Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-07-24
CRUEL TREATMENT
OF MEN ADMITTED
BY CHIEF OF STAFF
March Tells House Com
mittee That Charges Of
Brutality Are True.
.PERSHING SAYS WORST
MEN IN ARMY INVOLVED
Six Officers Convicted for Acts
Committed at Famous
Farm.
COLONEL ESCAPES ACCOUNTING
Soldiers Statements Indicated Con-
PERSHING SAYS WORST
MEN IN ARMY INVOLVED
COLONEL ESCAPES ACCOUNTING
Soldiers Statements Indicated Con-
ditions Rivaling Those of German
Cages for Captivcs.
lnv Associated Press.l

WASHINGTON, July 23.-Admiss 81 ion
that American soldiers, held in prisons
and camps in and near Paris, suffered
brutaiities for which several minor Of
fcers were convicted In courtmartial
proceedings, was obtained from Cen
eral March, chief of STAFF. today by "A
special House war investigating com
mlttee.
The prisoners. as far as the records
showed. We're held because of absence
mlltary units. and cablegram from
General Pershing sent three days ago
rom Paris declared some OF these
men were among the hardest charac-
teEs in the American expedittonary
General Pershing's cablegram. sent
IN response TO an inquiry OF the War
Department, after iis attention had
neen called 10 alleged mis,rcatment OF
asainst four officers at PRISON farm No.
and its adjoining stockade. Two o.
the onictrs; II VAS said, we're ,mpris
martial. Convection Of four other Of
hcers was disclosed by reports OF Brig
adler r-General Edward A Kreger, aci-
ing Judge advocate general
Reduced Smiths Sentence
Lieutenant Frank II. Smith, the we'll
known hard boiled" officer in charge
oi farm No. = Il was disclosed. Is serv-
Governor's Island because OF mal-trcat-
nIent OF prisoners. Smith. the chief o:
star explained. game from Kentucky.
ahd was sent TO Europe Later he tried
70 get commission in the Philippine
scouts. Smiths original sentence OF
In:ee years was reduced by the re-
Besides Smith. the records show, con-
viction OF the following:
Sergeant Clarence L. Ball six
months Imprisonment. dishono-abie
disrharse Sergeant Fred W. Wolf
n1,,, mnnier. G3mpamy Is. One Hundred and
prlsonment. d!shonorabie discharge:
SSeFseant Savo Ragnov!ch. Company X
One Hundred and Fifty-eighth Infant
ry. SIN months Imprisonment. dishon-
0rabie discharge. Sergeant Joseph
sush, replacement battalion. Six
months imprisonment: Sergeant Jo-
seph Smith. replacement battalion. ac-
9Wu',5sd; W,tde o L!egtenant ,i;,, Charles Joseph
Infantry found no. guilty at one triai.
but later convicted .! perjury in con
nect!on with his tirst trial and sen
fenced TO dishonorab!e DISCHARGE which
sentence was later set aside
lieutenant Warren Hclphcnste!n.
eohnSahy eiehIS y a a; One Hundred and Fifty
sal. later set aside.
Sent 10 Canning Factory.
The Colonel o: the One Hundred and
FiNy,eish;h Infantry. who was held
conditions at the prison farm, however.
u was revealed. escaped courimartial
put was sent TO the canning factory;
an inspector general, included the Col,
onel OF the one Hundred and E-iftv-
eaghtn among those responsible for
General March. unable to give the
coioneis name or record. said he would
submit these later TO the committee.
National Guard officer, because The
Fortieth Division. OF which his regi-
Gnard 5aea. T5I; was TIP part. rsoo was National
General kreger. submitted 10 the com
mittee, however. gave Colonel Edgar
bi Grimst stead as the superior officer of
LiIieutenant Hard-Boiled" Smith and
The record showed that Colonel
Mlimsteaa Mason and sadeud Liendenants smith and
i; sullivan each testified TO Lieutenant
Helphenstein's good reputation as an
officer and gentleman"
that ehGeai Iieu,ennpf psssrS report revealed
ical corps, One Hundred and Fifty
eighth infantry, and Lieutenant VIII
nam 1. SULLIVAN. Of the same comma nd,
were under charges of Misconduct to-
ward prisoners in detention camps, but
that no record of their trials had been
received by tho judge e-advocate-gcn-
eral.
SO far as the records disclosed. the
convicted officers and those accused of
misconduct toward prisoners. all were
stationed at the prison farm. but other
documents submitted indicated NAL
treatment of prisoners at ST. Anne, A
former hotel at the Bastile, a mill
Submits Kincnid Report.
J. Leslie Kincad. now a lawyer at
Syracuse. ". y. formerly judg cad
vocate of the Twenty-soventh (New
York; Division. in a letter to Secre-
tary Baker. which was turned over to
the committee, asserted that the
prison situation in Paris was first
called to the attention of superior
headquarters prior to September l.,
1915 With his letter Kncaid sub.
mitted a report. dated December of
1918. in which he joined with Lieu
enant-Colonel j. Mayhem Wainwrich.,
division Inspector of the Twenty
seventh. in reporting statements 10
sion commander. that were given by
three members of the division who had
been held at Paris detention points.
These soldiers complained" said she
report, that at the Petit Rougct COM
monty known to the men as the Bas-
tile, in Paris, the whole atmosphere of
the institution. as evidence by the pro-
family. vulgar and obscene epithets
to be a spirit Of intense hatred ' and nd
hostility against the National Guard
This spirit is entirely out OF harmony
with the general orders of the Ameri-
can expeditionary forces"
The principal point. however," con-
tinued the Kinca i'd Wainwright re-
port, (which the investigating officers
desire TO call to the attention OF the
dlate remedial action can be had. is the
condition at prison camp No. ., where
the statements made by these soldiers
Indicate condition exists rivaling
much worse than conditions which ex-
listed in German prisoner Of war
cages"
CONTINUED on Second Pagel