The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-12-11
WATSON PRESENTS THE
NAMES OF MORE THAN HUNDRED
EX-SERVICE MEN AS WITNESSES
Asks That They Be Summoned
to Testify Before the Investi-
CATION Committee.
tey The Associates Press)


OF more than one hundred former serv-
ice men We're presented today to the
senate committee by Senator watson,
democrat, Georgia, who asked that
they be brought here to testify in the
investigation of his charges that Amer
lean soldiers have been put to death
in France without the right of trial
by court martial.
There was no intimation as to how
many on the list would be summoned,
the committee explaining that it would
sift through the names next week. AS
surance, however, was given Senator
Watson that every person would be
called, If he believed they were pre-
pared to give testimony directly bear
ing on the charges.
Compared with the turbulent meet
ing yesterday. the session was ex-
tremeIy tame. Senator Watson, the
only witness, read extracts from many
letters in which soldiers declared they
knew of numbers of illegal executions.
One soldier wrote that on a transport
taking him to France fourteen men
were thrown overheard and drowned
for no apparent reason.
The Georgia senator undertook to
show, and indeed announced that he
wodld prove that the war department
list of eleven executions did not in
clude all of the men illegally hanged
or shot to death by order of superior
officers. A picture OF what seemed to
be a gallows in France, on which
rope was being hooked around the neck
of q 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 that it was taken by a col
ohel, now in the service. The Off
GERS name was not revealed, nor that
of his son who handed it to the sena-
tor last night as the testimony showed.
Senator Watson stated that he de-
sired to return the picture tonight but
by direction of Senator Shields, dem
ocrat, Tennessee, it was retained for
the record, although Mr.. Shields de-
clared it was not worth while as evil
dence, If the man who made 1t could
not be found to testify.
Colonel Walter Z. Bethel, assistant
Judge advocate general. from whom the
committee obtained the list of eleven
legal executions, was instructed to
check over the Watson list and see if
any were the same.
At the outset of the hearing, after
A
Secretary Roosevelt of the navy de-
partment denying he had first hand
knowledge of the killing of a soldier
by an officer and the subsequent
transfer of the officer to another COM
mand. Senator Watson explained that
use of Mr.. Roosevelt's name was due
to a. blunder. The letter, in fact, he
stated, was written by Colonel William
HAYWARD, United States district attor
ney of New York, and former officer
overseas.
Running through his long typewrit-
ten record of the names Of prospective
witnesses. with a word or two as to
what each would probably testify,
Senator Watson stopped occasionally
to interject some observation. The
charges, he declared, had become
matter Of public or national concern,
and for that reason he wanted to con-
duct the case in his own way. Quot
ing from his letter to Chairman Bran
dagee, the Georgia senator said it was
no surprise to him that the American
Legion, composed principally of the
who organized themselves in
Paris to perpetuate militarism in this
country, should whitewash them
selves"
The commander Of a legion post at
westville, Okla, the senator said, had
sent him the name OF man ready to
testify that 81 Americans were execut
ed in France without trial. Another
soldier wrote that more than 500 had
been illegally killed in France
did these men tell you why the sol
diers were killed." Senator Brandagee
asked.
I'm each case Of ruthless killing,
the senator replied, cit was stated that
men were shot down because they We're
tagged and unable to walk,
Mr.. Brandagee suggested that a sol
der could be shot without trial for de-
sertion in. the face OF the enemy. and
Colonel Bethel said there was no writ |
ten law for the battlefield that the
rules Of the battlefield required sum
mary action.