The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-11-10
SENATOR WATSON
ON RAMPAGE AGAIN
GEORGIA SENATOR SCORES
HIGH WAR DEPARTMENT
OFFICIALS.

american SOlQlefS were hanged over
seas without courtmartial, Senator
Watson (Democrat) of Georgia to-
night in the senate turned hiH fire on
Secretary Weeks and General Perish
Rg-because of their denial of the
senator's assertions.
Alluding to the statement today
by the war secretary that "no decent
man" would make charges with re-
spect to army nurses such as were
made several days ago in the senate.
Senator Watson while disclaiming any
intent to attack the nurses as whole,
said he would leave to any impartial
tribunal to judge whether he or Mr..
Weeks was the more decent" The
senator said that his charges as orig
inally made was "that officers IN too
many cases made courtesans OF the
nurses"
"And l can prove it," he exclaimed.
Reading General Pershing's state
ment as made yesterday in Nashville,
Tenn, that the Watson charges of il
legal hangings and inhuman treat
ment of privates by officers was a
':most outrageous and untrue accusa
tion," the Georgia senator declared:
when the general denounces SEN
atcr as liar he had better remember
that it is within the power of the
senate to bring him here and a time
may come when we will do that. If
he talks that way about more senators
it may be done. We have as yet no
Kaiser that says: Me and Cod
I'm not going to lower myself"
Senator Watson continued, "to the
level of either Secretary Weeks or
General Pershing by indulging in
abuse. 1 simply content myself with
saying that it was q great improperly
for either of these gentlemen in the
public service to publicly condemn
another without the slightest investi
CATION"
Senator Watson then read a letter
from an unidentified Richmond, Va,
woman who said she had served II
months as an army nurse. The letter
said that "offcers made courtesans of
the nurses wherever possible and
nurses who resisted were subjected
to personal indignities." Mr.. Watson
also said he had been told personally
by a former nurse that she had been
compelled to repel the assault of Off
GERS.
More kilograms and letters in sup
port of his illegal hanging charges
also were presented by the senator.
He submitted another photograph of
what he said was an army gallows in
France, which photograph he said, had
been smuggled into the country by a
Huntington, w. Va, private.
Apparently there were as many
gibbets as hospitals" said the sena-
tor who for the first time gave the
name Clifford L. Aver, Jr.-of the
man he said had told him of gal
lows guard that said 81 soldiers had
. been hanged without courtmartial.
He presented a telegram from Aver
stating that an affidavit was being
forwarded for tie use of the special
committee that will meet Monday to
determine procedure in the investiga-
tion of the senator's charges. The
senator promised TO protect h;'
nesses if any attempts, he said were
made to "brow beat Or intimidate
them"
Another telegram presented by the
senator was from George Carborough
of Aaron, Ca, who said he served in
the Six Hundred and Fifth engineer
corps and declared that Mr.. Watson's
: charges of illegal hangings were true,
Senator Watson said this witness
would appear before the committee
and "face the Nabobs of the general
: staff ,
! The senator read another telegram
9 the sender of which was not disclos-
) ed. which asked that the senate in
vestipation include "the case OF Al
. bert Purcell Of Cincinnati" about
: which the informant said he had been
! able to learn nothing from the wal
! department. -, 80,
!: The message said Purcelps death
occurred at a camp at San Antonio
Texas.
s. William Gibbons of Cleveland hae
) wsgsen, Mr.. Watson said, that ne hae
two photographs, one taken befor'
an the other after the hanging OF {
soldier against whom the writer sai'
the charges lacked definiteness.
j. The senate also was told today b!
the Georgia senator that forme
service man now living in Washing