The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1919-08-08
DISGRACE TO THE ARMY.

Lieutenant Frank H. Smith, better
known as Hard Boiled" Smith, a cog
nomen that Smith himself at one timt
took especially pride in as illustrative
of his ruthlessness in the treatment
of American prisoners placed under
his charge at one Of the prison pens
in France, was before congressional
committee last week that is investi.
eating the disciplinary system in vogue
during and after the war in the A. E
F. In his testimony Smith implicated
officers higher up as responsible fol
the brutal treatment of prisoners and
named several. Among those officers
that Smith accused of responsibility
for conditions at the prison pen was
Col. F. P. Grinstead OF course Colonel
Grinstead denies all knowledge OF
severe treatment suffered by Ameri-
can prisoners. All the higher ups will
do the same. OF course they will. They
will let Smith be the goat, although
| the fact that Smith must suffer for
the orders of those over him that does
not excuse him for the barbarity with
doughboys who we're incarcerated for
some slight infraction of the army
regulations, and should have no in
fluence in mitigating his punishment.
and his punishment should be the fac
ing of firing squad.
! But in denying that he had any
knowledge of the treatment melted out
RI Amorioop pricoparc CoI Cr;poto IN a
is quoted in the dispatches as saying:
Il do not think that he (Smith) used
more severe means than were neces-
sary to control the prisoners. / do not
think prisoners at the farm Smith
commanded ever were beaten"
| If Col. Grinstead is as ignorant of
the hellish acts of his subordinate as
fit to wear the uniform of the Ameri-
can army, as it shows that he never
took particle of interest in the well
fare of the men under him, the rank
and file who alone did the fighting and
covered the American arms with
glory. Moreover, in thus trying to
shield heartless brute, who abused
ever held army command, he palliates
severity carried to the point of MUIR
der, and if higher-ups are not to be
whitewashed congress should insti-
tute searching investigation Of Col.
Grinstead's connection with this out
rage that is blot upon the name Of
America.
This may be strong language but
as We were reading the dispatches in
which Col. Grinstead stated that he
did mot think prisoners at the farm
Smith commanded ever were beaten"
an American soldier was in the office
who happened to be at Tours, France,
when Hard Boiled" Smith was first
put on trial before a military court
marshal and had an opportunity to
see and talk to many of the prisoners
who had passed through the gentle
hands of this man Smith and the sto-
ries that were told of Smiths brutal
ity his studied insults of the men SO
unfortunate as to be placed within his
power, were so revolving that they
would bring the blush of shame to the
very devil himself.
According to this doughboy, who
bears honorable scars as result Of
the part he played to give President
Wilson a chance to pose before the
world as the great-I-am, Smith not
only beat up prisoners without shad-
ow of provocation, but lost no oppor-
tunity-aye, made opportunities-to
hao IN r,1f frc kn1
less men. He had it in for no particu-
lar individual, but all of them. His
ordinary pastime was walking down
the line when the prisoners were all
drawn up for inspection and selecting
some individual would remark: What
is that lump over your eyer" The
soldier would naturally say there was
no lump over his eye, or he would
involuntarily put up his hand to feel
for the lump. Then Smith would haul
off and paste him over the eye. 1t was
so common thing for Smith or the
sergeant under Smiths orders, to
knock a man down for the slightest
provocation, or without provocation,
that it became to be considered a
oil6hI COHipdlc Gu Will
some of the punishment melted out to
the men. One instance is mentioned
Of new prisoner coming in who was
searched. The only thing found on the
man was photograph of his mother. |
Smith snatched it out of his hand,
threw it in the mud and ground it in
to the earth with his heel. Another |
case was that of man too sick to re- |
spond to inspection call. Smith forced |
the man to get out Of his bunk, and
because the man staggered from !
weakness, Smith knocked him down |
and that man died in the hospital
few days afterwards. AS punishment
Smith would withhold food until the
men were half starved. Aside from the
nfliction of physical suffering Smith
,tudiOuSly insulted the men nv word |