The north Mississippi herald., 1921-12-09
WAR RECORDS SHOW
ONLY ELEVEN MEN
HUNG In FRANCE
Watson's Charges of "Whole-
sale" Executions Without
Trial Under Investigation
Names of Those Executed May
Have to be Divulged to
Prevent Confusion.

Washington. Dec. 8.-DetaiIed rac-
ords of the War Department relatiny
to The legal execution of eleven
members of the American expedi-
tonary forces was presented TODAY to
a Senate. investigating committee by
way cf denial Of charges that scores
OF soldiers had been hanged without
trial. Out of considerat on for the
fam lies of the dad, the names Of the
III were omitted from the record.
Read bv Co. Walter E. Bethel,
Gen. Pershing's judge advocate gen.
eral in France, the record showed
that those executed by the military
authorities included eight negroes,
two whites and one Indian.
Senator Watson, Democrat, Geor-
gia, who presented the charges on
the floor of the Senate, appeared
before the committee today as soon
as it convened. He declared he was
prepared to prove the charges, and
submitted affidavits, newspaper clip
pings and letters bearing on the SUBJ
ject.
Senator Watson is expected 20 pre-
sent tomorrow as witness n list OF
former service men and others, in
Guiding a prisoner at Fort Leaven.
worth, who claimed to have direct
knowledge in support of tho general
charge that there had been whole
sale execution of soldiers who had
not been given the right of triai hy
courtmartial.
In naming the places in France
where the eleven men were hanged,
Col. Bthel, under cross examination
1y Snator Watson mentioned the
town cf Gievres at which, according
to information given the senator by
former soldiers, number of men
were executed. The photograph of
the galiows at Gievres sent some time
ago to the senator was not shown to
Col. Bethel, although he declared
that gallows had been erected there
for it was at Gievres that cne SEN
tence of the military court was car
ried out.
The officer also denied that Amer
ican soldiers had been hanged after
conviction by French military
court, asserting that under the ar
ticles of war jurisdiction over such
cases was vested solely in the Amer
lean army and that as matter of
fact the French authorities did not
desire to try Americans charged with
crimes against French citizens.
There was a rather broad intima-
ton that it might be necessary to
divulge the names of the soldiers ex-
eculed because OF the belief in the
minds of some investigators that
soldiers with stories of wholesale
hangings" might have been confused
after seeing or hearing of the hang
ing of those found guilty and sem
fenced bv military court. AS Sena-
tor Watson proceeded TODAY with
the reading of affidavits and letters.
Chairman Brandegee announced that
the affiant or writer would be sum-
moned and given every protection in
the effort to get at the truth.
Gen. Pershing as supreme COM
mander on foreign soil in time Of
war. personally approved the court
findings in the cases Of the men
hanged and refused to approve the
findings in IL other cases carving
the death sentance. All together.
SO men were sentenced to death. but
Col. Bethel declared only eleven were
executed.
Most of the crimes were against
women and children. One of the
white soldiers execu.ed was convict
ed of numbering another soldier. and
the other was found guilty. of attack
ing an eight year old girl. A French
professor was murdered while trying
to rlotect an old woman and the
father of a girl was killed by two
negroes as he fought againit great
odds to save her.