New-York tribune., 1919-07-13
Summoned by House Com
mittee to Hearing Tuesday
on Charges Soldiers Were
Beaten Till Blood Ran
Dallinger Backs Inquiry
Says 1t Is Known That Pri.
Yates Are dubbed and
Starved ON Arrest in Paris
Neto York Tribune
Wdshin0to1t Bureau

VdShtn0ton Bureau
WASHINGTON, July l2-An investi-
cation into alleged brutalities of tho
American provost marshal's Office of
the American expeditionary force at
Paris was started to-day, when sub
p1nas we're issued by the sub-commit-
tee of the committee to investigate ex-
penditures in the War Department for
the appearance Of four witnesses be-
fore the committee next Tuesday.
The investigation resulted from
charges made through Representative
Dallinger, of Massachusetts, by James
W. Beckman, ex-sergeant major in the
American army The four witnesses
will be Beckman, who lives in. New
York City; Paul V. Boggs, Of l McKin-
ley Street, Baldwin Harbor, L. l.;
Charles Goldberg, 1874 West 12sth
Street, New York City, and former Ser
geant Major Russell M. Anderson
Seattle.
In a letter made public tonight by
Representative Dailinger, Beckman
charges that doughboys on leave in
Paris were arrested without good rea-
son, were subjected to cruelties, and
that in one case q prisoner committed
suicide after being beaten He de-
clares he can substantiate his charges
by afidavits and believes there is good
reason to think that similar conditions
still exist.
Common knowledge. He Says
In statement issued to-day Repre-
sentative Dallinger said he had talked
with men who have served in France
and that the conditions alleged by
beckman we're matters Of common
knowledge among American soldiers.
Briefly" he said, sit is charged that
our soldiers who went to France i'm
bued with patriotism-the best blood
of our land-sailed across the sea to
OF despotism worse than that for
which we are going to punish the
Kaiser.
Assertions are made that our loved
ones were beaten, clubbed, starved
all in the name Of democracy-that
men caught in the web of the American
military police system of Paris were
placed in prison pens viler than those
of Andersonville; that our soldiers,
some. OF them wearing wound stripes,
some returning to duty after weeks
and months Of suffering in hospitals.
were thrown into prison without trial
and without charges ever being pre-
ferred against them for such offences
as failure to have proper military
travel orders in their possession. Evi-
dence is produced showing that men
were hit and clubbed until they bled
and tainted, and that one man even
preferred death to the treatment to
which he was subjected, and took his
own life.
Horrors of Middle Ages"
"one can only gasp at such tales of
barbarism. 1t takes one back to the
horrors of the Middle Ages and the
tragedies of the French Revolution for
a fitting parallel Our own men cap
tured in the heat of battle by the Hun
captured at time when blood ran
free-were treated with loving kind
ness in comparison.
Let me at least quote to the House,
Mr.. Speaker, three short paragraphs
of this letter sent me by Sergeant
Beckman. He writes:
ga most horrible incident was the
case of soldier who could not speak
English very we'll, much less under
stand it thoroughly He was struck
and beaten for not swapping to
"minor command. He cried, "This is
terriblel"
We'll show you how terrible it is,"
replied those who were beating him.
and he was taken before the person
mel officer and two sergeants. A lieu
tenant beat him again and put him in
cell on bread and water. Evidently
they considered this too good for him,
so he was placed in pup" tent for
solitary confinement.
'D0ring the afternoon his quetness
was noticed, and when they went over
and tore his tent down he ws lying on
his back with his throat cut 1t was
about an hour before the ambulance ar
rived and the silent form borne off to
the hospital. And thousands of miles
across the sea and land perhaps there
awaited a gray-haired mother, with a
service star in, the window Of her
humble home, who received word from
the War Department that General Per-
shing had reported her son among those
who "died from other causes"
Demands Punishment
"As the chosen epresentatives of
100,OO0,000 free people we cannot sit
idle while stories of torture such as
these are made. They must be proved
false or true, and If true every officer
and every enlisted man who was in any
either directly or indirectly to blame,
must suffer proper punishment.
Democrat and Republican must
stand together to institute such re-
forms in our army and our War De-
partment that in the future, If it be
necessary, we can send our sons and
loved ones away again to fight for their
country with the assurance that each
soldier will be treated as a free man
until he is found guilty by proper
court Of an infraction of military law
II have turned over the information
in my possession to the Select Commit
tee Of the House appointed to investi-
gate the expenditures in the War De-
partment. l ahall watch the investi-
CATION of these charges by that com
mittee, and I know that every other
member Of the House will do tho same.
There will be unanimous demand that
the facts be ferreted out. l am conf
dent that this committee will call wit.
nesses and ask for tho records Of the
War Department and conduct an I'M
partial and thorough investigation of
! k,