Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-13
EX-CAP TAIN DENIES
STORY Of Staying
At CAMP WHEELER

Byron C. Fowler, formerly captain
of Company d, One Hundred and
Twenty-second Infantry, on guard
at Camp Wheeler during it's building,
and now connected with Kelley
Bros, 10 Nelson street, Atlanta,
talked freely Saturday regarding the
statement attributed to former Pri-
vate Marion J. Wallis, of Athens, a
member Of his company. Wallis had
been quoted as saying he wrote Sen
ator Watson about what he termed
"cold- FLOODED murder" of a pris-
oner, "shot from behind by a cor
poral, after another burly corporal
had dubbed him and broken his
wrist because he refused to work"
II am glad of the chance to make
a statement in this connection" said
Mr.. Fowler. II was in command OF
D company, First battalion-Ma-
jor Gamblers battalion-when it was
transferred from Camp Harris to
guard duty at Camp Wheeler while
the latter camp was building.
$50 far as I know there was one
man shot while my company was
IlAClSs L1S was SL1OI " ll1iO IL y 4AASo "
escape from sentry who was TAX
ing him from the regimental guard
house to the division stockade, mile
away.
Can Give Name
'I can give you the name OF this
mana private in my own company
and Of the sentry who shot him,
also a private in Company D."
tIa n6
ing the infraction for which the pris-
oner was confined, and stating his
sentence.
"And he positively was not killed"
Mr.. Fowler declared. He was shot
in the hip a. he ran, after being
called to halt. And a man was in
this store recently who told me he
had seen this man not long ago,
and that he was living in town not
far from Atlanta-and was drawing
compensation as disabled soldier!
This was the only shooting at Camp
Wheeler in which any member of
Company D was concerned, and, in
deed, the only shooting I ever heard
of at Camp Wheeler"
Recalls Wallis
Mr.. Fowler said he recalled Wal
lis distinctly.
HE was in my company, all
right" said he. IT remember him
well-we had enough trouble with
him; minor trouble. He was con-
tinually in trouble for infraetions Of
rules and INSTRUMENTATION.
"And 1 want to say right here,
and for the benefit of whomsoever
it may concern, especially Senator
Thomas E. Watson. that we men
who served IN the army know only
too we'll the kind of men who are
slandering the service today. They
are the men who had to be kicked
into their plain duty-who refused
to respond to decent treatment.
Senator Watson appears to take
it for granted that every soldier
who was disciplined was a martyr,
I wonder what he thinks of po-
lice forces and sheriffs and courts
and jails. I wonder why he doesn't
take up the cudgels for every felon
in the penitentiaries of the United
States. / wonder why he can main
tain silence while criminals are be
trocuted in othersA
WOHuSl IL lie IIlIlhS lOuI
lion men can be assembled in an
army without getting into it some
Of the men that keep the police
busy in civil life. I wonder if he
thinks that the uniform automati.
cally converts a thug and an in
subordinate roughnecll into a mod
ell soldier. I wonder how he would
have dealt with a soldier who didn't
know he could battle in the winter
tine.
Praise for Boys
ITO the credit of American citi-
zenry I want to say with all my
heart that the vast majority Of the
boys were fine, honest. decent, loyal
fellows. I was in the state ma
tional guard sixteen years. I was in
the army of thu United States three
years and four months. I was on
the Mexican border seven months.
| was overseas year, lacking ten
days, most Of the time with the
Third division, and in the army of
occupation in Germony. I have seen
our boys, and lived with them, and
gone through llardships with them
and it is the pride Of my life, as a
plain civilian, the way the boys Of
my old outfit come around ana look
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