Show YANK PRISONERS I TELL OF ABUSES Six Soldiers Tell of Being Subjected to Cruel Treatment WASHINGTON July 16 16 Six 16 Six former former for for- tr mer American soldiers testified Tuesday Tuesday Tues rues day before a special house committee investigating alleged cruelties to military military military mili mili- tary prisoners in France declared declare that merciless assaults were committed committed committed com com- without provocation on the prisoners by arrogant officers in charge of the prisons and camps I Only one of the witnesses all of whom absent wIthout without with wIth- were charged with being absent I out leave was convicted the others I having been acquitted or the charge dismissed The bastile the stockade prison farm No 2 and St Anns Ann s hotel also known as the brig were the places named by the witnesses as the scenes of the alleged cruelties which were said to have extended over months in 1918 1916 Some officers officers of officers of- of in charge of the prison camps It was said have been convicted by and others were awaitIng awaiting await- await Ing trial Lieutenant Hard lIard Boiled Smith camp officers was one of the prison mentioned frequently while others named were ere Lieutenants Mason and Sullivan and Sergeants Ball Wolf Wolf- meyer and BushDid BushDid BushDid Bush Did they try the general In charge of the camp asked Chairman Royal Johnson who left his seat in congress congress congress con con- gress to serve with the army abroad Not that anyone anone heard responded the witness When Lieutenant Hard Boiled Smith was tried at Tours early this year a hundred witnesses appeared against him and he was convicted testified Sidney Kemp New York t City Fifty witnesses whom I can name I will verify verity everything said here and tell more too asserted Kemp Several of the soldiers testified that In addition to being beaten food in small amounts nad of poor quality was supplied and that the bedding was poor sometimes the mattress being in mud under a small tentA tentA tentA tent A prisoner was vas smiling and an officer said Take that smile off or orI orI orI I will A. A II Ir 1 Baltimore who served with base hospital 42 testified The officer did by rolling the man In the mud added Did you OU get that officers officer's name asked Representative Flood Virginia Im too sorry I did not take his name answered When telling of poor food Mendle Mendle- burg said that if you asked for tor an extra piece of ot bread you were flat on your back Meals he and other said consisted of a stew made of canned beef one slice of 1 read and part of ofa ofa ofa a cup of coffee Sometimes only the stew was served witnesses said Charles Goldberg New York City a corporal In company G Thirty Thirty- eighth Infantry said while at the brig he was knocked down by an officer and one of his teeth knocked out when he refused to surrender his money belt Once when I was scrubbing a floor a sergeant swung a club at my head every five seconds testified Goldberg Paul Boggs Baldwin New York Three Hundred Eighteenth field signal battalion said men at the farm were often s so hungry that they were glad to eat dirty potato peelings He said that he dipped a tin cup in a aswill aswill swill barrel so qs s to get Jet some grease that he would eat with a relish |