Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-12-21
ATHENSSOLDIER
ADMITS BLEMLs,y /,
ON HIS REC6hl)
None Of Six Witnesses Heard
Tuesday Substantiate His
Charges

TiOn J. WalllS, OF ALHenS, I'd, COudy
told the senate committee investi-
eating the charges of Senator Wat
son of Georgia that U. S. soldiers
swere hanged in France without
trial, that he saw corporal shoot
and kill a private soldier at Camp
Wheeler, Ga. He said the corporal
name Crawford and thought the pri-
yate was named HALEY, of Tampa.
Wallis said he did not serve over
seas and had no evidence of hang
ings on foreign soil.
Some kilograms offered by Sena-
tor Watson referred to Crawford
as captain.
Wallis said there were three "ab-
sent without leave" charges on his
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 Flukc.
Meme cf the six witnesses appear
ing was able to give first hand evi-
dence to support charges by Senator
Watson, that American soldiers had
been hanged without trial in France.
George H. Taylor, of Philadelphia,
thin and frail and under treatment,
as he himself explained, for epilepsy,
declared he had seen twelve soldiers
hanged, or more than the number Of
ficially listed by the War Department
, as executed in accordance with court
martial verdictss approved by Gen
oral Pershing. Taylor, confused as
to the number of victims, testified al
first he had seen three, and then un'
der direct questioning inreased his
figures TO four, jumping finally to
twelve. All of these, he declared,
were put to death in and around Is
Sur-Tile in the period from April to
June, 1919.
In no instance could the witness
say he knew whether any or all of
the twelve had ben tried by a mill
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, of Kenmore, Ohio, that he
had seen two soldiers shot down in
cold blood by Major Opely," COM
mander of the Third Battalion, 10th
Infantry, brought quick and sharp
denial from Major Hiram Opie, at
his home at Stanton, Va, who was
IN charge of the organization and
who announced he would be glad
to go before the committee. Scott
was positive i'll the assertion that he
Zaw both men killed, at different
times, that The first shooting of a
courier was witnessed by several
hundred men and that he alone saw
the second.
Having Major Opie in mind as
commander of the battalion, Colonel
Bethel pressed the witness closely as
to, the spelling of the name and later
informed Chairman Brandegee pri-
Vateiy that Scott evidently was re-
1errlng to the Yirginian. But Scott
stuck to "Opley."
In making sweeping denial of the
charge, Major Opie, at Staunton, de
clared in a statdnent that Scot!
writes himself down as a suller by
bis testimony" that he belonged tc
another outfit and never should have
oeen in the fighting line. with the
Third Battalion.
Saw Two Lynchings.
Although he did not know of his
own knowledge of any executions
without trial, Robert A. Harrison, of
wilmington, N. c., told the com
M!t,ec he chad witnessed two lynch
ing" one conducted by Hard Boil
cd Smith, The soldier, he said, wa;
" Put to death for refusing to sweep 1
~ glockade with tooth brush, that the
NJ AillIng, as ne remembered, took place
IJn December "a, 1918, at 1880
f|o clock in the evening, and that he
q saw the lyncbing from distance of
"oo yards. The other man lynched
ne said, was a Mexican, who was
strung from a tree by officers and
men, for crime against woman.
In an effort to clear up what he
regarded as the conclusion in Tay.
lor's testimony, Chairman Brandegee
suggested that Colonel Bethel cues
tlon the witness concerning the IL
executions he claimed to have seen
with his own eyes. Early in the hear
ing, Colonel Bethel filed with the
committee the official War DepaI.
ment list of eleven executions. with
places and dates, omitting only the
names out of consideration for the