Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-14
ARMY SENTENCES |.
HELD ATROCIOUS
General Ansell Urges Re-
form in Court-Martial /
System
C ALLIED UN-AMERICAN
Soldier Who Deserted to See
Dying Father Received
Death Sentence .t
C ALLIED UN.AMERICAN

Washington, Feb. 14.-Before the
Senate Military Committee Brigader-
General Samuel T. Ansell. acting Judge
Advocate General, strongly condemned
the existing system of courts-martial
IN vogue In the army saying that the
death penalty and heavy terms In
prison, running UP to forty years. had
been inflicted for what he characterized
as comparatively trivial offenses.
General Ansell urged the passage Of a.
Dill drawn by Senator Chamberlain to
give the Judge Advocate General power
or review of courts martial. His evi-
dence embraced a scathing criticism OF
what he called an "atrociously bad sys-
tenn" The Secretary of War. he said.
backed up Judge Advocate General
Crowder in the latter's support Of the
prevailing system under which, General
Ansell said. the War Department main
tains there Is no authority for review
beyond that Of commanding officer.
The sentences imposed for slight Of
lenses by the courts-martiai have
shocked every sense of justice" said
General Ansell. ''They have reached
the heights Of injustice. The sentences
IN many instances bore no reasonable
relationship to the offenses committed"
Recruit Gets 40 Years :.
General Ansell undertook the power
or review over court-martial, he said
after the case had come before him of
Twelve noncommissioned officers who
had been dishonorably discharged from
service and had been sentenced to from
three to seven years for a minor dis
agreement In one of the army camps
with some West Point soldiers. He
found authority. he said, under the law
OF 1882. to review the court-martial YER
dict and. after going into the evidence.
set the sentences aside and restored the
men to duty.
General Ansel. related as evidence OF
what he called the 'perniciousness of
the court-martial system" the case of
boy who had been in the army but a
Few days and was assigned to kitchen
duty in an army camp. The sergeant
found him smoking a cigarette and rep
rimanded him.
Give me that pack of cigarettes"
ordered the sergeant, according to Gem
eral Ansell.
GO to -" snapped the soldier
The company lieutenant came along
and commanded the soldier to give up
the cigarettes. >
Il won't do It, and I don't give a
for anybody" retorted the soldier.
General Ansell went on to tell Of the
boy being tried by court-martial, con-
victed and sentenced to dishonorable
discharge and forty years in Jail. The
commanding officer Of his regiment, en-
reviewing the case, reduced the sem
tence to ten years.
Sentence Un-American
Amy system that would impose such
sentence as that upon the boy you
speak of is un-American." commented
Senator Thomas. 1T would make Boil
sheviki out Of the relatives Of a man.
l want to say that the officer who
would act that way to a soldier is a
- fool"
You don't want that go upon the
record?' suggested Senator Chamber
lain.
yes, 1 do" insisted Senator Thomas
hotly. II say that officer was a -
fool, and ought himself to have been
court-martialed. Any one imposing such
sentense ought to be court-mar rtialed,
too 1t is easy to see why in peace
times We cannot get men to go into
our army"
General Ansell spoke of a soldier who
had deserted from the army at West
Point and who remained away from
duty for Ave months, being sentenced
to death. Investigation by General
Ansell developed that he had gone home,
fearing that things were not going well,
to find his father dying frcm paralysis.
That boy remained with his father
until he died." said General AnselL
THE day after, he reported back for
duty"
Deserted to See Sick Wife
The death sentence was set aside,
after General Ansell's investigation, but
the General did not know what had
happehed to the boy.
Another boy, the General said, had
| been sentenced to fifteen years for de-
serting for forty days. He had gone
home to sick wife and child. General
Ansel felt that the circumstances did
not justify desertion, but extenuated it."
Upon soldier in France, General An
sell said, the death sentence had been
imposed for declining to drill after hav-
ing been subjected to extreme exposure
to Geld for twenty-four hours He in
sisted he was not able to stand. Two
others were sentenced to death for Sleep
hng on post. after having been on duty
for four days with hardly any sleep.
General Ansell set these sentences aside.
he said, after the War Department had
declined to act.