The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-29
'BECKMAN REVEALS
TWO LOST REPORTS
Pershing's Reply to Kincaid
Report Said Prisoners Could
Not Recover Valuables.
OFFICERS GUILT IGNORED
Sergeant Major. Contends. Re-
sponsibility Lies With the
General Himself.

General headquarters OF the A. E. F.
informed complainants against the treat
ment Of enlisted men in the Paris prison
establishments that they had no chance
OF recovering the personal property
which had been taken from these men
when they were arrested, according to
James w. Beckman. formerly a SER
geant-major in France, the man WIN
has been chiefly responsible for the
exposure of atrocious conditions In the
disciplinary institutions. The document
containing the reply, Beckman contends,
puts the condition straight up to Gen.
Pershing himself.
This reply. Mr.. Beckman says, is at
tached to the report OF Lieut-Col. ]. Les
lie Kincaid, Judge advocate Of the Twen-
ty-seventh Division. describing the mall
treatment to which men of the division
had been subjected in Paris The report
was forwarded to general headquarters
in Chaumont and was returned with the
reply as above. Both documents, says
Beckman. were not lost as the
War Department said when asked
for a copy of Col. Kincaid's re.
port, but were forwarded to WASH
ington with the records OF tho Sec
ond Corps, A E. F., of which the Twen-
ty-seventh Division was a part. They
were shipped from Camp Mills, Mineola,
to Washington either late in February
or early in March while the division was
being mustered out there
Particular significance is attached to
Eeckmans statement in view of the visit
of the special Congressional subcommit-
tee investigating the alleged brutalities
which will sit at Governors Island to-
day to take the testimony of Lieut.
lizard Boiled) Smith and Sergt. Ball.
serving sentences on conviction of re-
sponsibility for maltreatment of prison.
ers. Both say that they were carrying
out orders, and the committee is here to
find out who was responsible foE these
orders.
Sergeant Major Bcckman says that
the War Department need not pretend
ignorance Of the matter as there is
enough real ignorance about the Depart
ment anyway. He says the Department
had better get its records In shape, for
II other reports or documents are miss
ing in the cases he will bring up in the
future he will 'locate" them for the
Department.
col. Donaldson's statements" says
Beckman. "of how he reported these
atrocities and that everything was
properly attended to read like a simple
minded attempt of camoufiage to me, for
Secretary Baker himself told me when
FIRST presented the matter to him In
Washington that he never heard OF such
things, and gave me the impression that
the stories were too preposterous TO
be possible. Unfortunately for Col
Donaldson. ne did not seem to know
about this Perhaps he had better not
give the dates that Col. Kincaid refers
to as 10 when Col. Donaldson first re-
ported the matter.
ITO further help Mr.. Baker and Gen.
March In their quandary will state that
they can find not only the missing re-
port of Col. Wainwright and Col. Kin
caid in the papers Of the Second Corps,
A. E. F.. which were shipped from Camp
Mills, Long Island. to the War Depart"
ment the latter part of February or the
first part Of March. 1913: but also the
reply thereto from General Headquar-
tiers, American Expeditionary Forces. to
the effect that the men need not expect
their belongings to be returned TO them
1.-THE reply from General Headqual e.
ters held out no hope or promise that
justice would be done to the guilty
officers at the Bastlle, Farm No. 2 or the