Evening star., 1922-01-05
Two Knew Only by Hearsay,
Others Contradict State
ment of ACCuSer.

od Battalion, 116th lnfantry-overSeas
We're mentioned in a letter to Senator
watson as likely to have evidence. Bu
| they insisted they knew nothing of theil
own knowledge
\ moment later, however, Lemuel
o. Smith of Dublin, Va. who has been
in an institution for the insane since
the war. declared he saw Mai Opie
shoot soldier.
Saw Man Shot.
while in dugout with three com
rades and four German prisoners.
said Smith. Il saw Maj. Opie take a
gun and deliberately shoot man
The man Opie shot was William
Woolwine. He was shot in the dug
out. about in the middle of it. Opie
was ten steps from Woolwine.'
What did Maj. Opie say" he was
asked.
He said: 4 shot him: take him
out"
What was said before the shoot
ing?"
Not a word was passed. Maj. Opie
gave no reason"
How many shots were fired?'
"One. it hit Woolwine in the chest
He was dead when we picked him
up"
Did you make a complaint about
the shooting?"
II did not"
In a letter to Senator Watson
Smith said he had been decorated by
the French and American govern
ments. but he admitted that he had
received no such honorS.
why did you say 1t them
Friend Wrote Letter.
"A friend Of mine, a patient in the
hospital at Marion with me, wrote
reading it,
who wrote the letter."
Benjamin Huger.'
Smith said he had been physically
unable to work since leaving the
Army.
son told Smith to compose himself
and not to be afraid of Maj. Opie or
anybody else in the committee room
Have you any personal grievance
against Maj. Opie??"
None whatever. l told no one tc
write to you that l had been deco
rated. | was volunteer"
Chairman Brandegee, calling at
tention to discrepancies in state
ments in Smiths letter and testi-
mony, as to the dugout shooting
asked which was correct
What l testified was right" he
said.
He was then excused.
Senator Watson took sharp ex-
ception to line of cross-examina-
tion by John A. Cutchins of Rich
mond. Va. counsel for Maj. Opie
The lawyer had asked Smith if he
believed man killed in battle died
an honorable death
Watson Opposes "BuIlyrnggins."
Its outrageous to have officers
who bullyrag this poor, nervous
man., Senator Watson shouted I'VE
are after evidence. not opinions"
After the ftare-up Chairman Bran
degee held the question was not ma
terial, and it was withdrawn
Mr. Cutchins declared he was no,
now an officer.
Osborn Ellison of Pulaski, mention
ed by Smith as having been in the
dugout with him at the time of the
Woolwine shooting, declared he was
not present.
Did you see Maj. Opie shoot Wool
wine?"
NO. sir: did not"
Ever see Opie shoot any soldier?"
-- Never. l was not with Smith and
never saw him but once'
That's ALL"
Lee Collins of Dublin. Va. was next
called.
You heard Smiths testimony ?"
Chairman Brandegee asked.
Yes"
Were you with him in the dugout?'
NO sir
Ever see Maj. Opie shoot--Wool-
wine or anybody else?'
NO sir
Collins said he was a committee
Opie.
Tells of Hnngings.
Further testimony relating to the
hanging of American soldiers at Is
sur-Illle, France, was presented to-
day.
Herbert L. Cadenhead of Green
Vile. Miss. a former service man, de-
clared he had witnessed ten or
twelve executions at Issur-Tille,
while engaged in transporting Ger
man prisoners by truck in the vicin-
ity of that place.
War Department records previously
submitted to the committee showed
that two soldiers were hanged at
Issur-Tille after conviction by gener-
al court-martial and gave the total
executions in the A. F.. F. as eleven:
All after formal trial before military
courts.
Cadenhead did not know whether
any of the men he saw hanged had
been sent to their death without
trial. None of them, he said, made
any statement when on the gallows.
He described in detail the executions
which he claimed to have witnessed,
/,
who, Cadenhead said. had been
charged with assault upon a seven
year old girl.
Tells OF Atrocities.
Edwin Duner of San Francisco. a
voluntary witness. stepped forward
and declared he wanted to testify con-
cerning prison atrocities in France.
Il was at Bassens prison, near Bor-
deauX. where l was sent up for three
months for going across the street.
out of my area-to get two egg sand
wiches."
How did you get them?" Chairman
Brandegee asked.
II bought them. sir" he shot back.
While at the prison. Duner said. he
saw a sergeant, while drunk, kill a
prisoner for asking for a slice of
bread. The sergeant, he added, was
not court-martialed as far as he knew.
John Fitzgerald of Pennsylvania
who was locked up for being drunk
was named by Duner as the prisoner
killed. The sergeant, he said, was
named Cooper.
Duner also gave the names of wit
nesses.
Anybody see the shooting?'
Yes. $50 negroes and 200 white
men. We were going to mob the SER
geant. but there were too many auto
matics.
Put ON Bread and Water.
Later the colonel, a big Polack
came up in his limousine" Duner con-
tinued. land asked II anybody there
saw the shooting. Seven of us STEP
away in solitary on bread and water
Duner. a tall, fair-haired chap, gave
the committee a refreshing touch OF
comedy in describing some Of the