The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-01-05
Witness From Insane In
sl:itution of Virginia
Swears He Saw Opie
Shoot Man-War De-
2artrnent Records Con-
tradicted By Oral Tes-
timony


Washington, Jan. 5-Further testi-
mony relating to the hanging of
American soldiers was presented to-
day to the senate committee investi-
getting charges by Senator Watson,
Democrat. Georgia, that soldiers were
put to death without trial.
Herbert l.. Cadenhead, of Green
willie. Miss, 81 years old, a former
Service man, declared 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
eleven were hanged in France.
How man hangings did you see
altogether?' Chairman Brandgee
asked.
"Ten or twelve he replied.
The witness did not know how
many had been tried None of the
men hanged, he said, made statements
on the gallows.
One of those put to death was il
lieutenant charged with assaulting
seven year old girl. The witness
went over the executions he claimed
to have seen, one by one.
Produced Photos
Cadenhead produced several small
photographs of purported hanging
scenes
At this point Colonel Bethel, who
was General Pershing's advocate gen
eral in France, stated that of the
eleven executions listed by the war
department one took place in 1917,
three in 1918 and the others in 1919.
after the armistice.
Cadenhead declared he had no feel
ing against officers and that he vol
unfairly offered to come forward after
seeing the. statement printed that
there were only two hangings at Is
Sur-Tille.
Il had seen more than that" he
said, land it seemed to me that some
officers were guilty"
Senator Brandges asked if Caden-
head could produce witnesses to sup
port his statements. He mentioned
ANDREW Saloon" but explained that
the spelling was "Chelume." and that
he lived at Elmhurst, L. |.
Chelume will be summoned
opie Case Called
Called before senate committee to
testify that charges that Major II. L.
Opie of Staunton. Va. had shot two
soldiers in France, Horace Cooke. of
COvington, Va, declared today that
all he knew about the case was hear
say.
Claude Dreedon, of Covington, a
former service man, also was eX-
cused when he said he knew nothing
of the cases against Major Opie.
Names of Breedon and Cooke, who
served in Major Opies command
Third battalion, 10th infantry, over
seas-were mentioned in a letter to
Senator Watson as likely to have evil
dence.
Lemuel o. Smith, of Dublin, Va.
AyNo has been in an institution for
he insane since the war, declared
he saw Major Opie shoot a soldier.
Saw Opie Shoot Man
while in the dugout with three
comrades and four German prison
ers," said Smith, 81 saw Major Opie
take gun and deliberately shoot
a man. The man Opie shot was Will
liam Woolwine. He was shot in the
dugout about in the middle of it. Opie
was ten steps from Woolwine."
What did Major Opie say" he was
asl,od.
''He said: I shot him; take him
out"
What was said before the shoot
ing?"
mot a word was passed. Major
Opie gave no reason"
How many shots were fired?"
zone. 1t hit Woolwine in the chest
He was dead when we picked him up"
"Did you make a complaint of the
shooting?"
81 did not"
Not Decorated
In letter to Senator Watson, Smith
said he had been decorated by the
French and American governments
but he admitted that he had received
no such honors.>
"Why did you say it then?"
"A friend of mine, patient in the
hospital to Marion with me, wrote the
letter and signed it without reading
it,"
"Who wrote the letter."
BENJAMIN Huger."
Smith said he had been physically
unable to work since leaving the
army Taking the witness Senator
Watson told Smith to compose him.
: self and not to be afraid Of Major