The New York herald., 1922-01-05
question to ne on the ground overnight

question to lie on the ground overnight
in the rain.
How did you get the moose OFF,"
Senator Watson went on.
''It slipped off over the head"
IF you took off the ropes. why did
you not remove the black cap?" Chair
man Brandegee asked.
II wasn't ordered to take OF the cap.
was ordered to remove the rope.'
why were you not ordered to take
off the capY' 4' aAfNn ai
II don't know"
The hanging of two American soldiers
at Is-sur-Tile, France, in 1919. was de-
scrtbed by +. b. Fitch OF Lansing, Mich.
He said In answer to questions that
months In the Georgia penitentiary for
the theft of an automobile.
Fitch was unable to say whether the
men hanged had been tried by court
martial.
"All I know Is that both men put to
death declared just before the trap was
sprung that they had never been tried"
said Fitch. zone of them, a negro.
pleaded for trial and fair show"
Soldiers, he said, we're ordered to at
tend the execution.
What did the officer in charge of the
negro's execution say when the negro
asserted he had not been tried?" asked
Senator Watson.
"Nothing-just said. Hang the de-
nial'"
There was no answer, he said, to the
white sergeant's claim that he had not
been given a fair trial. Over the face
of each man hanged was a black cap.
"The white man protested against use
of a black cap, saying he was innocent
and didn't want one" Fitch added.
Saw Two Bodies.
Charles B. Green Of Minneapolis. who
said he had been in forty-five States
and served four enlistments In the
army, took the stand. He said he saw
at st. Nazaire the bodies of two ne
groes.
1T aslned about It," he said. "They
told me there was a bird down there
known as a niger killer. who got
them-that he killed some every time he
went on duty"
"Know of any nurderers of your own
knowledge?"
"None."
Green told Of six or eight bodies being
hauled to a hospital where he was a
patient after the armistice. but said he
"They told me the men had been shot
by military police" he said.
''Have you any feeling in this mat
ter?" asked Senator Overman.
Yes, I have made charges against
five officers" he replied.;sds. M
"Did you say in a letbsrs I, have here
that Gen. Pershing and Secretary Baker
were liars?" D,tq ..rafr
"Yes. and say it now; Il can back
1t up" "a ,,r,r
Witnessed Three Executions.
Merrill D. Watson of oFrenton. Mich,
said he saw three executions at Is-Sur-
Tile. but did not know il the men
hanged had been tried, It was in April,
1913. Col Bethel explained to the COM
mittee that two men were hanged le-
gally at Is-Sur-Tile, the dates being
April and 25. 1919 t"'s-, 7~s5<
Samuel NJ. Firebaugh Of Detroit de-
clared he saw three mon hanged at Is
sur1Tile In the spring Of 1919. All were
publicly conducted. but, like other wit
nesses. Firebaugh was unable to say If
the victims had been tried.
Questioned by Col. Bethel, Firebaugh
admitted that he actually saw only two
executions, explaining that he heard
there was to be another and started out
to look on.
'But I'd had some bad dreams and
got cold feet" he declared. $50 actu-
ally saw only two"
Harry w. Segal OF Dorchester. Mass.
who enlisted for service overseas at
Jacksonville. Fla, told Of witnessing
the hanging of two negroes at Gievres
in January. 1919. XII
""The hangings-it was a lynching.
thought-was the aftermath of riot
that occurred two days before" Segal
said. sn sin .s
"were the men tried by court mar
tial?" he was asked. gn,q
IT do not know" he replied.
Segal testified that the hanging was
directed by Col. Hahn Of the Quarter
masters Corps.
Getting back to the story Of the white
sergeant hanged for rape. Segal declared
the man was at a hotel known every
where as a brothel and that the woman
with him made exorbitant demands for
money and then started row. The
gendarmes, he said. rushed In. and the
soldiers conviction and execution fol-
lowed.
Segal admitted that he had been con-
victed twice by court martial for con-
tracing q disease.