New Britain herald., 1919-02-28
SAYS PERSHIl
NOT OBEYED On
South Dakota Representative
sails Overseas Army ConIna1

terday, Representative RoyaI JonM4
son Of South Dakota sharply ar
raigned the system and charged that
General Pershing had refused to
obey War Department General Order
"a and return for revision all cases
of men sentenced in France.
1.-The commander in chief of the
American Expeditionary Forces in
France has absolutely refused to
comply with that ORDER said MIR.
Johnson, a returned soldier, land he
will not send the cases for revision
to the Judge advocate generals Office
IN Washington, on the theory that the
Articles Of War do not provide that
ne shall be forced to make the re-
turn. I am informed, and believe
IT to be fact, that among those
cases which they refused to send
pack there are about six cases where
men are sentenced to death and will
ole unless some action is taken by
the mouse prior to the next session.
Mr. Johnson presented a long list
or court-martial cases which, he said
showed that the military officers had
displayed bad judgm ent and "reeked
with laWlessnes unfair and partial"
i have in the past criticised those
VINO did not present actual Names
dates, and figures in support of legis-
lat1on Or in the making of criticism"
said Mr. Johnson. Wherefore,
will give the record of some of the
cases l know about These are only
a small portion of the cases that have
been considered.
Here is one case: A boy of IS.
whose name was given to me as Ira
r. Sellers, enlisted at Dallas Texas,
April 10, 1917, Company F, 18th in
fantry. While he was doing guard
duty on cold night last winter, he
and three other boys on guard, at
Port Arthur, Texas, stepped a few
feet off their beat to warm their
hands at a fire. They were found at
the fire by their captain, who threat
ened them with court-martiaI or to
have them shot or sent to prison for
life This boy was so frightened that
he telephoned his father, told him he
was to be shot, and asked for his
help. He could not understand his
father over the telephone; the boy
thought he was sick and couldn't
come, and, believing himself to be
at the mercy of the court martial,
that boy, rather than face the dis
grace and punishment with which he
was threatened, committed suicide in
&c GtGI ~ 1IIOi14IIS OIL lIltiI same DAY.
"A machine gunner in France had
a run-in with a corporal who had
been drinking and wanted to fight
The gunner ran away, the corporal
followed, the gunner defended him
self with a knife and stabbed the cor
poral so that he died. The gunner
was convicted on q charge OF will
full, felonious, Involuntary man
slaughter, sentenced to forfeit SIS a
month for three years and perform
hard labor for that period without !
confinement. On that review by the |
judge advocate general the findings !
were declared to be void for re-
pugnancy, wil1ful involuntary man |
slaughter being a degree of crime I'M |
known TO the law.
"a private of infantry was convict |
ed of murder and sentenced to be |
hanged in the face of q plea of insan- !
ity that the prosecution had failed to |
controVert by evidence. The Judge |
advocate-generai's office disapproved |
the findings, and the man was sent |
to a government hospital for the in
sane.
"a private at Camp Shelby, Miss
issippi, was notified that the regiment !
was about to go overseas, and that |
ed until the guards were Withdrawn
and fed with the intention to desert.
He was caught and sentenced to be
shot This was committed by the
president to twenty years at hard Ia
Dor.
AT Camp Beauregard, La, q pri-
waite described by one of his officers
on the stand as q mere boy was con-
V1cted on charges of forgery, escape
and desertiOn, and sentenced to thir- !
ty years hard labor. This case, not
falling within the category that re-
ceives presidential attention, stands
as the court left it. and the mere boy
faces ten years more in prison than
the man thought worthy of death
"Still another private at Camp
Beauregard, charged with absence
without leave, for the same period
and under the same circumstances,
except that he had gone to bid his
family farewell, was sentenced to con-
fnement at hard labor for fifteen
years."
Mr.. Johnson then submitted q list
headed EXCESSIVE sentences" arising
in the southern department.
Fort Oglethorpe--Charge Dis
obeyed order to go isolation hospital
md order to stand at attention.. SEN
-ence, twenty-five years.
"Charge-Disobeyed order to drill
forty years; reduced to dis
honorable charge and forfeiture of
Day.
"Charge-Absent without leave.
our years broke out of confinement.
Sentence life imprisonment.
Charge-Disobeyed order to re-
,ort for setting up exercises. SEN
ence, ten years.
''Arcadia, F'la-Charge. Did not
emain at barracks as ordered. Sen :
ence, Is years.
'"Fort D. A. Russell, Wyo.-Charge:
If11ll l,ox.nd