Evening star., 1922-01-11


Duner of San Francisco.
Details of the execution Of soldier
at Gievres on June 20. 919. were given
by Col. Charles J.. Symonds of Camp
Sherman. Ohio. who was in command
there at the time. The gallows. he
the execution was secret and was not
known generally until the next day.
II saw no reason for making 1t pub
lie. because the crime was not commit
ted at Gievres." he added. Il directed
that nobody should attend but a GER
tain number Of witnesses"
WAS there any other gallows at
Gievres?" Chairman Brandegee asked.
Not while I was there, from Febru-
ary, 1918, to July. 1919"
Would Have known of HanEings.
Some witnesses heretofore had testi-
fed that guards had told them of the
hanging of upward Of a dozen soldiers
at Gievres.
"If other hangings had occurred
there would you have known it?''
Il most certainly would"
Col Symonds was shown a picture
OF gallows at Gievres as submitted
by FORMER service man.
1T corresponds closely to the one
at Gievres. : believe 1t is the one I
ordered erected there" he said.
Questioned regarding testimony that
two negroes were lynched near Gieyres.
Col. Symonds said he could not COM
ceive of anything of the kind happen
ing without a report Of 1t reaching him.
Senator Watson. democrat, Georgia.
whose charges of illegal executions
led to the investigation. sharply cross
examined Col. Symonds concerning the
Gievres."
"Was the soldier hanged In a uni
form" Senator Watson asked.
hNA xrlr
and buried in the regular way. The
cemetery"
Did the soldier make any state
ment prior to the hanging?
Asked That He he Shot.
ION the gallows he asked that his
family be notified. but that they be
asked that they shoot. and not hang
him." Col Symonds said.
j. p. Fyffe. manufacturer Of
Chattanooga, Tenn. who was execu-
tive officer to Col. symonds at Gievres
from August. 1918, to August. 1919. tes-
there IN that period.
While efforts were being made to
keep the hanging at daylight secret,
Mr.. Fyffe said. "the news got around
II never heard Of a lynching and I
certainly would have heard Of it had
it occurred" he added
Capt Joseph I'd. Hahn. now at
Camp Benning. Ga. who was sta
toned at Gievres from March. 1918,
illegal executions at that point. Dur
ing his service there he only knew
| Of the ono legal hanging.
Accused OF Having Tive Executed.
"A witness Harry W. segal Of
Dorchester. Mass, has testified that
he saw you and others take two
| negro soldiers out and execute them" !"
Capt Hahn was informed "1s that
true?" he was asked.
ITS absolutely untrue" said Capt
Hahn. adding that he could not recall
seeal or any incident which might
have caused him to- mako such a
The provost oficer. At Gievres-
Oscar r. Cole, OF Berlin. n. H-who
70 June 1919. testified he never heard
of the alleged lynching of the negro
Il don't believe it could have hap
pened without my knowledge" Cole
declared.
Wants to Clear Up opie Case.
: John A. Hutchins Of Richmond,
Va. counsel for Maj. Opies in a brief
statement, at the conclusion Of the
Opfe, testimony. expressed the hope
that there might be speedy finding,
and asked that further evidence relaf-
ing to him might be presented at one
time. He explained that he was par
ticularly anxious to have all the evil
dence relating to him cleared up at
the earliest possible time.
tifying against Maj. Opt, except in
! some Instances. deliberately He'd" Mr.
tCutchins declared. IT think they really
believed what they said, but I do not
| think this constant airing Of charges
ought to go on much longer. Mai.
opie's name has been placarded across
the country as a murderer. He won
distinction and was decorated for
ea1lantry and bravery. It is hard
for . man trying to re-establfsh him.
self IN civil life to be constantly
facing such charges Most Of the
NAL; their nerves were shattered by
hard and patriotic services. and the
further continuation Of this hearing
is calculated to excite their halluci.
nations and does grave injustice 20
Maj. opie and other officers"
away the doubt as to what Mr.. Cutch-
ins had sought by stating he had not
! understood the latter to ask for q
special verdict. but simply for the
fxfng OF q day on which all other
evidence, any. in the Opie case might
be presented.
Senator watson opposed any at
tempt to single out the Opie case, de.
claring he was not the prosecutor.
that he had not brought the majors
name in, ana that the major himself
| was the first to give the charges pub
licity after a witness had told Of the
shooting Of q man by an officer desiS-
n rad AZ "Maj. Opley," -
| AZ all the testimony for and against
Mas, Opie was cleared from the slate,
| q special date will be fixed for 70.
opsring the charges by the commit
| tee in the event further statements
should bA offered