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About The Columbia sentinel. (Harlem, Ga.) 1882-1924 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 1919)
4 How fhe Crusaders Fared in France. Last week, I gave a moderate statement of the barbarities practised upon our soldiers in France, by their own officers. If the Germans had committed these atrocities upon enemy prisoners, the Allies would probably have raised the Black Flag. Indeed, there was much said in the newspa¬ pers, during the early period of the War, about the brutal treatment of French, English, and Italian prisoners by the ermans; but, as I recollect those charges, they bore no comparison whatever to the admitted facts in regard to the cruelties inflicted upon American soldiers by American officers. When we bear in mind that these soldiers were, mere boys, who were suddenly snatched away from the fields, the stores, and the mills; and who were suddenly thrown into cantonments to be made in¬ to an army overnight, as it were, our astonishment grows, that Gen. Pershing, Gen. Harts, and other officers in command, should have been so unmerci¬ fully hard upon them. The New York American summarizes the case against these officers, as made out by the sworn testimony of returned soldiers: 1. They were beaten senseless with fists, sticks and blackjacks, and their bleeding bodies sprayed with a hose to remove traces of the assault. 2. They were starved till they had to beg food from Chinese coolies, and forced to sleep in the mud, often without blankets. 3. They were stripped and scrubbed with mud for smoking, handcuffed and leg-ironed and left sitting in the road while hungry dogs licked their faces. 4. They were robbed of clothing, money and other property by American officers in charge of the prisons. 5. They were tortured by guards seeking to extract from them information ttiat would incriminate their fellow pris¬ oners. 6. For all these things, not one man above the rank of lietenant has been pun¬ ished, though responsibility for the situa¬ tion was placed as high as Brigadier General W. W. Harts. Further details given by ex-soldiers to the Congressional Committee—of which Hon. Royal C. Johnson, of South Carolina is Chairman—in¬ clude such almost unbelievable cruelties ar.d suffer¬ ings as the following: “A prisoner was smiling and an offi¬ cer said: ‘Take that smile off, or I will. I ?) A. II. Mendleburg, 1419 East Fayette Street, Baltimore, who served with base hospital 42, testified. “The officer did try rolling the man in the mud,” Mendleburg added. “Did you get that officer’s name?” asked Representative Flood, Democrat, Virginia. “I m too -sorry I did not take his name,” answered Mendleburg. BLACKJACKED BY OFFICERS When telling of poor food, Mendle¬ burg said that “if you asked for an extra piece of bread you were flat on your back.” Meals, he and others said, consist¬ ed of a stew, made from canned beef, one slice of bread and part of a cup of coffee. Sometimes only the stew was served, wit¬ nesses said. Charles Goldburg, 320 Central Park West, New York City, a corporal in Com¬ pany G, Thirty-eight Infantry, Third Division, said that 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. Drawing a blackjack, the officer and Goldberg fought a few minutes, but the witness said he was forced to surrender because of the pain he suffered from blows on the arms. “Once, when I was scrubbing a floor, a sergeant swung a club at my head every five seconds,” Goldberg testified. ATE DIRTY POTATO PEELINGS Paul Boggs, Baldwin, N. Y., 318th Field Signal Battalibn, said men at the were often so hungry that they were “glad to eat dirty potato peelings.* He said that he dipped a tinoup in a swill barrel so as to get some grease that he would eat “with a relish.” “Instead of giving a command, it was generally given with a club," asserted Bogg, who said he saw at least 50 men beaten. Alvin Bates, 42 Hawthorne street, Brooklyn, who was with the headquarters troops, Second army, said “whenever there was a formation a man was beaten up every five minutes” at- the prison farm. He and Boggs said that a Pole serving in the American army was brutally beaten, and scx>n afterward the prisoner cut his throat with a razor. SICK MEN BADLY TREATED “Medical inspection was a farce,” said Bates, referring to the farm. “You went in one door and were kicked out another.” Last, week, I told of the gallows at Gievres, upon which an American soldier was hanged, cvejy morning, and which was then waiting for THE COLUMBIA SENTINEL, HARLEM, GA. A Common Sense Warning Against Sentimentalism. By Grover C. Edmondson. If our people value the liberties for which our ancestors fought during seven bloody winters and summers, we ought to be willing to devote our ser¬ ious thought to these priceless principles of self government for which our forefathers gave their precious life-blood. Sentiment is a great thing, but liberty is greater. France is rich in sentiment and America has not been slow to remember what France, did f<& us when we were struggling for our freedom and waging a war with England to that end. Adven¬ turous Frenchmen .helped us, just as adventurous Pulaski and certain adventurous Germans helped us to force Great Britain to leave us free. We have paid that debt, wholeheartedly. Is it not asking too much from this nation, separated as we are by three thousand miles of water, to guarantee the existence of a sister repub¬ lic, at. the risk of losing the natural defenses given us by nature? The architect of nature is the great God above us. He protects those who protect themselves* by taking advantage of the natural defenses He gi ves them. He has given us protection from all foes' re¬ gardless whence and how they come to attack us, in the miles of water separating us from the other nations of the world; to this He adds a mountain range on either coast that all the armies of Jthe world could never climb against our defense. Tjius has Almighty separated us from Europe and her troubles. Shall we surrender it all to sentiments? Likewise has aimghthy nature granted pro¬ tection to France in the western bank of the Rhine, recognized by Foch and Clemeneeau. Dav¬ id Lloyd George recognized it, too. But, our one man government, convened in Paris, denied France this natural protection, and to off-set it our one-man government proposed a treaty to take the place of the western bank of the Rhine. This treaty proposes to substitute man-maefe defenses for God-made defenses, and as a part of this man¬ made defense we will donate the lives of a million American boys, maybe two or three millions; may¬ be more. The English Channel has protected England from invasion since the time of William, the Con¬ queror; the Carnic Alps stand between Italy and her enemies; the Vistula stood between Germany and Russia bettor than any stone-wall; and the same God has been far more generous to us, by giving us an ocean on either side of our far home- fifteen condemned privates: President Wilson has told the American peo¬ ple that none of their sons were put to death in France, without his 0. K. of the sentence. Did he know of these daily executions at Gievres ? If he knew of them, did he O. K. them? If so, what was the offense for which these hoys were hanged? If he did not know, who is responsible for keeping him in the dark? hold in my hand the fragment of a letter from a soldier to his home-folks, cautiously hint¬ ing at the startling disclosures that will be made, when the ex-soldiers feel that they are safe in talk¬ ing about what happened in France. One line reads— “/ saw a soldier put to death a short time ago, and his lost words were — , White mother that i was not guilty.” General Grant was loved by his men, during all the years of the War; and, during all the years that followed the War, they continued to love him, in spite of his political blunders, and his disastrous commercial failure. But you will not find many of the soldiers who were under his hardhearted rule in France, that lovo Gen. Pershing. The mass of the army hate him. General Lee was loved by his men, all during the War; and even at Appomatox, where his splendid sword was sheathed in utter defeat, his men wept more for him, than for themselves. “General, God bless you! God bless you, Gen emir And the devotion they felt for him, in the hour of his surrender, they felt for him as long as ho lived. Without exception, the Confederate Veterans who still survive, are moved by reverential memo¬ ries when they speak of Lee. But the men who served under Pershing— they hate him with a bitter hatred based on-his heartless treatment of them in France. “If rite mother that / was not guilty .” Do you know of this case, Mr. President? Did you o. k. his execution? If so, what was the accusation against him, and what vms the evidence? His mother is “Somewhere” in the Sunny South: her boy lies in a dishonored grave, “Some¬ where in France!” Mr. President, if I furnish you the name of this Southern mother who gave her son to the SLT vice of “liberty,” will you tell her why Gen. Per¬ shing had him killed? It's as little as you can do, Mr. Preside’iit. Will you no it? If so, I’ll furnish you the name, the place, and the date of the tragedy. land. Can we afford to surreinder our God-given protection ? No nation is a free nation with a large stand ing-army in the body politic. Large armies, in time of peace, are natural enemies of freedom. Militarism respects no principle of liberty, of law or anything else. President Wilson called for » standing-army of more than a million men, only last week. Remember this is to become our regular army in peace-times. What is it for? Are you willing for your country to be. converted into a Military' Autocracy? Militarism is the same thing, regardless where it is found. Locations do not. change the thing itself. Military autocrats are PETITION FOR CHARTER GEORGIA—Columbia County. The petition of C. L. McCord, William Thomas, Jule Lanle Thom¬ as, Henry Bell, A. C. Cummings, H. B. Brinscn, Joe Bailey and Isaiah Dorsey and their associates, all of said State and County, respectfully shows: (1). They desire for them¬ selves, their associates and succes¬ sors to be incorporated and made a body politic as a benevolent insti¬ tution for the relief of the sick and burial of the dead and Hid in fam¬ ilies of deceased, under the name and style of BANNER OF LIFE NUMBER FORTY-NINE ( 2 ). The term for which peti¬ tioners ask to be incorporated is thirty (30) yekrs with the privi¬ lege of renewal at the expiration of that period. (3). The location and princi¬ pal office of said corporation shall be located in Columbia County. (4). Said corporation has no capital stock and it not organized for pecuniary gain, but is purely benevolent in character. (-5). Petitioners desire to pur¬ chase and hold such real estate as may be necessary for the conduct of its business or to sell or incumber by mortgage, lien or security deed or otherwise the same for the pur¬ pose of the corporation. ( 6 ). The officers of said corpor¬ ation shall consist of a President. Vice President and Secretary and Treasurer with the right to com¬ bine the Secretary and Treasurer as one office as the by-laws may provide. (7). The right to enact by-laws. (8.) The sole object of the cor¬ poration is to assist and relieve the sick, bury the dead and render aid to the families of deceased mem¬ bers as may be provided for under the by-laws. WHEREFORE, petitioners pray to bo incorporated under the name and style aforesaid, with the privi¬ leges and immunities herein set forth as are now or may hereafter bo allowed a corporation under sim¬ ilar character under the laws of Georgia. JOHN T. WEST. Filed in office this the 4 th day Georgia Railroad Passenger Train Schedule. Corrected to January 1,1919. Departure of Trains at Harlem, Ga. West Bound Leave No. 1 For Atlanta 8:50 A. M. No. 7 For Atlanta 3:53 P. M. No. 9 For Barnett 7:37 P. M. East Bound Leave No. 10 For Augusta 7:12 A.M. No. 2 For Augusta 12:28 P. M. No. 8 For Augusta 9:52 P. M. Wanted orders preparations.—MAR¬ Lady Agents and sell to toiiet take SHALL DRUG CO., Lexington, Mo. Club Cards Now Ready, $7.50 For A Set of Five. Good For One Subscription 12 MONTHS For TO , THE COLUMBIA SENTINEL The Columbia Sentinel, Agent. By. military autocrats, whether named Ilindenburg or Pershing—or “Hard-boiled” Smith. All autocrats are of the same stripe. No Prussian ever treated his soldiers meaner than certain soldiers of curs were treated in the war just closed. I know what I am talking about. Do you want a million Pershings and “Hard boiled” Smiths standing over you in free Ameri¬ ca? With a standing army of the size and char¬ acter he demands, President Woodrow Wilson could proclaim himself Emperor of this nation and the people would be almst helpless. If this country rs to be saved, we haven't a MINUTE TO LOSE. of August, i§ 19. L. E. BLANCHARD, Clerk, GEORGIA—Columbia County. X, L. E. Blanchard, Clerk of the Superior Court of said County, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of an ap¬ plication for a charter of the Ban¬ ner of Life Number Forty-nine as the same appears on file in this office. WITNESS my official signature and seal of said Court, this the 4th day of August, 1919. L. E. BLANCHARD, Clerk, of Superior Court of Columbia County, Ga. ESTRAY NOTICE GEORGIA—COLUMBIA COUNTY, The following is a copy of an es tray appraisemnt and discription, which has this day been handed to the undersigned. This is to certify that Fred Stur¬ gis has this day exhibited to the un¬ dersigned freeholders of the 129th Militia District of said County a cer¬ tain oow said to have been taken up within said District as an estray, the following is a discription of said ani¬ mal: A golden Fawn Color Jersey malo weight about 500 lbs, about 1 % years old, of the short horn strand of Jersey. We estimate said animal to be worth ?30, and award ?7.00 to the said Fred Sturgis for the taking up of said animal as reasonable and just compensation under all the circumstances. This 12th day of July, 1919. J. D. HOWELL, (F. II.) R. R. MARSHALL, (F. H.) This 22nd day of July, 1919. P. B. MUNDY, Ordinary. CITATION GEORGIA—Columbia County. To All Whom It May Concern: John Bivens having applied for guardianship of the persons and property of Louise Bivens, age 20;« Rachel Bivens, age 18; and Viola Bivens, agel5; sisters of Barney Bivens, late of said County, deceas¬ ed, notice Is given that said appli¬ cation will be heard at my office at ten o’clock A. M., on the first Mon¬ day in Sept., next. F. B. MUNDY, Ordinary Coiumbia County. This 4th Aug., 1919. In his book “SQCiALiSTS^MD SOCIALISM’' Thos. E. Watson covers the ground from a to z. Price 25c Postpaid. JEFFERSONIAN PUBLISHING CO., Thomson, Ga. CITATION GEORGIA—Columbia County. Whereas, Mrs. John F. Carlisle, Administrator of the said A. J. Wheeler, represents to the the court in her petition, duly filed and entered on record, that she has fully administered as required by law on the A. J. Wheeler estate. This is, therefore, to cite all per¬ sons concerned, kindred and credi¬ tors, to show cause, if any they can, why the said Administrator should not be discharged from her admin¬ istration, and receive Letters of Dis¬ mission on the first Monday in September, 1919. P. B. MUNDY,' Ordinary Columbia County, GEORGIA—Columbia County. NOTICE AS TO LEGAL ADVERTISEMENTS The public is hereby notified that on and after September 1st, 1919, all legal advertisements for Colutn bia County will be published in the Columbia News, a newspaper pub¬ lished at Harlem, Georgia, instead of in the Columbia Sentinel, wk^e it has heretofore been published iy| P. A. CRAWFORD, Sheriff, Columbia County, Ga. GEORGIA—Columbia County. We, P. B. Mundy, Ordinary, P. A. Crawford, Sheriff and L. E. Blan¬ chard, Clerk of the Superior Court of Columbia County, hereby select the Columbia News published at Harlem, Georgia, Columbia County, as the newspaper in which the offi¬ cial or legal advertising of the County is to be pablished on and after September 1st, 1919, instead of in the Columbia Sentinel, the paper in which the legal advertise¬ ments have heretofore been publish ed. This the 6th day of August, 1919. P. B. MUNDY. Ordinary. P. A. CRAWFORD, Sheriff L. E. BLANCHARD, Clerk GROVER C. EDMONDSON, Attorney & Counsellor at Law, Will handle litigation anywhere in Georgia Offices: Moultrie, Georgia. lilantaH W lull to soli one Aeto Sparkier. Oily Bed six Ull weeks Address Ike Sentinel, Hadera, Gaj
