing .hese criminals we need detectives
1t is absolutely untrue that the
average American soldier has become
! sh~. eIw1ess, onr men, on the contrary. have
'navior. and French officials corrohoratc 10
The supposed arrival of an American n
who was heralded by some OF the
stench newspapers as an American
sherlock Holmes. has an amusing
ordinary doughboy whose erroneous
Motel registration-since he was unable
no,isa TO read French-caused some French
read Eng!ish-to conclude he was a
police ''prefec;" -
YARN BASED ON CONFUSED
IDEA GAINED FROM MOVIES
Ihe whole yarn of excessive Ameri-
can crfminality has been concocted. i,
appears, from that confusion mixed
with Inspirations from moving pictures
anu detective stories. American de-
serterS who ran out OF MONEY robbed
couple OF freight cars outside Paris,
and this was one Of the incidents gro
tesquely exaggerated
entire period OF the war contirn; the
assertion that the American soldiers
hahsvos haHs osen; and are. exceptionally well
! arrests is infnitesimaIly small.