The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-12-21
SWEAR THEY saw
ILLEGAL HANCINCS
ON FRENCH FRONT
Ex-Service Men Also Tes-
tify to "Cold- Blooded
Shootings."

Testimony from former service
men. who swore they were eye
witnesses OF Illegal hangings of
American soldiers in France dur
ing the war. was given yesterday
before the special committee Of the
Senate Investigating Senator Wat
sons charges. One witness de-
clared he saw no less than twelve
such hangings. Another witness
swore he saw enlisted man shot
down in cold blood by their Off
GERS. without trial.
George P. Taylor. of Philadel-
phia. who served overseas as a
member of the military police. said
that while stationed at Is-sur-Tille,
france, he saw a negro hanged. the
orders for the execution having
been given by Col. Ham The en-
tire command was posted at atten-
ton within eight or ten feet Of
the gallows during the execution.
he said. He had no knowledge as
10 whether or not a trial preceded
the hanging.
Another Negro Hanged.
Taylor testified that one week
later another negro was hanged,
and in this instance a noncommis-
stoned officer was reduced to the
ranks for falling to get his COM
mand to the scene in time to wit
ness the hanging. The witness said
the third execution he >witnessed
was that Of a white sergeant. con-
Nicted Of an attack upon a French
peasant woman. He said he guard
ed the victim on the way to the
seanold, and at the prisoners re-
quest wrote letter to his mother
saying the boy died of Influenza.
On the afternoon of the same day
Taylor said he saw the body of a
negro hanging from the gauows.
lie knew nothing of the history Of
the case.
Three men were hanged on April
p. 1918, at Is-sur-Tille. Taylor tes-
tined, and swore that he witnessed
the hanging of Ave others in the
rear of the base hospital at the
same place One Of the victims, he
said, killed his mess sergeant by
hacking him to pieces with an axe;
be did not know the reasons foi
the other hangings.
Taylor swore he would give to
the committee the name of twenty
eight comrades who witnessed
these hangings and would corrob-
crate, his statements.
Tells of Hanging Mexican.
Robert A Harrison. of Whining
ton. y. c., testified that in the fall
of 1917 he saw about thirty or forty
officers and men around a tree to
which they hanged a soldier. ap-
parently a Mexican. He said he
was told lit was a case of getting
rid of the man or else certain Of
Ulcers would have been cashiered."
He also testified that he witnessed
the hanging of a boy whose parents
live at Wilmington. The hanging
he said. took place in the rear of
the stockade near Paris, command
ed by "Hsrd-Boiled" Smith. He
said the punishment was admins
tered because the soldier demanded
a receipt for money taken from
him at the time he was taken into
custody.
Sent to Front Unmasked.
stances Of soldiers being sent to the
front without rifles, helmets or gas
masks as a means OF punishment.
He was punished this way. he said,
and as a result was "gassed-"
Henry l. Scott, of Akron, Ohio,
testified to having seen MAI.
Opley shoot and kill two enlisted
men on the battle front near Yer
dun. and also kill a sergeant VINO
was retreating under orders A
courier carrying messages from the
front also was shot by the major,
the witness testified
Lieut. Cochran Supplee, of Chi
cago. gave testimony concerning
the crime of two negro soldiers In
the sOsth Pioneers. which he COM
manded. He said both were hanged
after conviction of numbering an
old Frenchmsn and attacking his
daughter.