Evening star., 1920-04-06
GEN. HARTS DENIES
ALLEGED CRUELTY
TOU. S. SOLDIERS
Testifies Before House Com.
mittee Regarding "Strong-
Arm" Practices in Paris.

| Charges that '.strong-armed, blood
thirsty police companies swept the
streets of Paris making wholesale ar
rests Of American soldiers" were de-
MED today before a House war in
vestigating committee by Brig. Gen.
William w. Harts, former commanilef
of American troops in the Paris dis
trict .Efl7-- \
Gen. Harts, who was ordered home
from Germany, where he is chief Of
staff of the American forces, to testify
before the committee. also denied that
prisoners were put through a third
degree to obtain confessions Of crime"
or that they were beaten, threatef1ed
and inhumanly treated"
Records OF Cases Read.
| Representative Bland. republican,
Indiana, who questioned the witness,
read reports of specific cases in which
officers were said to have assaulted
soldiers and asked whether Gen. Harts
took action in these cases.
Gen. Harts said he always followed
recommendations of inspectors
That's the trouble" Mr.. Bland re-
| turned. "Hard-boiled, strong armed
practices were used constantly and no
one was punished"
Men with police experience were
desired for work in cleaning Paris"
the general said. '"The 30th Marines
were doing police work when 1 ar
rived. They were unsatisfactory and
were removed. Later companies were
recruited from wounded men AT for
active duty"
Human Element Omitted.
| ''The human element was left out
of these companies Mr.. Bland de-
clared. ''Tney were a strong-armed
/ bloodthirsty. bunch who were ordered
| to be hard boiled"
II object to the words. 'bloodthirsty
\ and strong armed" said Gen Harts
| Representative Bland charged that
soldiers were put Though the third
| degree" but Gen. Harts said he had
not been informed Of such conditions.
That's why You are before this
committee. Representative Bland re-
piled. II have always contended you
didn't know conditions. but you will
] be informed"
10000 Prisoners in Four Months.
Ten thousand men passed through
| the prison in Paris in four months
Gen. Harts said. Some were held over
night and others for long periods
prison were overcrowded," the wit
| ness said. II visited them frequently
Conditions were bad and 1 knew they
! were"
Conditions were worse than you
know or wish to admit" Mr. Bland in
four rooms. sleeping on the floor
Twelve men slept in room fifteen
, feet long"
Gen. Harts replied that the commit
! tee desired ito fasten something on
him. 1t was his desire. he said. to tell
| the facts.
| Representative Bland said hfty-two
men slept in room twenty by fifteen
! feet. directly above Gen. Harts' office
without blankets, beds or ventilation
THAT Is true" the witness replied
| Blankets were sent to the men from
the front. They would have had
blankets il they had been in Paris
legitimately."
Says Men Were Duty Dodgers,
THAT explains the whole attitude
Of the Paris command" Bland re-
piled. They were there and you
didn't care what became of them
Not at an" Gen. Harts retorted.
| These men We're sulkers duty
dodgers, who didn't remain with their
divisions. The British shot such men.
Our object was to get them hack
to their organizations as soon as pos
sible. 1t was remarkable that we
accomplished what we did,
Replying to question by Mr.. Flood.
Gen. Harts said an American non
commissioned officer had sold a mart
of the Metro subway in Paris ~ =
Frenchman and collected zoe 000
francs. The soldier, a Sergt. Bender.
| was 30 clever that it was difficult to
arrest him. he added. We coI,ldn't
keep handouts on him." he said.
Didn't you have sufficient Influence
after thirty-five years Army experi-
ence to get more rooms for nrison.
ers" Bland asked
II have some influence. but this was
| a difficult task" the Witness ran,iad