Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-12-11
100 EX-sEnV|CE MEN
CALLED FOR BY WATSON
Will 30 Introduced as Wit.
ncescs to Illegal Exccu.
lions of Soldiers.
SHOWS rIcTuIta OF GALLows
In photograph Appears 10 Ic Several
Officers ON Platform Adjusting Noose
Around Neck of Condemned Man in
France.
SHOWS rIcTuIIa OF GALLows
my Associated rresa.l

ny ASSOCIATED lreES.
WASHINGTON. Dec. lo.-Thc names
OF moro than 100 former service men
were presented tod..J TO tho Senate
committee by Senator Watson. Demo-
crat. Georgia, who asked that they
10 brought here To testify In tho In
FestlSation Of his charges that Amer
lcan soldiers had been put to death
IN France without tho right Of trial
By court martial,
There was no !ntlmation az to how
many on tho list would be summoned.
tho committee explaining that II
would slit through tho names next
week. Assurance. however. was given
Senator Watson that every person
would no called it he believed they
were prepared TO give testimony d.
rectly bearing on the charges.
Session Extremely Tame.
Compared with the turbulent meet
ing yesterday. the session was cx-
trcrncly tame. Senator Watson, The
only Witness. read extracts from
many letters in which Fpldi.rs de-
clhr~l they knew Of numbers OF IL
legal executions. One soldier wrote
that on transpo,e taking him 10
France. fourteeen men were thrown
overheard and drowned. for no APP
parent reason.
Tho Georgia Senator undertook to
show. and indeed announced. that ne
would prove that the War Depart
mcnt list or eleven executions did
not include all OF the men Illegally
hanged or shot 10 death by order Of
superior officers. a picture OF what
seemed TO be gnliows In France.
on which rope was being hooked
around the neck %. a condemned son
IL. .sstt Ia
the platform and scores on the gound
below, was given to the committee by
the senator, who testified that II was
taken by Il colonel. now In the SER
wee. The officers name Was not re-
Fcalcd. nor that Of his son. who
handed 1t TO the Senator las, night.
az the testimony >no Ell.
Senator Watson stated that he de-
sired 10 return the picture tonight,
but by direction Of Senator Shields.
Democrat, Tennessee. /, was retained
for tho record. although Mr.. Shields
declared Il was not worth while as
evidence. II the man who made IT
could not hc found To testify.
Colonel Walter r. Bethel. assist
ant judge advocate general. from
whom the committee obtained the
list OF eleven legal executions. was
instructed To check over the Wat
son list and see II any were the
Same.
At tho outset OF the hearing. after
presentation OF "a letter from Assist
ant Secretary Roosevelt, Of the Navy
Department. denying that ne had first
hand knowledge Of tho killing OF n
soldier by an officer and the subse-
qucnt transfer OF the officer to an
other command. Senator Watson ex-
planned that use OF Mr. Rooscvelts
namo was due to blunder. The lot
ter. In fact. he stated. was written
by Colonel William Haywood, United
states District Attorney. of New
York. and a former officer overseas
Are National Concern.
Running through his long tyne
written record Of the names OF pros
rective witnesses. with n word or
two "a TO wha, each wou!d probably
testify. Senator Watson stopped oc-
cas!onally TO inter,cct some obscrva-
tons. Tho charges. he declared, had
become Il matter o. public or nationai
concern. and for that reason he
wanted TO conduct the case In his
own way.
Quoting from his letter to Chair
man Brand. the Georgia Senator said
II was no surprise TO him that the
American Legion. composed princi-
paily OF the officers who organized
themselves In Paris to pcrpetuaie
mfiitar!sm In this country should
whitewash themselves"
me commander of the American
Legion Post at Wcstville, Okla.
the Senator said. had sent him the
Hame OF IMAM ready TO testify that
twenty-one Americans were executed