The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-12-11
WATSON SAYS MANY
.EX SOLDIERS ARE
READY TO TESTIFY
Again Declares He viii Prove
Charges That Men Were
Illegally Hanged in
France
BY Associated Press


Washington, December 10.@The
names of more than 100 former SER
vice men We're presented today to
the Senate committee by Senator
Watson, who asked that they be
brought here to testify in the inves-
tigation of his charges that American
soldiers had been put to death in
France without the right of trial by
court-martial.
There was no intlmation as to how
many on the list would be sum-
moned. the committee explaining that
1t would sift through the names next
week. Assurance, however, was given
Senator Watson that every person
would be called IL he believed thai
they were prepared to give testimony
directly bearing on the charges.
Compared with the turbulent meet
ing yesterday. the session was ex-
tremely tame. Senator Watson, the
only witness, read extracts from
many letters in which soldiers de-
clared they knew of number of lille
gal executions. One soldier wrots
that on a transport taking him to
France Ii men were thrown over
board and drowned for no apparent
reason.
The Georgia senator undertook
TO show, and indeed announced
he would prove, TINT the wnr de-
partment list of II executions did
not include all of the men He
Galiy hanged or shot 10 death by
order of superior Officers. A
picture of what seemed to be a
gnllOws I'm France, on which
rope was being hooked around
the neck of n condemned soldier,
with several Officers standing ON
the platform and scores on the
ground below, was given to the
committee by the senator, who
testified TINT 1T was taken by
colonel, now In the service. The
officers name was not revealed,
nor TINT OF his SON, who handed
II 10 the senator last night, as
the testimony showed.
Senator Watson stated that he de-
sired to return the picture tonight,
but by direction Of Senator Shields,
democrat, Tennessee, 1t was retained
for the record although Mr.. Shields
declared 1t was not worth while as
evidence, II the man who made 1t
could not be found to testify.
/ Col. Walter f. Bethel, assistant
/ JNNoN HNFRNhAt AIOHl WnOTl
| the committee obtained the list Of IL
legal executions. was instructed to
i check over the Watson list and see
| if any were the same.
| At the outset of the hearing, after
! presentation of letter from Assist
/ ant Secretary Roosevelt of the navy
department denying that he had first
! hand knowledge OF the killing of a
soldier by an officer and the subse-
quent transfer OF the officer to an
other command, Senator Watson ex-
planned that use of Mr.. Roosevelt,s
name was due to blunder. The let
ter. in fact, he stated was written
by Col. William Hayward, united
States district attorney of New York.
and former officer overseas.
Running through his long type
written record of the names of pros
pective witnesses, with a word or
TWO as to what each would probably
testify Senator Watson stopped oc-
casionally to interject some obserya-
lions. The charges, he declared had
become a matter of public or ma
tional concern, and for that reason
he wanted to conduct the case In his
own way. Quoting from his letter
to Chairman Brandegee, the Georgia
senator said 1t was no surprise to
him that the American Legion, com
posed principally of the officers who
organized themselves in Paris to per
petuate militarism in this country.
should whitewash themselves"
The commander of a post at West
vile, Okla, the senator said. had
sent him the name of a man ready
to testify that 81 Americans were
executed in France without trial.
Another soldier wrote that more than
500 had been Illegally killed in
France.
Did these men tell you why the
soldiers were killed. Senator Bran
degee asked.
Tn each case of ruthless killing"
the senator replied, ut was stated
that men were shot down because
they were tagged and unable to
walk"
Mr.. Brandegee suggested that a
soldier could be shot without trial for
desertion in the face of the enemy.
and Colonel Bethel said there was no
written law for the battlefield, that
the rules OF the battlefield required
summary action.