The Cordova daily times., 1921-12-29

cate Generals department of the army, who was General Pershing's chief legal adviser in France and who in that capacity reviewed every court-ma rtial record in which sen tence of death was imposed on an American soldier. testifying before
 the Senate committee appointed to l investigate the charges made on the Thomas F.. Watson. of Georgia. de- clared that the death sentence had been carried out in just eleven cases and that in every instance the
 man who forfeited his life was guilty of crime the atrociousness of which it would be difficult to over- estimate
 Senator Watson had charged that American soldiers were executed without trial. that officers had shot down enlisted men in cold blood, that army officers had made Courtesans Of army nurses and other charges of grave nature Colonel Bethel who was the senior law officer in France, asserted unde~ oath that in every | instance where the death sentence
 was carried ont the condemned
 man had every possible legal safe guard and that in no mstanc" was
 a man sent to the gallows until
 his case had hcen thoroughly in vestiEated and passed upon by Con
 cral Pcrshing
 Senator Watson. who preceded Col onri Bethel in the witness chair. had opportunity after opportunity to withdraw or qualify tho sweeping charges he had uttered in the Senate, but he refused to budgc an inch. II"
 read into the record of the commit tee affidavits made by men who af- rirmed they had served in France and who swore they had witnessed the executions of American soldiers, some of them they asserted. going to their death without trial. One made an affidavit that he had seen two enlisted men shot down in cold blood by officers. In no instance did
 the makers of the affidavits give the names of the soldiers alleged 10
 have been executed without trial or murdered hy their superiors
 Colonel Bethel, who appeared at
 tn" instance of Secretary of War
 Weeks. informed the committee that
 tho complete record Of every case in
 Nhrch ! sol'ier had forfeited his life would be placed in thn record. He
 then read into the record an official summary of the records. emitting at
 the instance of the committee the names Of the men who were eyccu. | ed
 GIVES LIST OF EXECUTIONS
 Here is the list of the cases, Siv-
 en in the order of execution: 1. An Indian soldier of the First Division. Attacked on Oct. 20. 1917, in a little town in the Department O fthe Mouse. 7-year-old child
 of the Mouse, 7-year-od child died. The soldier was court-mar-
 tialed. according to the American | regulations. and found guilty Case reviewed by Division Commander | Colonel Bethel and finally by General
 Pershing General Pershing ordered the execution carried out The man
 was executed Nov 10, 1917.
 ?. negro soldier attacked. near
 Neufchateau. Frenchwoman who
 was 8 years old. Crime committed April 27. 1918 Sentence of death imposed by court-martial Case re-
 viewed by Colonel Bethel and sen
 tence approved by General Persh-
 ing. Soldier executed July 13. 1918. 3. Negro soldier attacked. near | Bordeaux, a Frenchwoman who was | A years old The victims 12-year- old son witnessed the commission of
 the crime Offense committed in
 late spring of 1918. Soldier executed
 Aug. 30. 1918
 4. Negro soldier, on July ?, 1918, attacked young French woman near Bar-Sur-Auve. Sentence of death approved by General Pershing. | Soldier executed Sept. 6. 1918. 5. Negro soldier attacked French
 woman, age 3S years. Crime com
 mitted at Mantagne. Sentence ap- dier executed Nov 3. 1918.
 6. Negro soldier attacked young
 French girl near Nenfchateau Crime