Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-12-11
TAGGED YANKS
SHOT IN FRANCE
WATSON IS TOLD
Senator Continues to Press
Charges That American
Soldiers Were Executed
Without Proper Trials.
tBy The Associated Press

| ADy tht EAAbVNhi'NN IFHH'l
| Washington, Dec. Johannes o.
more than 100 former service mer
were presented today to a senate
committee by Senator Watson
democrat, of Georgia, who asked
that they be brought there to testi.
| fly in the investigation of his
charges that American soldiers hao
been put to death in France without
right of trial
There was no intimation, as To
how many would be summoned
Assurance, however, was given SEN
ator Watson that every person
would be called if he believed they
were prepared to give testimony
directly bearing on the charges.
Reads From Letters.
Senator Watson read extracts
from many letters in which soldiers
declared they knew of numbers of
Illegal executions. One soldier
wrote that on transport going to
France fourteen men were drowned
for no apparent reason.
The senator undertook to show,
and indeed announced he would
prove, that the war department list
of eleven executions did not in
clude all men illegally hanged or
shot by order of superior officers,
A picture OF what seemed to be a
gallows in France, on which q rope
was being hooked around the neck
OF a condemned soldier, with sew
eral officers on the platform and
scores on the ground, was pre-
sented by the senator, who testl-
fled that 1t was taken by n colonel.
now in the service.
The officers name was not re-
vealed.
Picture Is Held.
Senator Watson stated that he
desired TO return the picture to-
night but by direction of Senator
Shields, democrat, of Tennessee, 1t
was retained for the record, al
though Mr.. Shields declared 1t was
not worth while as evidence if the
man who made it could not be
found to testify.
Colonel w. r. Bethel, assistant
Judge advocate general, from whom
the committee obtained the list OF
the eleven legal executions, was In
structed to check over the Watson
list and see if any were the same.
After presentation of a letter
from Assistant Secretary of the
Navy Roosevelt denying he had
first hand knowledge Of the killing
of a soldier by an officer and the
subsequent transfer OF the officer
TO another command, Senator Wat
son explained that use OF Mr.. Roose-
velts name was due to a blunder.
The latter, he stated, was written
by Colonel William Hayward, fed
IalAl6istriat attorney, Of New York,
Iand Il former officer overseas.
'Raps" American Legion
Quoting from his letter to Chair
man Brandegee. the senator said It
was no surprise to him that the
American legion, composed prin-
cipally OF the officers who organ
ized themselves in Paris to perpetu-
ate militarism in this country,
should whitewash themselves"
The commander of a legion post
at Westville, oklahoma, the senator
said, had sent him the name of a
man ready to testify that twenty
one Americans were executed in
France without trial. Another SOL
dier wrote that more than six hum
dred had been illegally killed "A
Franco.
"Did these men tell you why the
soldiers were killed." Senator
Brandegee asked.
"In each case of ruthless kill
ing" the senator replied, "it was
stated that men were shot down be-
cause they were tagged and unable
to walk"