The Monroe journal., 1921-05-27
FIRST or THE GERMAN WAR
CRIMINALS NOW ON TRiAL
sergeant kall Heynem Charged VIII
Reating and Stoning British War
Prisoners.

Germany paid again today, NOT .a
eolG hut IN humhled pride, for htc
method, of waging war when tls
.hrst trial of war criminals, who's
pnrishmeut WAS one of the demaue>
Of the Peace Treaty began beio'e
I'm. Federal supreme Court at Ii.
zil. Germany.
The first offender. one Of the miaor
culprits. was a sergeant, charged
with ill-treatiug British prisoners OF
war al a camp in the Nestphalian
mining region. himself only suhor-
dinate officials whose case probably
was selected as a starter because
| lGermau cort- martial IN tae days ul
German militarism had already
found him guilty Of the aamc )fehse.
though letting him on with 4 io'l-
Inights confinement; ana 4 conviction
which Entente public OPINION mat's
imperative for poll,itt, ltasohs !S
therefore fairly certi'a.
The case is being heard by seven
supreme Court Justices. WHO are
pledged TO try the case imodlhallN
lana neutrally. Though citizens oi the
lcounty which the defendant fought
for and which the accusers helped to
defeat. The presence of the British
ISolicitor General and seven other
lreureseutoiiVes of the British Gov
lernment guarantees as far as posi-
lhle that nothing will be left undone
10 make the offender pay the fun
lpanalty for cruelty. The penalty IS
leNpected to be fairly severe under
the circumstances.
Heyuen. a middle-aged man. the
father of nine children, took the
stand 10 answer the judge's ques-
tions under the eyes of a bety OF
old Saxon Kings. whose portraits
gazed down on the surprizing TN
p.acedenttd scene from handsomely
oafA ed walls. His attituda vas Tar
from that of repentant criminal.
He put up a bold front and told his
story in a brazen. defiant manner.
The Enslish. he said. wel" an un-
| ruly crowd. They misunderstood Ger
man and he was unable TO speah
| English, and as they were umuclined
Ito work il was necessary 10 employ
| + roe. He denied having uset
weapons on them. but ade.iltcd in
matter-of- -'act tom ;hai h. oftei
enforced orders viii his fist ant
' maintained that he had merely fol
: lowed tah path o. iutv.
The presiding Judge was thorough
lin his cross-eXamination. but did no
seem TO resent the defiant attitude o
the prisoner.
The first two English wtuesse
gave such definite and conylncinl
statements Of the manner in whicl
the prisoners were kicked, heater
and helabored with q gun-butt AM
stoned by the accused that the pre-
siding Judge took Heynen sharply Z
task for maintaining the cohtrar
AGAINST what the judge character
lied az thoroughly credible Witnesses
Hevnep. however. had his inning
when the witnesses protested agains
the food at the camp. which the
said was rarely ANYTHING except III
pslatable soup. Heynen interiecte
that the British prisoners receive
food packages in such abundanc
from England that the mouths Of N
German guards. eating the slend'
army fare, fairly watered as u
wagonloads of packages were drive
daily into camp.
Heynen admitted stoning prisol
ers. hut attempted to justify IT
saving that was the customal
amusement Of German non-com
against privates when he himself wi
a recruit.