Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-24
CRAWFORD DENIES
WALLIS CHARGES

Denial of testimony given before
the senate committee investigating
charges of Senator Tom Watson that
American soldiers were cruelty treat
ed during the war, was made in a
statement telegraphed to the United
Press here today by Ralph Craw-
ford, former non-com. at Camp
Wheeler, Ga.
Crawford, who was accused by
Marion J. Wallis, of Athens, Ga, of
shooting to death a private at Gimp
Wheeler, because the latter was too
sick to work." declared Wallis state
ment to be "as far. from the truth
as anything could possibly be-"
Crawford's statement follows:
81 notice from press reports of
the hearing before the senate COM
mittee yesterday that Marion j. Wal
lis ID reported as having testlfied be-
fore this committee that 1 killed a
prisoner at Camp Wheeler, Ga,
without any provocation, Justltlca-
ton or excuse, and that in my trial
for the same. in which / was &C:
quilted, witnesses were not allowed
to testify against me.
"This is as far from the truth as
anything could possibly be. HALEY
the soldier shot, and who later died,
was a general prisoner in the gen
eral stockade, where only prisoners
tried and convicted by general court
martial were kept.
"The facts of this case are simply
these:
"Halley had been convicted and
sentenced for desertion and breaking
arrest and assaulting and beating
guard.
"Halley had, on the day he was
shot and the day previous, MADE
threats that when he was carried out
on detail. he would make his escape
or somebody would be killed. This
was told me by other prisoners ana
by the officer of the guard.
Another corporal, whose name IS
Jack Terry, and I, with four guards,
were ordered to take detail OF ABOUT
fourteen prisoners out to work about
q large hay shed. H.
"As I came from behind the hay
shed, during the progress OF the
work, saw Corporal Terry and Hal
lev in combat, close up together. l
called out to HALEY to stop. rms
called his attention to my approach
about 80 yards away, and he tripped
Corporal Terry, threw him down ana
began trying to take away from MIN
his pistol. 1 called to him again to
stop and was advancing toward him.
When he saw me getting close, fail
ing to get Terry's pistol, he grabbed
up a long hickory stick about f1Ve
feet long, used to carry hay, and
came toward me.
at called to him to stop. He kept
advancing. I backed off and again
called to him to halt. He kept COM
ing toward me with the stick raised
to strike. When I had backed up
against a pile of hay and he was
right on me with his large stick up
raised, I fired to save my own life.
The ball entered his left side. When
he fell he said: Tt is well you made
O d. good shot
st Immediately called an ambu-
lance and he was carried to the hos
pital and operated on. His wrist
was not broken, according to testi-
mony given at my trial by the doc
tors who examined him.
'Affidavits were got concerning the
case from those who did not testify
at the trial. Some of these were to
the effect that their makers did not
see the shooting and knew nothing
about it. The oilers were used at
the trial.
"After the affidavits had been
made up, some Of the prisoners who
Were sore at me decided to frame up
and swear against me in the trial.
This was brought out in the trial.
Marion J. Wallis was one of these.
81 regret exceedingly that I had
to shoot HALEY, but / did it only to
save my life.
"The trial was full and complete.
The stenographic record of the trial,
Of which have a copy, shows this.
cit is true that was later pro-
NOTED to the rank of sergeant and
given a leave. But the leave was
ten days instead of thirty as was de-
clared at the senate committee hear
ing. I was promoted to the rank
of sergeant because the work to
which I was assigned at that time
was rated as that of a sergeant"