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(Cannelton Enquirer.)For several weeks the daily press*^dispatches were reporting that four► j American soldiers were awaiting exe~ cution before the firing squad ill ; | France but not until President Wilsoninterferred and pardoned two of the men and commuted the sentence of two others to three years imprison* ment was it known who the Americans were. Since President Wilson has I spared the lives of the four soldiers their names have been published and among them is Stanley Fishback, aged 19, of Cannelton. Fishback and one ! of the men are charged with disobeying orders, were tried by court-martial, found guilty and were doomed to face the firing squad and be shot toj death. The other two, whom the Pres-j ident has pardoned, were guilty of : sleeping on duty. Fishback and his i companion have had their death sen-| tences commuted by the President to | three years in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. They are j now in France and will be returned to this country to serve their prison terms.Fishback went to France with the first consignment of troops to leave this country. He volunteered in the service when the first call for troops was made and it was believed he was making an exemplary soldier because i of his youth and his apparent desire to get to the front. He is a son of the late Joseph Fishback, who lost his ! life some years ago while serving inthe capacity of City Marshal of Cannelton. He had several brothers and ; sisters who. since their mother's death, removed from Cannelton a few years ago. They are now in Illinois.; President Wilson in pardoning the two soldiers and commuting the death penalty to imprisonment of Fishback and his companion took into consideration the youth of the soldiers, their inexperience as soldiers and the wearisome test that has come upon them in the battle in foreign countries, and particularly did he take observation of the two who were to have been executed for being found guilty of sleeping on duty. The interference of the President was all that would have spared the lives of the four men.
Newspaper Details
Corydon Republican
Corydon, Indiana, US
Thu, May 16, 1918
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 19 May 2020
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