The New York herald., 1922-01-20
SWEARS SQUAD SHOT.
BOY, 20, IN FRANCE
Welterweight Champion of the
A. f. +. Tells Of Execution
Near Chateau Thierry.
8 HANGINGs DESCRIBED
Witnesses Testify to One More
at Is-sur-Tille Than
Records Show.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19.-George Wash
ington Yarbrough. a high school teacher
Of Roanoke. Ala, rated as the welter-
weight champion of the A. Il. f.. told
Senate investigating committee to-day
that he had witnessed the shooting OF
an American soldier by firing squad
near the Chateau Thierry region in
July. 1918.
Regarded by the committee as prob
ably the most cleared headed of all the
former service men testifying concern
ing the alleged hanging of soldiers
without trial, Yarbrough himself. a re-
luctant witness, declared the sight OF the
man being led to his death with hands
tied behind his back made him forget
for the moment the screeching Of enemy
shells flying overhead.
The witness said he was but twenty
steps away when the officer commanding
the squad gave the order to fire. and he
heard the soldier, barely 90 years old.
plead to be permitted to die with his
eyes unbound.
Witness Covers New Ground.
Members Of the committee and Col.
Walter A. Bethel. Assistant Judge Advo-
cate-General of the Army, listened
closely to the recital. for evidence from
War Department sources heretofore
presented failed to show where men had
met death that way.
Yarbrough was told by Col. Bethel
who declared the witness was extremely
Intelligent. that he was not attempting to
break down his story but seeking to
obtain some data which might enable
/ i'm to check UP on the shooting. The
witness explained that he could give
the names of none of the men with him
at the time because they were not at
tached to his outfit. He understood the
officer in charge of the squad was a
Major In an infantry regiment OF the
Third Division.
There had been camp reports, the wit
ness said, that the soldier was shot
for neglect of duty in battle. Asked by
Chairman Brandegee If the shooting led
him to believe there had been abuse
of power. Yarbrough replied, Nothing
whatever" as he assumed that the Off
Ger handling the squad was carrying
out orders. But he thought thsn and
now. he added, that IL the army had
detailed squad to shoot a comrade 1t
might have detailed another squad to
pick up the body and bury 1t.
More Abuse Related.
Much testimony relating to alleged
abuse Of enlisted men cropped out again
to-day along with further references
to the conduct of "Hardboiled" Smith
Two former service men testified they
had seen three public executions at Is
sur-Tille. at which station War Depart
ment records show only two men were
hanged.
IT. A. Sinclair of Westville. Okla.
testified that he saw three public execu-
tions at Is-sur-Tille. Sinclair. who said
his name had been sent to Senator
Watson by the commander of an Ameri-
can Legion post at Westville, knew OF
no Illegal execution. .ft
"If ten or twelve men had been hanged
at Is-sur-Tile as other witnesses have
charged would you have known it?'
Senator Shields (Tenn.), Democrat,
asked
"If that had happened certainly
would have heard It,"
James NJ. Elliott OF Newark. N. j..
who described himself as lawyer and
who served with medical corps over
seas told of seeing two men showed
under faucet fully clothed, and forced
to stay there twenty minutes. One died
a few days later. but he did not know
the cause. Under questioning he said
he had suffered from conclusion after
being hit by falling tree and that It
had affected his memory.
Robert Il. O'Brien of Des Moines Ia,
the testimony OF Sinclair
as to three executions at Is-sur-Tille.