Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-12-21
ATHENS SOLDIEP
ADMITS BIEMISH
ON HIS RECORD RE.[Ill
None OF Six Witnesses Heard
Tuesday Substaatiate His
Charges

told the SenaCe coHilieeee hNS"'
eating the charges of Senator Wat
son Of Georgia that u. S. Soldiers
were hanged in France without
trial, that he saw corporal SHOOT
and kill private soldier at Camp
Wheeer. Ga. He said the corporaIs
was Crawford and thought the pfl-
vato was named Haley, Of Tampa
Wallis said he did not serve over
seas and had no evidence of hang
jngs on foreign soil.
Some kilograms offered by Sena-
for Watson referred to qraWforo
as a captain. a.
Wallis said there were three "ab'
sent without leave" charges on ms
discharge papers.
After Wallis concluded the names
Of five witnesses summoned to ap-
near today were called, but none
responded. The hearing then Went
over until afternoon.
First Witness Fluke.
None Of the six witnesses appear
mo was able to give first hand eVl-
dence to support charges by Senator
Watson, that American soldiers haa
heen hanged without trial in France.
George H. Taylor, Of Philadelphia,
thin and frail and under treatment,
ae he himself explained, for epilepsy,
declared he had seen twelve soldiers
,araed. or more than the number OF
ficiallv listed by the War Department
as executed in accordance with cuort-
martial verdicts, approved by Gem
oral Pershing. Taylor, confused as
to the number of victims, testified az
first he had seen three, and then un,
der direct questioning increased his
figures to four, jumping finally to
twelve. All of these, he declared,
were. put to death in and around ls-
Sur-Tile in the period from April to
June, 1879.
In no instance could the witness
say he knew whether any or all of
the twelve had ben tried by m!li-
tary court.
Because of the evident physical
weakness Of the witness, Senator
Watson suggested that army officers,
including Col. Walter Bethel, assist
ant Judge advocate general, retire
from the room, explaining that Taylor
was subject to epileptic attacks and
that the presence of officers might
disturb him. But the former soldier
announced he wanted the officers to
remain.
Accused Major Replies.
Testimony by Henry l.. Scott, %
years old, cf Kenmore, Ohio, that he
had seen two soldiers shot down in
cold blood by a Major Opely," com
mander of the Third Battalion, Meth
Infantry, brought quick and sharp
denial from Major Hiram Opie, at
his home at Staunton, va, who was
in charge of the Nrianization and
who announced he would be glad
to go before the committee. Scott
was positive in the assertion that he
saw both men killed, at different
times, that the first shooting of /;
:ourier was witnessed by severa
hundred men and that he alone saw
the second.
Having Major Opie in mind al
commander of the battalion, Colone
Bethel pressed the witness closely Al
to the spelling of the name and lateI
informed Chairman Brandegee pri
vately that Scott evidently las re
ferring to the Virginian. But Scot
stuck to "Qpley,"
In making sweeping denial of th'
charge, Major Opie, at Staunton, de
clared in statement that Scot
writes himself down as suller b.
ms testimony" that he belonged t,
another outfit and never should hav,
Deen in the fighting line with tn
Third Battalion.
Saw Two Lynchings.
Although he did not know of hi
own knowledge of any execution
without trial, Robert A. Harrison, o
Wilmington, NJ. c., told the com
mttee he had witnessed two lynch
,A., one conducted by Hard Boil
e0 Smith. The soldier, he said, wa
put to death for refusing to sweep
Syockade with tooth brush, that til
u Killing, as he remembered, took piac
w On December "a, 1918, at 7:3
80 o clock in the evening, and that b
w paw the lynching from a distance 0
saI 9Vo yards. The other man lyucheC
lie said, was a Mexican; who wa
@lrung from tree by officers an
men, for crime against a woman.
IN an effort to clear up what h
regarded as the conclusion in Tay
Iors testimony, Chairman Brandege
Sosgested that Colonel Bethel ques
uon the witness concerning the /
0%ecutions he claimed to have see
with his own eyes. Early in the hear
ing, Colonel Bethel filed with tn
committee the official War Depay
ment list of eleven executions, wit
places and dates, omitting only tn
i