The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-12

former private Company A, 1UlSt ln- fantry who saw the infamous crue1- ties visited upon helpless privates by officers in prison camps comments as follows on the statements made by Captain l.. E. F'lintom of the United States Marine Corps, former com manding officer of the 30th company of marines while they were on pro vost duty in Paris, who gave the lie to Sergeant Major Tom Wilkinson and Corporal Edward Cahill of the 101st Infantry, 26th Division.
 There were cases of desertion under fire in the A. E. F. There were isolated cases of rank cowardice. There were rare cases of treason. But nowhere was there such complete disgrace, so filthy a blot on Americas military escutcheon as was staged a: the military prison at number 10 Rue Sainte Anne, Paris.
 His story follows:
 T was a prisoner in the place for four days, almost exactly year ago. My crime was overstaying my leave by two hours, overstaying my 4S hour pass, the first pass any of our division had received after six months in the line.
 During my stay I saw such bru- tality as amazed me. The marines, and I include all but a very few in this charge, appeared to be the vic tirns of some blood mania. l saw men beaten up without any reason what ever, horribly beaten up. I saw clubs used on meil on the slightest pre- text. I saw men forced to do the Swedish until they fell from exhaus- ton, saw them deluged with water and forced to continue. I have had q man beside me through the night, his head bleeding from two or three blows. This man had been clubbed into inconsistencies by one sentry, and when that sentry was relieved his successor pulled the boy into the corridor again and added a few more blows for his own satisfaction. The boy had given a false name when he was arrested.
 But even worse than these actual brutalities was one feature which none of the soldiers have mentioned. I saw men who had faced dea tn with a laugh at Toul and Chateau Thierry reduced to cringing, trembling, fear full wretches. They had no chance to fight back. The loss of self-respect to men who had acquitted themselves as heroes. their utter self-abasement under the strain of the always inn rninent "club" was by all means the most horrible feature in a series of horrors.
 Captain Flintom said that he saw none of these brutalities. I believe him absolutely. for they were not committed in the presence of officers, and any request from prisoner to see an officer would only draw upon him an avalanche of blows.
 However, there is one officer who knows. He is a captain and a. sur geon who had charge of the dress ing station in the St. Anne Hotel. When he was fixing up my head one morning q had received a blow from the club for asking a question with such civility that 1t approached hu-
 nil1ty) he said: My God, it's awful the way they are beating up these boys The marine sentry was stand ing beside me, so I never said a word. I knew that I had to go upstairs again.
 Two of the marines stand out in my memory, will always stand out in it. They were Corporal Fredericks and Private Moran. The two were the nearest to beasts that I ever saw in American uniforms. They used their fists for no reason whatever, and Moran used the club. Fredericks would line the men up and single one out for a beating, while Moran simply attacked anybody who dared look him in the eye.
 q saw Moran call out a youngster named Wright Chats all ] know of him), who had given a false name when arrested. He punched him in the face twice and then made the bleeding boy do the Swedish When Wright dropped after some 20 min utes of torture. Moran kicked him, and told him to get up and stop his [ 'stalling' Six times the boy tried to go on, six times he fell on his face, six times he was kicked and beaten, and finally Moran threw him in bodily on the floor beside me.
 "If there is anybody who wants to go on record as being that guys friend, let him step up and get him a drink of water, said Moran, chal- longing the room. And to my shame as well as the rest, allowed Wright to remain there unconscious and bleeding. the spirit of all of us too utterly broken to dare Moran's anger Not until two hours later when Moran was relieved by a young marine called "Blondie Mack" did l venture to ask permission to get some water. Mack gave 1t to me and I did what I could for Wright, who only prayed to be allowed to die. "In the light of the sane America we are living in now all this seems incredible, must seem incredible to the parents of boys who were doing their countrys fighting over there. I know that every man I knew came out of that place with murder in his heart, with blood-lust that no Heinie who fought a fair fight and tosk his own chances had ever aroused.
 Captain FIintom said that this company did see action. That is true; but it was not until after they had been taken from Paris and they were in the lines but a few weeks. At the time when they were perform ing their cruelties they had never seen action of any kind, but had been stationed in Paris, where their tailor made uniforms and neat appearance alade them the pride of the officers back of the Hnes-far, far back of the lines.
 Tt was impossible to learn ths names of the marines, or even their rictims Any attempt to question was noked on with suspicion, and among