New-York tribune., 1921-12-09
w atsOn's Army
Charges Denied
By Col. Bethel
Eleven Members of A. Z. r.
Hanged After Conviction
by Court Martial; Knew
of No Others, He Says
Nine Assaulted Women
Executions Without Trial
Impossible, He Insists;
Heard of No Lynchings

from The Tribahc's Washington bureau
WASHINGTON, Dec. S.-What prom
lses to be an extended inquiry, into
which many former soldiers will be
drawn as witnesses, was begun to-day
by the special committee of the Sem
ate, headed by Senator Brandegee, un-
der the resolution for the investiga-
tion of the charges of Senator Tom
Watson, of Georgia.
Senator Watson caused sensation
in the last session by alleging that
American soldiers were hanged in
France without court martial, that SOL
diers were shot down without iustjfi
cation by officers, and Chat there
were many brutalities at the expense
OF the enlisted men. The committee
is undertaking to confine the inquiry
to the charges as to hanging without
trial and the shooting or killing of
enlisted men by officers.
AT to-days hearing Senator Watson
presented the names of n long list of
witnesses whom he wants summoned
and whom the committee will summon.
From part of these he presented let
ters and affidavits.
Bethel Denies Charges
Senator Watson's charges met strong
0eniai to-day from Colonel Walter E.
Bethel, assistant judge advocate GEN
eral of the army and senior officer of
the Judge Advocates Department in
france throughout the war. Colonel
Bethel was chief legal adviser of Gen
eral Pershing at general Headquarters.
ne testified that eleven members of
the "A. 4. F. were hanged in France
after conviction by court martial. that
ne knows of no other hangings and
that he did not believe it possible men
were hanged without court martial.
questioned concerning shooting of
men by officers, Colonel Bethel said he
would not say this had not happened.
concerning hangings without trial
Colonel Bethel said:
i would be willing to swear that
sucn s thing is impossible. 1t would
De 2ust as easy for the sheriff out here
at Rockville to hang a man unlawfullv
and get away with it."
Asked about officers shooting men
ne replied that he knew case of one
officer killing another officer. He did
not know of men being shot by officers.
Il do not say it is impossible that
men might not have been shot" said
Colonel Bethel. "You can't tell what
happened in the front line"
Heard of No Lynchings
he said he had heard of no cases or
lynching in the army. He pointed ont
that under the Articles of War sol.
der running away in battle might be
shot. He denied that American SOL
dlers had been tried by French tri-
6unals, and said there was we'll de-
fined agreement which prevented that
IN response to questions of Senator
Watson he said he knew of no case ~
conscientious objector who was
bayonetted to death.
Colonel Bethel submitted a list Of
the eleven cases in which men werr
hanged. He said nine of the men ex
ecuted were convicted of attacks on
women In three of these cases the
charge of murder in connection with
the attack also was proved.
Eight Of the executed men were
negroes, two were white and one was
white with Indian blood. One of the
white men was convicted % attacking
an elght-year-old Belgian girl.
The hearing was listened to by a
large audience, including numerous
women. Mrs. Alice Roosevelt Long
worth was among those present.