The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-30

"the crowd" meaning Smith and Col.
Brinstead. furnished him with council
In the person Of an officer named Noble.
HE was one Of their own friends"
| Ball said, and I'd never been In trouble
before. I'd never been in a court, SO 1
| didn't know what 70 do. Noble told rs
carefully what to say and we said Z,
though we knew II wasn't the truth. But
! he promised he'd get us OF with fine
OF two-thirds pay for six months, or
something like that"
Feels He Deserves Punishment.
do you feel you've been unjustly
punished with term OF six months?"
| Mr.. Johnson asked.
mo. sir. did It and guess I de-
serve some punishment. / have no kick
only for Gods sake don't send me TO
Leavenworth. There's one Of the SER
| geants from Farm No. 2 laid out In the
hospital there now
Col. Donaldson. In discussing the gen.
eral aspects of the case with the COM
mittee, admitted that he had advised
against the giving of publicity to the de-
tails. now that II Is all over
III felt that no useful purpose would
be served and that many good people
/ here would be disturbed at the Stories"
he said. II think that under the cir
cumstances as much punishment was
dealt out to those responsible as was
possible. It all happened when things
were at high tension and when everyone
was very busy fighting"
Chairman johnson announced that the
committee will sail for France on August
to 60 into further details on the ground
and to develop phases Of the inquiry
connected with the purchase and sale Of
property and supplies in France.
That" he said, rs a huge job, but
we have reports that must be looked
| into"
According TO the evidence, brutalities
against prisoners were almost universal
| In the prison camps in France. No high
officers ever were brought to account for
| the general condition or for repeated
specific instances of criminal treatment.
Underlings, like the notorious Hard
| boiled" Smith, were tried. but witnesses
| at the trials were terrorlzed into SOFTEN
| ing their accusations and the accused
| got Off lightly indeed. Many Of them
slipped out of the army because, In the
| opinion again of the inspecting officer,
the prosecutors were convinced they
could not get convictions against them
| In the courts-martial of the A. Il. F.
Responsibility for outrages in the
Paris area was put squarely up to Brig
| Gen. w. w. Harris. the American mill
| tary commander in Paris. Chairman
| Johnson stated after the hearing that
| the committee would take the first OPP
portunity to bring this officer before
| them According to Mr.. johnson, he is
| as close to President Wilson in the army
| as Is Admiral Grayson in the navy. The
name Of Major-Gen Harboard. in COM
mand Of the Service Of supply was mem
toned as a witness who might give some
| light on the Harris administration. Re
/ cit, fae M n
was pushed as high as the shoulders of
Major-Gen. Frederick Smith Strong, COM
| handing the Fortieth Division, a de-
| tachment Of whose 15Sth Infantry there
had charge under "Hardboiled' Smith.
Names of omcers Given.
| Prisoner witnesses gave him the names
| Of more than a dozen Captains and Lieu
tenants at Gievres. at St Sulpice, near
Bordeaux, and at the stockade in Brest
who had committed or permitted brutal
| assaults on prisoners. These names and
stories, Chairman Johnson said, will be
turned over to the Inspector-General of
the War Department so that those con-
cerned will not get out Of the army until
their records are cleared.
The other witnesses of the day were
Col T. Q. Donaldson of the Inspector
Generals Department and Joseph c.
| Rysselewski, an aviation cadet, who got
into trouble over bad habits induced by
| the idleness imposed by the lack of air
planes, ran away and enlisted In the
Polish army, where he won the Croix
| de Guerre with palm. and upon his dis
covery and arrest by the American au-
| thorities was subjected to and witnessed
| q series of unbelievably brutal incidents
| at Gievres and Brest.
Scores of other prisoners now at Castle
| William were awaiting an opportunity
to testify before the committee when the
| hearing adjourned to permit the men,
| bers to take up another and sensational
| phase of their work unconnected with
1 the prisons. Chairman Johnson sent
| word to them, however that all of their
statements would be received. investi-
| gated and sent to the War Department
| for proper action against any guilty
| persons.
Smith Fears He VIII BE Killed.
Both Smith and Ball pleaded that they
be not sent to I,eavenworth or other
prisons. They said that former victims
| whom they might meet there would
| surely kill them. They said that at
| Castle William they were protected by
the honor system In vogue on Governors
| Island. Even at that Smith told the
committee that no has not long to live"
In many respects the testimony of Col.
Donaldson threw the most important
| light yet shed on the prison conditions
in France. He was detailed to make
an Investigation OF the provost marshars
headquarters at 10 Rue st. Anne, Paris.
at the so-called Bastile. or Roquette
Prison. in Paris and at the prison farms.
He told of the conditions he found on
Farm No. 2, where Smith commanded. and
| described his report In which he recon-
mended a general court-martail not only
for Smith and his aids. but for Col. e.
p. Grinstead. in command Of the 15Sth
Infantry. Smiths regiment. Col. Dom
aldson said that he had no information
| as to the responsibility for conditions
| there which might attach to any one
higher up tnan Col Grinstead.
Grinstead, II was disclosed, never was
| tried, despite Col. Donaldson's recon-
mendation. He was ordered before an
efficiency board. returned to the United
States as casual and was honorably
discharged from the army This aroused
the wrath OF Representative Victor f.
Bland Qnd). sitting with Chairman
| johnson.
do you mean to say that convictions
couldn't be secured against a man with
a Colonels rankT" he asked.
mo, not at ALL" rpelied the witness
But there may have been many consid-
erations that affected the decision of the
Judge Acknowledgement to get at him
through an efficiency board rather than
a general court. General courts were
VIGOROUSLY easy"
'It's a sad commentary on the state Of
-