El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-09-13
IKE ALDERETE
OUT Of PRISON
Young Army Officer Says
Force of Circumstances
Convicted Him.

uleLLlEL EAGAA 1hE EAAAEAE-IH - A--
in FL Paso. He went away as lieu
tenant He was sent into the fight
ing in France and from there was
sent back to America a prisoner. He
was recently released from prison
through the Intervention Of o. S
senator Morris Sheppard and con
gresham C. B. Hudspeth.
Returning to FL Paso, his boyhood
home. young Alderete aserts that he
was a victim OF circumstances.
He was tried and convicted OF re-
fusing to obey an order to have his
men in line for battle at 4 certain
time. 1t was charged that his fail
ure to fiji an assigned position with
his men left gap that came near
causing the Germans to get through
Had Two Trials.
Alderete's version OF the case is
that he had received two orders from
two lieutenant colonels, which orders
were contradictory and which eonse--
uuently could not both be oDeyed,
and il was because Of his inability
to do this that he was tried and con-
victed. There were seven charges
against the young officer, six OF
which were dismissed at the flrsL
hearing
Later, AIderete says, the court was
ordered TO reconveue and increased
the sentence to ten years He asserts
he received no notice that the court
was to reconvene and was not repre-
scented before this court and did not
taken 20 serve his sentence.
Frank G. Alderete, an attorney IN
the Caples building, who is an uncle
of the lieutenant, was instrumental
/ in obtaining the boys release ana
Il was in the attorneys office sat
4 urday that Ike told his story y
general high in the American army
I is quoted as saying the boy should
not have been convicted at the first
Z trial. to say nothing OF increasing
/ the sentence at rehearing-
Born ut Ysleta-
Young Alderete was born in Xsleta
and lived in this ueighbOrhood al OF
his life until the United States went
: to war. He graduated from Pea
/ cocks military academy az san - A.
: tonic When the United states went
to war with Germany he started 70
organize a company OF Mexican vol
iunteers. The time proved too short
1 he says, and as a result he DIVIDED
his 81 men between companies A
and 3. Company , was comm nae q
by Capt R. F. Burgess Aiderete
Joined Capt Burgess company. From
here Alderete went 10 Camp Bowie.
Ft Worth, and in August, 1915 went
overseas with his organization
When Lieut. Alderete was before
( st. Naulberg on Oct ~ he say
Lieut. Col Luther T. James, OF the
.I4Ist. infantry regiment, which was
j Alderete's outfit. called him back
to the town OF Colonies and ordered
him to take up his position at what
4 was known as -the jumping OF
{ place for an attack which It was
known the Germans would make
Cnught BY Germans.
! This, he says. was at $3.50 O'Clock
in the afternoon and he says he hac
to take his % men 5000 yards u
forty minutes, as the attack start ed
at 4.10 o'clock in the afternoon. Ht
had been ordered TO follow the thi-C
/ lime wave and before the order could
{ be obeyed-he says he had no maps
and could get none-he and his meI
{ were caught between the enemy
: artillery fire and an enemy airplan'
{ attack witnesses in the case sal
z that the lieutenant was SO mad b
fired on the German airplanes witt
this army pistol
Temporary refuge, the narrator
: said. was found for the men near
barn as the country was entirel,
II open and there was no other plac
1 to save the men from the Germzl
! onslaught Then another lentenan
q colonel, whom Alderete says he doe
; not know and whom he was unabl
= 10 locate as a witness, ordered hin
/ to scatter his men out. contrary 10
s previous order TO stick together an
advance. When he reported 10 Co
James that advancing was impossibt
y Alderete says the superior office
4 broadened his order 10 do the bes
t you can"
Twice Courtmartialed-
a court martial was convened Nor
II. at Condo, France, Lieut. Alderet
r says. and seven. charges were hear
against him, six OF which were dis
= missed and the charge Of failure
- carry out orders sustained and
S sentence Of three months confine
d ment in prison in France was givel
Later, he AYERS, the court reconvene
/ and made the sentence ten year
h without having served notice on hi
y so that he could be represented. b
IS says he was sent to the prison
Givres. France. and served eigf
IS months. Then he was brought
= the United States and served wee
at Governors Island. then taken
TT LeavenW0rth. This week he wa
released and arrived in FL Pas
I / Thursday morning
e Alderete lives at 1925 Olive stree
4 with his uncle, Frank G. Alderet
II His father, Ike Alderete. ST., was az
q cidentally killed in June 1915 Q