The Washington herald., 1921-05-25
Obeyed Orders to Get
Workers for Mines,
He Declares.
SAYS HIS METHODS
PRODUCED RESULTS
Sergeant Admonished by
Judge for Throwing
Stones.
Especial Cable to The washinston Herald
and Chicago Tribune.)

Especial Cable to The washington Herald
and Chicago Tribune)
LEIPZIG. May 24.-Just as the
war was the greatest tragedy is
the world. so the trial of the Ger
mans accused of war crimes by the
allies appears to be the greatest
farce in the world.
Intsead of trying the former
kaiser, the supreme court of Ger
many yesterday took up the case of
Karl Heinen, maker of wine bar
rels. Instead of trying the leaders
for calling a war resulting in 35,-
100000 casualties, it tried a nom
commissioned oficer for mistreat-
ing prisoners. Among the charges
is the following: He threw a stone
at one British soldier and called
another a pig"
Remove statue of Former Kaiser.
Just before the British delega-
tion, consisting of fifty witnesses.
lawyers. government representa-
tives, arrived, someone took a sta
tue of former Kaiser William from
a pedestal and tiptoed away with
it. But from right and left heroic
sized emperors gaZed stonily at the
procession. Through stained-glass
windows the sun threw a rose-col-
ored picture of Germany's past
greatness upon the bowed heads OF
the French, British and Belgian
accusers.
At 9:I5 a. m. Presiding Judge
Schmidt entered the room, where
upon the British delegation rose to
= in
Britain and America. A majority
of the l3o newspaper men, English
and American. also rose, thus sur
prising the natives by their cour-
tesy. Then guards brought up Karl
Heinen a broad-shouldered, typical
Prussian sergeant.
Judges Robed In Velvet.
The witnesses gazed with open
mouths at the seven judges, rooed
in maroon velvet. wearing hats
such as one sees in old paintings
Only 500 Germans could enter be-
caues of the smallness of the cham
Der and the unprecedented of cor
respondents.
Sir Ernest Pollack. the British
attorney general. led the accusing
delegation.
Here is a little. yet significant
incident introduced into the testi-
mony: YOU threw a stone at the
British prisoner" said the judge.
Yes" replied Heinen. II threw
stones. My sergeant threw stones
at me when 1 was a private in
training and why should l not
throw stones at private"
But a person from a foreign
country should not have been
treated in that manner" said the
judge.
The husky German sergeant
never smiled
Admits All Charges
Did he use his rifle butt on prfs-
oners, he was asked.
IF ne had ever hit a man with
a gun he would never have got up
to accuse me-" replied the sergeant.
He admitted practically all the
charges. except wilfulness in his
brutality. claiming his orders was
to get workers for the coal mines
and no other meth',ds obtained re-
suits.
Then Heinen offered the follow
ing bit of philosophy:
Il have learned there are no good
soldiers and no bad soldiers: there
are only SoioleFs VINO cary Out
their orders and soldiers who fail
to carry them out
The evidence soon showed Helm
ems was not an exceptional case of
brutality. but was a part of the
German army's systematized bru-
taIity. Unwitingly Heinen revealed
the part brute force played in the
former kaiser's army.