Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-01-07
CHARGES AGAINST
OPlE NOT SUSTAINED
BY TWO WITNESSES
Continued From Page /.

Pollock, came up in his limousine
andHasked if anybody there saw the
shooting. Seven of us stepped for
ward and they put us right away in
solitary on bread ard water"
'"They had lieutenant, regular
snowgird all lit up" he said. HE
used to come back from Italy, where
he went for his dope, and then he
would stand up and say, Boys, I'm
glad to see YOU 1 guess he was,
for he got us out at midnight for in
sspection."
ST am Edward Duner, known also
as Hobo Kelly, the famous tramp"
he declared after the hearing, as a
bunch of motion pictu4s operators
seized him by the arm and dragged
him toward the~light.
Known as the Tramp
Recalled at the afternoon session,
Duner said he was known before the
war as Hobo Kelly, the tramp
''Iow did you get here-blind bag
gage?" asked Senator Overman.
mo, sir, 1 paid my way. L never
rode the blind baggage n my life.
I'm hunter and trapper, but I've
been over the world"
Concerning recent testimony to the
eject that a soldier, NJ ed Bonnie f.
King, of Wilmington, N. c. had been
hanged, war department records
were presented by Colonel Bethel
showing that King was killed in
action Septem r 20, 1918.
Charles E. Cox, of Lynchburg, Va,
first of the witnesses far Major Opie
to be called, testified that he never
heard of the alleged shooting of a
soldier by the officer.
81 was constantly with Major Opie
until he was wounded" said Cox
'and I never once heard a rumor
that he had been accused of killing
anybody"
Cox declared he had come as a
voluntary witness and was not ask
ed to appear. The first he heard
Of the shooting report, he said, was
publication of charges since the SEN
ate hearing started.
Opie's Witnesses Heard
Howard Fifer, of Staunton, Va,
said he was with Ajor Opie on
October and 9, 1918, on the days he
was accused of shooting his men.
Ibid you see Major Opie fire rifle
in reforming his lines?" the officers
counsel asked.
Yes. Stragglers were coming in
and Major Opie ordered them to halt.
AS some were DING forward Major
Opie took a rifle and fired two or
three times int the hillside to get
the atten" n {" t stragglers and to
stop thin. No, one vas shot and
came here to swear to tfat.'
"Did Major Opie fire into the di-
rection of the stragglers?" Chairman
Brandegee asked.
mo, sir. He fired in the other
direction. He shot toward no shell
hole"
Major Opie was trying to get the
men to ,.alt He fired twelve feet
ahead Of them"
Ibid you hear later that somebody
was shot?'
"No. sir"
Fifer said he did not hear any re-
port about tho major shooting a
runner.
Cantain Testifies
Alfred D. Barksdale, Of Lynchburg.
Va, a captain, who succeeded ODie
to command OF the battalion when
the latter was injured, declared he
first heard Of the shooting charges
two weeks ago.
Barksdale explained that there
were two Woolwines in the battalion,
that Ernest Woolwine, shot in ac-
ton. died in his arms. and that
Walker was killed week laer. He
declared there was no William Wool
wine-the man Opie is alleged to
houa chnf-iI1 the rom nd.
did you hear of any illegal hang
ings?" Chairman Brandegee asked.
mo. sir"
"Do you think it probable that
officers could hang men, escape
court-martial and keep it quiet?"
st don't see how it could happen"
Testimony on Hangings
Further testimony relating to the
hanging of American soldiers was
presented.
Herbert L. Cadenhead. of Green
Vile, Miss, 81 years old, former
service man, said he saw ten or
twelve men executed at Is-Sur-Tille.
War department records, previously
submitted showed two soldiers were
hanged at Is-Sur-Tille and that elev-
en- soldiers were hanged in France"
after conviction by general court
martial.
GLOW many hangings did you rec
altogether?' Chairman Brandegee
asked.
Ten or twelve" he replied.
The witness did not know how
many had been tried. None Of the
men hanged, he said, made state
ments on the gallows.
One of those put to death was a
lieutenant, charged with assaulting
a seven-year-old girl, he declared.
The witness went over the execu-
tions he claimed to have seen, one
by one.
Cadenhead produced several small
photographs Of purported hanging
scenes.
Main Criticism
"Your main criticism about n .
execution, as set forth in your letter
to Senator Watson, was that the
French people should have been per-
nitted to see them," Charm; IL
Brandegee asked.
Eyes, Nsir.
"See any barbarity?'
mo, the only thing I saw was
that some of the men hanged were
doped.'
Pressed By Chairman Brandegee,
Csdenhead said all the executions he
saw were around Is-Sur-Tille.
At this point, Col. Walter A.
Bethel, who was General Pershing' S
judge advocate general in France,
stated that of the eleven executions
listed by the war department, one
took place in December, 1917, three