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The Wingham Advance, 1917-12-06, Page 11N *iBA YONI3J T8 AND B ALLOTS AGAIN ST G THE MURBER. OF T -•- -• 1 ficial Story of.. Crime That Shooed the World It is to Save Our Own Women From Those Murderers That Canada Eights and Votes Today • •It wadi on .October twettt mtegtandr 1915, that the ;world, still elOk and shuddering front the I.uettania horror awoke to the rbaU atter% that ono again Germany had .deliberately set. aside all laws of pelted or war, all considerations not only of chivalry', ' but of mere humanity, had itt it word, again' stepped beyond the pale :qf: civilisation. On that day .the Brit- , ish. Foreign Office made public tits report of Brand Whitlock, 'Onited States Ambassador to Belgium on the "trial" end "exevatiort" et Edith • Cavell, For days the world lied Waited for news of iter. It had become generally known that a 'form of trial of abate Sort had either taken place or WOES about to take place. In some quarters; ; fears were expressed as to her fate" -- in some quarters, but not, in many, The idea. that she would actually be put to death does not seem seriously' to have Occurred to anybody either • in England or Arnerioata This is not • surprising, for as we shall See, even neutral representatives within sight of the prison in which she lay didnot conceive it possible that a prisoner'-• least of all a woman—accused of the "Military "crime" charged against Edith Cavell would duffer the ex- '-trere penalty. • What was the story of this wo- man's death that aroused,:the world to a white heat of righteous indigna- tion? There have been many military executions of women before and some • since which 'while generally known Ahatre caused no comment..;WWhat ;.a,,the. circumstances surrounding . this ..case which made the nsmes" o'i' tlia men responsible for her death ring ' round the world in a chorus of urn. • versal execration? It will .be best to give them in the order of their occur- rence. "' WOULD" NOT ESCAPE. . Edith Cavell was an Englishwoman, ;rho for some time, before• the out- br�eak.of the war was tYsc reale' oi". big nursing institution in Brussels. fe-the Germans entered the city, she had plenty of time to escape, but ss she ohoee rather to remain at . her post of duty, There Was plenty for her to do.'Wounded soldiers, French, Germans, and Belgians flooded the city and French, Germans and Bel- gians- el-giatns• alike 'Nero received : and •pared ,;:tor. tenderly. and irnpartWy. b , h ane .by: her assistants. After er her death when the Germans; thoroiighlY startled by the general denunciations of their action sought by every, pos- eible means to belittle the name of the Woman they had killed, the then German foreign Secretary then de- clared that she gave her services oa1.y at a price beyond the reach of all i' have the rich. That was' n, its and.p. i .. ery cheap lie even for the .All . igh- est's official moutSpiece as the evi- dence of many of the former's men can prove. had had experience of German mist- tart' Courts in operation, confirmed. this alinoaet unbelievable fact. Kir- schen solemnly premised de Laval to keep hire most fully posted in all the developments of the cage. 'THE TRIAL. " We come now' to Thursday., Ootober 7. The trial *began that day and ended. pit .the next. As to what evl- denco was brought out at the trial, or how the trial was conducted, we know nothing and probably never. shall, We know, however,that she was aocueed of baying sheltered and aided soldiers to escape. This she admitted very frankly, as aid other persons tried with her. There web never any mention of: espionage --it was. not jilt =any month$ afterwards and for the lame reason which pro1npted''the' iiatser's sneer noted aboee that Germans began to speak of .the "Spy'- OaV'eil." She •wag, a British subject and _ could" not be ;tried by a German court on the charge of treason. As has been said, Miss Cavell admitted her "crime" and even volunteered the information, that some of the men so aided had written her Iron,. I+ingland. thanking her for nor assistance. This spade the case 'v3orse -ter her. It laid her open to the "criminal" charge (in the military sense) of having aided sol- dier's to reach a country at wax with Germany instead merely of a viola- tion of the passport regulations into Holland. It would be interesting to know why her "counsel" Herr Sir. schen, did not prevent her from pre. .juslicing..boa ¢e;ee.inthis way. The proseentse asked that the d'eattl'. dellfthi a"' -be passed under paragraph 90 of 'tile German Mili- tary Code, which condemns to death •those guilty of "conducting .soldiers to the enemy," Obviously only the most strained reading of the para- graph could make it apply to the prisoners ease. All this de Laval gathered only at second hand; and :thie-;:1lringaisstuit: rto: Sthndes7 night,; October tenth. HER ARREST. It was .on August 12th that Edith Cavelicswas quietly arrested: so . ' 'quietly that news Of the avre0t did not leak out till the last day of; the- :menth; Then Mr, Whitlock, who was looking after the interests of British subjects in Brussels, received, a com- munication from: the, British Foreign Office asking him to look into her case. He wrote on that day to Baron von der Lancken, civil governor of Brussels, asking whether lie Was under arrest, The Governer did net even deign to reply, in itself a suf- ficiently serious breach of interne,. Urinaletiquette. On September 10 Mi: 'Strbitlock Wrote again asking'permis-' don to take up the defence Of MIs Cavell with the least possible delay. To this von der Laneken.replied that the prisoner had admitted having concealed in her bowie variant Eng- lisp and Preach soldiers as well as Belgians of military age, having pro. vided them. with funds and having facilitated their departure from 'Bel- suint, He added that cher, defence dvo at b .find. been intrusted to an a c. e y the name of Braun "who IS in toned with the proper Herman authorities" and concluded that these German authorities refused to allow inter- views of any kind with the aeeused ' person. Maitre Gersten de Laval, counsel for the Arnerican Legation, was therefore never permitted to see bei`. He did, however, manage to get an interview with 'Braun, only to learn h ngltslr women to shoot." Finally, the latter had dropped out of long after midnight, when it became the ease and was replaced by one apparent that nothing could be done, Xirathen. Eirschen in turn disclosed the three men left to break the news ff the appalling fact that lawyers de- fending prisoners before German military courts are not allowed to see their clients before the trial and are, shown none of the documents of the prosecution. It Was therefore manifestly impossible to prepare any ,aM;enoe nye In the preeend's of the ,,Strrt and during the trial. Maitre !le Lmval then expressed 1" »yntion w of being present, hereli ._ . schen strongly urised hint not to, on the ground that his pre8enee would hart the prisoner rather than help her; e -"tire ;edges :Would resent the Ares- *see of a representative of the Am. Mesa Legation," even in a *Melling the holy 'Communion. Her last estpatity. Other Belgian Lawyer" who words to hien were: "I relklise that IN THE TRAIL OF *ME ZEPPELINS Vit. A.Ywrriy`n+gtW'd?t':A'.1�kMt.��unYptw ,t�y�y,i.Gaafw•`k,�<>> REFUSED HER .CLERGYMAN. On October twelfth de Laval made two requests, one that he be allowed. to see Miss Cavell, the other that she might have the services of Mr. Gahan, the English chaplain. Both of these requests were flatly refused; word that coming . she' might see any 'tile- rr one, of the three Protestant. German chaplains insteaid. De Laval was fur* ther told that even if sentence 'of death were passed it could be Con- firmed only by the Military Gover- nor, who was away from. Berlin for two or three days. But sentence had not yet been pronounced it was most categorically stated, and probably np decision would be arrived at for :cool ti i • "But mother has- done nothing, has she,'Daddy?" 1 lrritrietiar►' ciitssrtist :' enough' -I -must have sed hatred or bitterness towards any one." Theyshot her lust before day- break. She was denied the support of her own clergymen: at the end.' The German chaplain who was Withal her then did nut, attempt to conceal r his admiration., "She was courage- ous to the end. She said she was j glad to die for her country. She died like a hero" he said. They re- fused;;to :gi: a hes body to her friends. Sheds nurjed;;syjliain tate prison walls of St,•Cllles. - . - ALI.. RIGHTS DENIED two day . 9nee„al,gain a promise was givejl to de Laval and the United States > mbassi' and repeated half a dozen times that day that every move would be immediately reported. At . 8:30 that night de Laval got word that Edith Cavell- was to be shot during the night. The Spanish Minister was hurriedly sought out, and he, de Laval and Hugh Gibson; seeretary of the American Legation,. rushed to vori sder- Lancken. Ile was srienaln "tlie-Wirling at a disrepu- table theatre and there Was much difficulty in getting an orderly to disclose his .whereabouts, It was not till .10:30 that the Civil Governor deigned to return accompanied. by two members of his :staff. Then be: gan a night of .earnest pleading •ana striving for the • life of the little Woman .in prison. -Lancken, over and. over again, protested ,his ignorance," begged. his callers to go home and sleep ",reasonably" over the matter's and come again in the morning. It was only when . the callers because "rather insistent" (in 'the diplomatic language of 'Gibson) that the illi: tated Governor agreed to telephone, to the preceding judge 15f` the eotirt- martial. He came back* withthe news that Miss Cavell was to be shot dtiring the–night. •There fol• lowed tivo hours of the most earnest entreaty ' and persuasion. •Lancken could probably breve dens nothing himself, but lie flatly refused to nommunicate with those. who Could. The arguments used by the Callers were .sufficiently blunt. They called a spade a spade more than once. Lancia% swallowed it. ()no mens- her of his staff regretted openly that' there wore not "two or three old These are the bold facts of hen trial and death. A greater and more studied outrage in the name of justice was never perpetrated.. Every fundamental right of the in- dividual was denied her. There was in the first place no reason for a court-martial for the German civil tribunate in Brussels were all in operation. ':o;do not compel any. one'";io `.teetl£\Vy against himself. We inform a prisoner- in -advance of his trial of the charge on which he is held. We allow communication be- tween prisoner and counsel, our trials .are publio and open. Most nauseating of all perhaps, Edith Caysll's judges did not pass sentence on her in taint. At dead of night they, stepped quietly' into her cell. and told- her of hor doom behind locked doors. At the supreme 'mo= merit she whs denied the simple priv- ilege. of riv-ilege..of :.one . kindly 'face; one sup- porting. riendIjy hind. Later oil •when Gerrilany realized that this shooting of one old English- w.oman had stirred the world as ilo other .single crime in a century, there Was a 'frantic seeking of a t- ruses..' herr Zimmermann, the Foroige Secretary himself led the van of the seekerb. His discovery was that the judges had no discre- tion in the matter; that the military code' bad to be observed. Bet he nlede,thobad,nitetaks of admitting in the next breathh that women who expected -to • be • nnothers were never subjectedto the extreme penalty. Now the German military code retakes no such oxoeption. Evidently then the plea of no discretion was worth nothing at illi. Not even the Kaiser himself_ could breve pardoned Mite Cavell said von Lancken, When the Kaiser heard tills von 'Lancken was called on for an explanatton and was in very hot water for some (lays. As a matter of fact and as soon as he realized the very berious harm the shooting of• Bliss ,Cavell had done to the German r/atirte he Made hastee to pardon every Wonsan wno had been tried with her and advertised the ;tact to the greatest possible entent, through the King of Spain. He no' doubt realized, that In this ease as is the murder of the nue d'h:nghien by Napoleon a century carnet what had happened was "worse that a oriole, it Was a blunder." to the little knot of wettest who had worked with the, prlsorior and loved her. Gibson tramped the streets all night unable to sleep. HgPi LAST !woMewrs. Meantime Reverend Mr. (Saban had gained permission to see the conderened woman. She was calm and faced the ordeal without a tremor, "a ttuy thin;; that looked ae though. stye ctould. be blown away by l a breath. She had no complaint to. Make; if it were alt to do over again she would do it. the 'meet pathetic of all was tor eta.tentent that she' thanked (4od for the ei:c weeks she had palmed in prlaon.."-the nearest: .rpproaelr to rest she had known for terve They partook together of WHAT 'END SERVED? What and 'wee .served by' this kill- ing of Edith Cavell? 'Why was it necessary, to rush through a farcical trial iMpose eentence itt a cell with locked doore end hurry the friend- less prisoner to death all within afew house. Why wait it necessary to add lying to murder in order, if mel- table to ecreen the whole bloody business front the eyes of a handful of helpless representatives of friendly powers. Why, when a German woman was caught .red handed in actual espionage 1n .l.ngland some time be - hero was else given Public trial bo - fore civil coolie with every sibser- vance of British law? Why did she escape With a light prison sentence? Tho two cases are as far asunder as the poles. The one Was justice. flavored by mercy, the other brutal Judicial murder. When Germany was,r•.eelcing water in which to wash.. her._ bloody bands, von Zimmerman expreSeed "pity that Miss Carvell lead to be executed." Edith (".even wa.s' as far above his pity as mercy was above the understanding of the hutehers of lartissele who did her to'. death WILL THE CANADIAN WOMEN GIVE . THEIR SOLDIERS COMFORTS—NT NOT VICTORY? Vee. There hasbeen nothing more beautiful since the war began than the devotion of the women -folk of the soldiers to their men, living in discomfort and danger. They have in the great majority of casts abandoned every other interest in. life and given themselves up entirely to working for the boys at the front. They knit them warm, socks for the wet trenches ---they send them heavy sweaters to keep out the searching cold of a Flemish winter --they ship them all sorts of com- fortable garments and familiar delicaeics--4hey equip the hospitals in which they may chance any day to lie with everything thinkable to restore their strength and while away the tedious time. ' Their Minds can dwell upon nothing but their best beloved on the battlefront—how they can comfort them, sustain them, keep them in good health and good heart, and enable them to press on like good soldiers. Is it conceivable then .that, these same devoted women -folk of our 'magnifteent mea. inthe array'. will deliberately deny. to,these men the One thing they most eater? Is it'eonceivable that' they will work .night and day to give these' soldier boys of theirs ,mere .bodily comfort, and then will not spare half -an -hour to cast a vote whi©h will give them what they value immeasurably more—the reinforcements which will bring VICTORY? * * * .. Touch the elbow of any Canadian soldier at the front and ask him what is the single, big, dazzling thing he wants .out of all the best gifts the world can offer! Will he say "another pair.,Qf seeks?" Will he say "a jar; of jam?" It is too ridienious, to Awell. qitheso;:trivialities, no matter how grateful and necessary they aro,, The, ail -engrossing, dominating, towering thought in the soldier's mind 'whiolt• dwarfs everything else, is beating the Boches andsaving civilization. * * * There ought to be no trouble in our visualizing this even away over here in peaceful Canada. Our boys are.riskin their: lives in Europe; and we may be very sure that they are doingthis for no slight object. All the comfort -bringing things .we do .for. therm only enable them :to "carry on" and take this deadly risk for a longer time. 'I"..he big thing is::,,ttic,.risk— not, the hardships,•gr the •.s erhngs. talgt big -thing, in a word, is their being there at all, .. And why are they.,there?. To win the war !—that and that alone.. . , What they vivant their women -folk to dolor them'above everything. else, is to help them viith the war, .-.They enjoy' comforts; but with every, drop of blood in their veins they. demand VICTORY. They will die willingly if they can be assured that those who come 'after them will persevere until they have won VICTORY. • They themselves cannot win this. VICTORY alone... they hoped to _do so when they enlisted, but the fates have been egai est -thank: Russia hasJallen. into :disorder and Italy. •has sufferecs.a, ;terrible ,check.:.r<Mare and more troops must now come if VICTORY is to be obtained. . And that is what they supremely desire to be assured of to -day. ' * * * * They look back to their women -folk in Canada to. 'vote solidly for the steady stream of reinforcements which is to win the VICTORY, whether they happily live to see it or not. Their chances of living .to see it willbe greatly increased with. every..,new regiment which the Canadian electors, men and women, - B,tOE.seldoverEvery new regiment not only brings the VICTORY~:',ineaaratr,.btut, relieves the strain on the Hien 11017 under arms. Of; brings thres:'things, relief, hope and VICTORY`; but the greatest of -:these is• VICTOR,Y., • Itis impossible to believe that this appeal from the fathers, husbands, brothers and sons at the front will be disregarded by their sincerely loving and n,nxiously listening and devotedly laboring women- folk omenfolk at home. They will vote as they have been working and .longing and hoping. They will not give, their, beloved everything else, but Amu -them this one thing mostaies rate ` irrd.,:,f - ; .. ' 4 .•. –02,!...1a' l ti r,:"!.1/44,7.,,:t ,4,A8 flz.. EDITH CAVELL MARTYR Borden's Militaiy1Servke Act vs. ,,, .„...„.: : L et 4 w,��.aurier , .....;,1.94.(' ok gt..- =- t t tete ibk, t FOOD PROFITS CUT; . A GREAT BLOW FOR LOWER rII tCOSTS . The Union Government's 'action in taking control of the packing business is regarded as the hardest blow struck yet at the cost of living. The official announcement, issued at Ottawa on November 13, says "In carrying; out the policy of the Union Government, as announced by the Prime Minister shortly after its forma- tion, it has been decided :to establish effective control over all packing ,houses ftl Catlada. "The control of profits shall be as follows: "1. No packer'shall be entitled to a profit of more than two per cent of his total' annual turnover, that is, his total sales during any one year. "2. 1f the two per cent. on ' annual turnover exceeds seven per cent. of the actual capital invested in the business the profits shall bo farther restricted as follows; "(a) Up to seven per cent, on capital the packer may retails the profits. "(b)If the profits exceed seven per cent, and do not p c one-half of the profits in excess of exceed fifteen per cent., seven per cent shall belong to the packer and one•halt to the Government. "(c) All profits in excess of fifteen per cent, shall belong to the Government. The Military Service Act of 1917 is much more. lenient- and sympa- thetic in its provisions than was the Military Act• of 1868, as amended by Sir Wilfrid Laurier.in 1904. ' , The old Act empowered the Government to send overseas when necessary for the defence of Canada all 'British subjects in Canada ,lietveeon the ages of eighteen at cl'isi ty j'bare ''1'hh8'1Cfilitai'''`Service Act ''otilie'for but 100,000 men, betwr3eii`t4`a "di"` 0-kiidi'4,.itait f'not by' the Government but by Parliament. Injustice was inevitable under the old Militia Act, because. the men were seleetod by . the ballot, or blind chance., .: tzzider.. the ,new Att, the men are selected intelligently and sympathetically by ..oivilian tribunals. Again, under the old' Militia .Art;•as, loft on the; statute, books .1.v... Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the first Diets included,menseighteen ..years of.age...The preeant' Ant leaves suash youpgmen; immunet.startin0. to ,take :soldiers only at the age of twenty; :a .sssr� r. _, ..• ... All elate British subjeots in Canada between the:tigee °iiA''eighteen and sixty • were" liable for service UnderVie 'Mititie Aot: ' 1ittder Iiia Military Act of 1917, only 100,000. of the men between 2d end G0 years:-ef age are g The old ardent enabled the eiisting Gevcrtinent to call out Jell thesemen at its pleasure, whereas the•ptvesent .Government had adopted the niore de- tmoratio W' of securing an Alit of,Parltartient for bath .tall. The. old Militia Act empowered military officers, in an emergency, ; to alter or destroy an .buildings, lands, food* empty .todderr ,griros,,,;otc.; in tat, the entire peasesalons of the people,• The Melt' ; tltta^rSt •*Irvice ;Act gives no stroll powers to the military, but puts the antral of the nteasuro in civlliast hands, 2lxernption beards of private citizens, judges and the local po1'100 administer the Aot, jPay for the rank and file' udder the new' Aot is Mare than twice as high as Was their pax" as laid down by Sir' Wilfrid' Laurier ire' 1904. Berlin, Ont. Pr�'Germans Insult Borden They Stand on the Laurier� Bourassa Platform How Would The Kaiser Vote 1 itchener Ontario, until a few..Zioi tbs. ago, bore, the name of BErlln " i, if is the centre of n district mainly settled by Cettf1 tL When the tame of the town was changed a large' section of the com,lnulnity mime a brazenly violent protest. " howlingmob' ill i itchester f exw]3erlirtt shouted down the RPremierr y a a of Canada On Saturday and refused to hear him discuss war issues. Reports say that about 30' per tont. of the atidienee ware-hoetilt. Sir Robert Borden could ask for no better recommendation for himself and his war policy than: this behaviour br the in*Gerritan aectio'[t of Kitchener (ex -Berlin). . Itoeis far toward alligSfer.rng the quetltiol . that tats like a hof lightning across all the minor issues of this campaign, `"flow vlonld the User 'voter _ �;'