Chapter II: Part 2

Whether it be true or not that the soldiers acted as described, one would like to believe it, if only because it would afford some satisfaction to think that the German rank and file can be stirred by humane impulses to which their superiors are strangers. The rough soldiers would appear as veritable angels compared to Baron von Bissing and von der Lancken, his companion in crime. These ruffians consigned themselves by their conduct to everlasting loathing and contempt; to satisfy their rabid hate of England they proved themselves worthy peers of Judge Jeffreys, Robespierre, Nana Sahib, and other unnatural monsters.

Six weeks after the grim tragedy three of Miss Cavell's friends returned to England from Belgium, and several of their statements correct previous errors. One of these ladies saw Miss Cavell in prison a few days before the end, but by that time the secrecy and isolation from all advice had accomplished all that her jailers desired. The visitor says that during the interview Miss Cavell was quite herself, wonderfully calm, and preferred to talk on ordinary topics. Originally it was stated that the execution took place at 2 a.m. in the prison of St. Gilles, but Miss Wilkins, who took over the management of the hospital after Miss Cavell's arrest, was at the prison at five o'clock on the morning of the 12th. She was just in time to see her friend being conducted to the motor-car in which she was to be driven to the Tir National, two miles out of Brussels, which was the selected place of execution. She walked firmly, and, from the expression of her face, she was serene and undisturbed.

The German military chaplain was with her at the end, and afterwards gave her poor body Christian burial. He told Mr. Gahan that 'she was brave and bright to the last. She professed her Christian faith, and that she was glad to die for her country.' 'She died like a heroine.'

But the German chaplain did not inform Mr. Gahan that, accustomed as he was to painful death scenes, the brutal end of the gentle victim so horrified him that he himself sank to the ground in a dead faint--a weakness that stands to the credit of his heart and calling.

The Rev. H. S. T. Gahan was sent to Brussels by the Colonial and Continental Church Society only a few months before the outbreak of the War. He was imprisoned for a few days in November, 1914, but was released when the Americans represented that they required a clergyman. All other British men were deported, but many British women and children remain in Brussels. Many of those who have contrived to escape from the stricken capital testify to the help and kindness and sympathy of the British chaplain.

It has been asserted that by her own request Miss Cavell was permitted to face her executioners with unbandaged eyes and unbound hands. But more than that, according to later information, the Germans, with one of their acute refinements of cruelty, allowed her to witness the execution of M. Bancq, and it was this sight, more than fear of her own end, that caused her to collapse.

The only announcement of Miss Cavell's death received by her friends and pupils was through a poster displayed on the walls of Brussels baldly announcing that the execution had taken place; and letters which were addressed to them the day before she died were not delivered until a month afterwards.

The body of the martyr was buried by her enemies near the prison of St. Gilles. Mr. Whitlock, on behalf of the First President of the Brussels Court of Appeals and President of the Belgian School of Certificated Nurses, asked Baron von der Lancken for the body of Miss Cavell, its directress. It was undertaken, in the removal of the body and its burial in the Brussels district, to conform to all the regulations of the German authorities. Mr. Whitlock remarked that he felt sure that His Excellency would make no objection to the request, and that the institution to which Miss Cavell had generously devoted a part of her life would be permitted to perform a pious duty. Baron von der Lancken did not send a written reply, but called upon Mr. Gibson in person. He stated that under the regulations governing such cases it was impossible to exhume the body without written permission from the Minister of War in Berlin. Thus the Germans took the opportunity of crowning their foul deed with the final dishonour of a refusal of even such a last pitiful request.

Really it is immaterial where Edith Cavell's body may be laid to rest, although sentiment may demand its ultimate recovery. Her memory will lack nothing. It is enshrined in glowing effulgence in the hearts of Britons and our Allies for all time.

Although our story is the record of Edith Cavell, we can spare a thought for her heroic companions. M. Philippe Bancq declared his willingness to die for his country, and the Germans took him at his word. Princess Marie de Croy was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment; but the Comtesse de Belleville and Mademoiselle Thulier were condemned to death. Upon strong representations made by the King of Spain and the Pope, however, the German Emperor hastened to pardon these two ladies, because he was aware of the universal horror caused by the deliberate political murder of Miss Cavell. Von Bissing, too, evidently was warned by the Kaiser to moderate his bloodthirstiness, as evidenced by a promise of their lives to all British and French soldiers still hidden in Belgium if they surrendered without delay. Verily, it was speedily proved that Nurse Cavell had died that others might live--and it is not always the case that even the greatest sacrifices bear so speedy a fruit.

VIII

IN MEMORIAM

It is almost impossible to express how deeply the heart of the nation was stirred by the crowning deed of infamy signalized in the tyrannous execution of Edith Cavell; and all classes, from the highest to the lowest, were desirous of testifying their admiration of one whose devotion to duty and consecrated death will ever be an inspiration to our race.

The following message was dispatched from the King and Queen to Mrs. Cavell, the stricken mother of the dead heroine:

'BUCKINGHAM PALACE,
'_October 23, 1915_.

'Dear Madam,--By command of the King and Queen I write to assure
you that the hearts of their Majesties go out to you in your
bitter sorrow, and to express their horror at the appalling deed
which has robbed you of your child. Men and women throughout the
civilized world, while sympathizing with you, are moved with
admiration and awe at her faith and courage in death.

'Believe me, dear Madam, yours very truly,

'STAMFORDHAM.'

Queen Alexandra's letter, through the medium of the Rector of Sandringham, ran as follows:

'I am commanded by Her Majesty Queen Alexandra to write and say how
deeply Her Majesty feels for you in the sad and tragic death of
your daughter. Her Majesty views the unheard-of act with the utmost
abhorrence; no words of mine are in any way adequate to express the
deep feelings of Her Majesty as she spoke to me of Miss Cavell's
death. Her Majesty's first thought was of you, and I was to tell
you how deeply, very deeply, Her Majesty sympathizes with you.
"Her poor, poor mother. I go on thinking of her," were Her
Majesty's words. The women of England are bearing the greatest
burden of this terrible War, but by all the name of Miss Cavell
will be held in the highest honour and respect. We shall always
remember that she never once failed England in her hour of need.
"May God bless and comfort you!" is the prayer of Her Majesty.'

Naturally the tragic death of their heroic sister went like a trumpet-blast through the ranks of the nursing profession, and the following letter of sympathy addressed to Mrs. Cavell from the President and Council of the Royal British Nurses' Association was signed by Princess Christian herself:

'We, the President and Council of the Royal British Nurses'
Association, desire to express the warm and heartfelt sympathy of
the whole Association with you in the bereavement which has fallen
on you in such tragic circumstances. Your daughter's heroic death
is one which will always remain a lasting memorial to devotion,
courage, and self-sacrifice, and her name will ever be remembered
among those heroes who have laid down their lives for their
country.'

Of the condolences from abroad a few examples must suffice. M. Cambon, the French Ambassador in London, received from the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the Chamber of Deputies the following telegram for transmission to the House of Commons:

'The Chairman and Members of the Committee of Foreign Affairs of
the Chamber of Deputies, deeply moved by the tragic fate of Miss
Cavell, desire to offer to the members of the House of Commons the
expression of the respect and admiration which they feel for the
noble heroine of British patriotism, and beg the House of Commons
to accept, on behalf of themselves and of their colleagues, their
message of grief and indignation.'

Acting under the instructions of his Government, the Belgian Minister telegraphed to Mrs. Cavell:

'The Belgian Government shares with emotion and respect in your
grief. Our entire population to-day associates in a universal
sentiment of admiration and gratitude the name of Miss Cavell with
that of the many Belgian women who have already fallen martyrs to
German barbarism, and from whose innocent blood will arise new
heroism for the defence of civilization.'

A GREAT MEMORIAL SERVICE.

London in particular, and the nation in general, laid its wreath of prayer around the bier of Edith Cavell in a great memorial service held in St. Paul's Cathedral on October 29, 1915. It was a fitting and touching token of affection and admiration of one of our greatest national heroines, solemnly performed in one of the most sacred of our national shrines.

The morning found London enshrouded in blue-grey mist; but at eleven o'clock, the time of service, the weather-worn old sanctuary commenced to gleam in pale sunshine, as if it were a halo from the glorious dead to lighten the gloom of the sorrowing multitude.

St. Paul's Cathedral has witnessed many moving ceremonies, sad and joyful, pathetic and glorious, but never in its history had it witnessed a spectacle quite like the present occasion, which had its origin in a brutal act of tyranny that had given rise to a cry of horror to agitate the civilized world.

Under Wren's great dome were gathered representatives of every department of the national life. Mr. E. W. Wallington attended on behalf of the King and Queen. It had been expected that Queen Alexandra would be similarly represented, but Her Majesty preferred to attend in person in strictest privacy, typical of that gracious tact that has made her universally beloved, and one more proof of her special friendship for nurses.

The family of the martyred nurse was represented by two married sisters, Miss Scott Cavell, matron of the Hull and East Riding Convalescent Home, and other relatives. The aged mother was not present; she was too weighed down by weight of years and sorrow to face a public ordeal whose pathos would have been too poignant to bear. In imagination could be conjured up a white-haired stately dame in her quiet Norwich home, engaging in a simultaneous service all her own in the silence of her saddened heart.

Among the more distinguished members of the congregation were the Prime Minister and not a few members of the Cabinet; members of both Houses of Parliament; Sir A. Keogh (representing Lord Kitchener); Lord Charles Beresford, a popular representative of the Navy; the Diplomatic Corps; the High Commissioners of Canada and Australia; the Deputy Lord Mayor and Sheriffs in state; and notable representatives of the arts, sciences, commerce, &c. For the rest there was a vast concourse, all bent upon the one single purpose of taking advantage of the grave and beautiful Anglican ritual to place on record, without bitterness, hate, or venom, their deep sense of the foul crime that had sent Edith Cavell to her death.

But the outstanding feature of the multitude was the nurses. Six hundred of them were in reserved seats, but there must have been at least two thousand in the building. First and foremost were various members of Miss Cavell's training school in Belgium; and, of course, the 'London,' in their dark rifle green, had a prominent place in the great company of nurses of all grades, ambassadors and delegates of their noble profession. Many of them were simply in caps and aprons with a cloak around their shoulders, suggesting that they had come straight from their duties in the city's palaces of pain to engage in a service that was a fresh consecration of their merciful calling.

Except for the gorgeous habiliments of the civic officials, Queen Alexandra's corps of nurses provided the only note of colour in the touch of red at the capes; for even the band of the First Life Guards was dressed in sober khaki instead of their usually resplendent uniforms.

Wounded soldiers, often in groups, were pathetically noticeable among the congregation, poor fellows who could testify above all others to the mercy and healing brought to the sick and the maimed by 'a noble type of good heroic womanhood.' Of the whole immense gathering the majority were women. A large proportion of them were in black, the significant badge of grief for the loss of their own particular dear ones, the brave fellows who have laid down their lives on the battle-fields, or on the ocean for whose mistress-ship they died.

As the Cathedral clock boomed out the hour the drums rolled in prelude to Chopin's 'Funeral March,' which struck the first note of emotion in the massed assembly and brought it to its feet. Slowly the choir, headed by the symbol of our and Edith Cavell's faith, moved to their places, preceding the clergy, chief of whom were the Bishop of London and Dr. Bury, the Bishop of Central Europe.

The service proper commenced with the hymn 'Abide with me,' in which ten thousand voices joined, and never was it sung with more feeling and reverence. The last verse in particular must have called to every mind that inexpressibly sad scene in St. Gilles' Prison. The words brought solace and strength to Nurse Cavell, and some of her quiet faith, her touching fortitude, seemed to be communicated to the congregation.

Following the special Psalms and the Lesson from the Burial Service, band and organ together played the Dead March in _Saul_; and as the notes pulsed and throbbed, pealed out with mighty rush of sound, or decreased to little more than the volume of human breath, the terror of death became secondary to the triumph of the spirit.

With singularly moving effect the choir commenced to sing the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom, the beautiful prayer that contrasted so strongly with the crashing harmonies that had scarcely ceased to reverberate far up in the empty dome.

Prayers from the Burial Service were followed by a special petition that, 'laying aside our divisions, we may be united in heart and mind to bear the burdens which the War has laid upon us....' The congregation sang 'Through the night of doubt and sorrow,' with its happy marching swing; the Bishop of London pronounced the Benediction; then came the resonant notes of the National Anthem; and the organ played a recessional as the choir and clergy retired. A moment later two thousand nurses fell to their knees, and 'if ever a soul went well charioted to its Maker it was the soul of Edith Cavell.'

The service was over, and those who had been privileged to participate in a soul-searching ceremony streamed out into the hum of the mightiest camp of men the world has ever known. It was like coming from the Holy of Holies, with an everlasting memory to kindle the love and enthusiasm of all who worship at the shrine of duty.

And the wonder of it all, it was a great national tribute to one who a fortnight earlier was unknown outside her own family and immediate circle of friends. She had 'lived unknown till persecution dragged her into fame and chased her up to heaven,' as a cry of horror and execration, mingled with agonized pity for her harrowing fate, flashed her name from peak to peak and continent to continent.

* * * * *

The columns of the British press were flooded with letters denouncing the crime and acknowledging the death of the martyr as an irresistibly compelling call to duty; and innumerable suggestions were made for perpetuating in tangible form the memory of a daughter of England who had taught us how to die.

One notable scheme for a memorial was speedily announced in connexion with the London Hospital, which happened to be establishing a new nursing home, which was to bear the name of Queen Alexandra. With true nobility of heart Queen Alexandra promptly requested that her name should give way to that of Edith Cavell, and public subscriptions quickly assured an enlargement of the original scheme.

The _Daily Telegraph_ initiated a subscription fund to provide a statue in stone and bronze by Sir George Frampton, and the eminent sculptor intimated that his work would be a labour of love and a voluntary gift. The Westminster City Council offered a site opposite the National Portrait Gallery; and thus the statue will face Trafalgar Square, already rich in national memories. Edith Cavell's death first became known in England on Trafalgar Day. The base of the Nelson Monument was hidden under the customary floral tributes to our greatest naval hero, and amid them was placed a wreath of laurels, a symbol of the martyrdom of the heroic nurse, of which the public would learn through the press the following day. It will be peculiarly fitting for the statue to Edith Cavell, whose last words were that she was glad to die for her country, to be within sight of the column where stands the one-armed Nelson, whose last immortal signal, 'England expects every man to do his duty,' has ever been an inspiration not only to the Fleet, but to every true lover of his country.

Other ideas for the perpetuation of the name of Nurse Cavell included the raising of a Cavell Regiment, that should be a living monument of brave men, who would be heartened and vivified by the noble life and death of their devoted countrywoman. But the true spirit of Britons negatived the necessity for a particular regiment. The next day after the announcement of the death of Miss Cavell every eligible man in her native village joined the Forces, and the recruits, all told, must have numbered many thousands.

Probably it would afford general satisfaction if another proposal bore fruit, namely, the institution of a new Order, equivalent to the Victoria Cross, for heroism by women of our race and Empire; and the heroism of our women in the present War emphasizes the justice and wisdom of some such acknowledgement.

Up and down the country there were soon memorial schemes, generally in connexion with local hospitals or the British Red Cross Society. One of the first of this kind was the endowment of a bed in King Edward VII's Hospital, Cardiff, by Sir W. J. Thomas. There speedily followed the proposed institution of other beds to be named after Miss Cavell: the City of Dublin Hospital asked for L500 to endow a bed; the 'Ediths' of Yorkshire commenced to collect to perpetuate her memory in the north; and a fund of L1,000 was started for a free bed for nurses at the Mount Vernon Hospital for Consumption.

Miss Scott Cavell made it known that her sister had hoped some time in the future to establish a home for nurses only, those either convalescent or tired, or who required a temporary home on holiday from abroad, or a temporary place of rest only. A subscription list was at once opened to give effect to a plan that had been so near Nurse Cavell's heart.

A similar idea, but on a larger scale, was favoured by Sir John Howard, well known in Brighton as the giver of the John Howard Convalescent Home for Ladies in Reduced Circumstances. He announced that in memory of Miss Cavell he would build twenty-four cottage homes for incapacitated nurses, and endow each with the sum of ten shillings a week. This munificent memorial will entail the expenditure of about L30,000.

IX

BRITISH OFFICIAL REPROBATION

The language of diplomacy is of a restrained and judicial character, even when dealing with questions that arouse in the lay mind a whole storm of feeling. But the letter of Sir Edward Grey of October 20, 1915, addressed to Mr. Page, the United States Ambassador in London, with studied calmness and marked dignity indicts the German authorities of an unwarrantable haste in carrying out the sentence that amounts to political murder. The Foreign Secretary's comments were as follows:

'Sir E. Grey is confident that the news of the execution of this
noble Englishwoman will be received with horror and disgust, not
only in the United States, but throughout the civilized world. Miss
Cavell was not even charged with espionage, and the fact that she
had nursed numbers of wounded German soldiers might have been
regarded as a complete reason in itself for treating her with
leniency.

'The attitude of the German authorities is, if possible, rendered
worse by the discreditable efforts successfully made by the
officials of the German civil administration at Brussels to conceal
the fact that sentence had been passed, and would be carried out
immediately. These efforts were no doubt prompted by the
determination to carry out the sentence before an appeal from the
finding of the court-martial could be made to a higher authority,
and show in the clearest manner that the German authorities
concerned were well aware that the carrying out of the sentence was
not warranted by any consideration.

'Further comment on their proceedings would be superfluous.

'In conclusion, Sir E. Grey would request Mr. Page to express to
Mr. Whitlock and the staff of the United States Legation at
Brussels the grateful thanks of His Majesty's Government for their
untiring efforts on Miss Cavell's behalf. He is fully satisfied
that no stone was left unturned to secure for Miss Cavell a fair
trial, and, when sentence had been pronounced, a mitigation
thereof.

'Sir E. Grey realizes that Mr. Whitlock was placed in a very
embarrassing position by the failure of the German authorities to
inform him that the sentence had been passed, and would be carried
out at once. In order, therefore, to forestall any unjust criticism
which might be made in this country, he is publishing Mr.
Whitlock's dispatch to Mr. Page without delay.'

Sir Edward Grey also wrote to the Spanish Ambassador in London acknowledging the good services of the Spanish Minister at Brussels, and concluding thus:

'His Majesty's Government much appreciates the efforts made by the
Marquis de Villalobar on this occasion, and the sentiments of
humanity and chivalry which animated him, and they would be
grateful if your Excellency would be good enough to so inform the
Spanish Government.'

In the House of Lords the Earl of Desart asked the Government if they could give any information with regard to the execution of Miss Edith Cavell by the German authorities in Belgium. Her offence, he said, of assisting her own countrymen and the countrymen of our Allies to escape was one which a belligerent was entitled to protect itself against, and a sentence of execution might even be passed, but such sentence ought never to have been carried out by any country. It was rumoured that other persons against whom similar charges had been made were lying in peril of their lives, and it might be possible through the action of neutral countries to prevent a recurrence of one of the greatest tragedies of the War.

The Marquis of Lansdowne replied:

'I am not surprised, and I am sure no member of the House can be
surprised, that the noble Earl should have called attention to this
most deplorable incident. We have been during the last few months
continually shocked by occurrences each more terrible and moving
than its predecessor; but I doubt whether any incident has moved
public opinion in this country more than the manner in which this
poor lady was, I suppose I may say, executed in cold blood.

'It is no doubt the case that she may by her conduct have rendered
herself liable to punishment, perhaps to severe punishment, for
acts that could be taken to be a violation of the kind of law which
prevails when war is going on. But I have no hesitation in saying
that she might at any rate have expected that measure of mercy
which, I believe, in no civilized country would have been refused
to one who was not only a woman, but a very brave and devoted
woman, and one who had given all her efforts and energies to the
mitigation of the sufferings of others.

'I am able to tell my noble friend that a full report relating to
the circumstances under which Miss Cavell was executed was
forwarded to the Foreign Office by the United States Ambassador. We
learn from this report that the representatives of the United
States and Spain at Brussels up to the very last moment neglected
no opportunity or effort in order to obtain a commutation of the
death sentence passed on Miss Cavell, or even to obtain at least a
period of suspense before that sentence was carried into effect.
These efforts failed.

'With regard to the second part of my noble friend's question, I am
able to tell him that two French ladies have been condemned to
death on a charge of sheltering British and French fugitive
soldiers. These ladies were to have been executed on Monday last;
but I am glad to be able to add that, as the result of strong
representations made by His Majesty the King of Spain and by the
Pope, the execution of these sentences has been postponed pending
consideration by the German Emperor of the reports on both cases.
I will only add that I am convinced there is not a man or woman in
this country who will not join with the noble Earl in the protest
he has made against this terrible occurrence.'

In the House of Commons Mr. Asquith, the Prime Minister, said:

'If there be moments such as come to all of us when we are tempted
to be fainthearted, let us ask ourselves what year in our history
has done more to justify our faith in the manhood and the womanhood
of our people? It has brought us, as we cannot at this moment
forget, the imperishable story of the last hours of Edith Cavell,
facing a terrible ordeal worse than that of the battle-field. She
has taught the bravest man amongst us the supreme lesson of
courage. Yes, and in this United Kingdom and throughout the
Dominions of the Crown there are thousands of such women. A year
ago we did not know it. We have great traditions, but a nation
cannot exist by traditions alone. Thank God, we have living
examples of all the qualities which have built up and sustained our
Empire. Let us be worthy of them, and endure to the end.'

The Secretary for Foreign Affairs was asked whether, according to Article 10 of the Hague Convention of 1907 and the guarantee of the neutrality of Belgium, to which Prussia was a party, the late Miss Cavell was, according to such law as could be applied to her case, guilty of any military offence.

Sir E. Grey: 'It seems unnecessary to go into technical legal points to condemn what has been done in this case. The reprobation of it, which I believe is widespread in the world, rests upon higher considerations, which arouse deeper feelings, than mere illegality.'

In another question the Secretary for Foreign Affairs was asked whether he had taken, or intended to take, any steps to convey to the Military Governor of Brussels that, when opportunity offered, he would be held personally responsible by His Majesty's Government for the quasi-judicial assassination of Miss Cavell.

Lord Robert Cecil: 'On May 5 last the Prime Minister assured the House that due reparation would be exacted from all persons, whatever their position, who can be shown to have maltreated our prisoners in Germany. That pledge still holds good, and applies with twofold force in the case of the savage murder under legal forms of a noble woman. I do not think that it would serve any good purpose to attempt to convey this resolve to any particular German official, who, for aught we know at present, may not be the chief offender.'

The statement of the Prime Minister to which the above reference was made was as follows:

'The Government were at least as anxious as anybody else that when
the proper time came due reparation should be exacted from all
persons, whatever their position or their antecedents, who could be
shown to have violated the most elementary principles, and perhaps
the most fundamental, of all the rules and usages of civilized
warfare.'

If there be any value in the British Government's expressed determination, then assuredly von Bissing and von der Lancken will be indicted for the offence that stinks in the nostrils of the whole world.

X

GERMANY'S CYNICAL DEFENCE

Germany speedily found it wise to attempt to justify the execution of Miss Cavell in order to moderate the storm of indignation that had been aroused in neutral countries. To that end Dr. Zimmermann, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, set forth the German defence in an interview granted to a United States correspondent in Berlin.

'It was a pity,' said Dr. Zimmermann, 'that Miss Cavell had to be
executed, but it was necessary. She was judged justly. We hope it
will not be necessary to have any more executions.

'I see from the English and American press that the shooting of an
Englishwoman and the condemnation of several other women in
Brussels for treason has caused a sensation, and capital against us
is being made out of the fact. It is undoubtedly a terrible thing
that the woman has been executed; but consider what would happen to
a State, particularly in war, if it left crimes aimed at the safety
of its armies to go unpunished because committed by women. No
criminal code in the world--least of all the laws of war--makes
such a distinction; and the feminine sex has but one preference,
according to legal usages, namely, that women in a delicate
condition may not be executed. Otherwise men and women are equal
before the law, and only the degree of guilt makes a difference in
the sentence for the crime and its consequences.

'I have before me the court's verdict in the Cavell case, and can
assure you that it was gone into with the utmost thoroughness, and
was investigated and cleared up to the smallest details. The
result was so convincing, and the circumstances were so clear, that
no war court in the world could have given any other verdict, for
it was not concerned with a single emotional deed of one person,
but a well-thought-out plot, with many far-reaching ramifications,
which for nine months succeeded in doing valuable service to our
enemies and great detriment to our armies. Countless Belgian,
French, and English soldiers are again fighting in the ranks of the
Allies who owe their escape to the band now found guilty, whose
head was the Cavell woman. Only the utmost sternness could do away
with such activities under the very nose of our authorities, and a
Government which in such case does not resort to the sternest
measures sins against its most elementary duties toward the safety
of its own army.

'All those convicted were thoroughly aware of the nature of their
acts. The court particularly weighed this point with care, letting
off several of the accused because they were in doubt as to
whether they knew that their actions were punishable. Those
condemned knew what they were doing, for numerous public
proclamations had pointed out the fact that aiding enemies' armies
was punishable with death.

'I know that the motives of the condemned were not base; that they
acted from patriotism; but in war one must be prepared to seal
one's patriotism with blood, whether one faces the enemy in battle,
or otherwise in the interest of one's cause does deeds which justly
bring after them the death penalty. Among our Russian prisoners are
several young girls who fought against us in soldiers' uniforms.
Had one of these girls fallen, no one would have accused us of
barbarity against women. Why now, when another woman has met the
death to which she knowingly exposed herself, as did her comrades
in battle?

'There are moments in the life of nations where consideration for
the existence of the individual is a crime against all. Such a
moment was here. It was necessary once for all to put an end to the
activity of our enemies, regardless of their motives; therefore the
death penalty was executed so as to frighten off all those who,
counting on preferential treatment for their sex, take part in
undertakings punishable by death.

'It was proved after a long trial of the sentenced persons that
they for some months past had been engaged in assisting Belgians of
military age to enlist in hostile armies, and in enabling French
and English deserters to escape the country. They had many helpers,
and had organized branches.

'The Governor-General had repeatedly issued warnings against such
activity, pointing out that severe punishment for such action was
unavoidable.

'The guilty persons were sentenced in a public sitting according to
the law based on the provisions of the imperial penal code and the
military penal code for war treason and espionage. No special law
exists for Belgium, and no so-called "usage of war" influenced the
verdict of the court.'

Dr. Zimmermann maintained that the execution was carried out in accordance with the established regulations, death occurring immediately after the first volley, as attested by the physician who was present.

The greater part of Dr. Zimmermann's futile reasoning is not worth discussion in detail. The one outstanding fact is the common belief that no military authorities in Europe, other than German, would have executed Miss Cavell for an offence actuated by purest motives of patriotism, and in which there was not the faintest suspicion of espionage. It may be remarked, too, that in America Judge Lynch never executed a woman. The attempt to draw a parallel case between Nurse Cavell and Russian women who have fought as soldiers is puerile in the extreme. In the case of the Russian, she is dressed in male uniform, and the German who shoots her in action does so in ignorance of her sex; Miss Cavell was a Red Cross nurse whose services to German wounded alone should have struck a spark of compassion.

* * * * *

Later, an inspired telegram was issued from Berlin to counteract the 'incorrect and exaggerated' discussions in the foreign press. It was stated that Miss Cavell was sentenced in a public sitting, although it is an incontrovertible fact that the American Legation could not get permission to be represented. It is laid to Miss Cavell's charge that she 'nursed only rich people for heavy fees.' Even if it were true, it would not palliate the German offence of hurried and clandestine murder; but we know, and the Germans know, that her whole life was spent in doing good for others. Finally is repeated the old statement that cruelties were committed by Lord Kitchener during the Boer War on women and children. This oft-repeated libel needs no refutation of ours, because it was demolished years ago by the German official history of the Boer War.

The next step in German impudence was an attempt to make believe that in the documents exchanged between the American Legation in Brussels and the German authorities as published by the British Government, some circumstances of the utmost importance are inaccurately reported by the Belgian lawyer who acts as legal adviser to the Legation. To this Sir Edward Grey informed the press that the papers relating to the case of Miss Cavell were published exactly as they were received from the American Embassy and with the American Embassy's consent.

On November 20, however, nearly a month later, the British Foreign Office did make public one correction:

'The letter addressed by the United States Minister at Brussels to
the Ambassador in London, under date October 14, to the effect that
the German prosecutor had asked for a sentence of death against
Miss Edith Cavell _and eight other persons implicated by her
testimony_ was due to erroneous information furnished to the
United States Legation, and, so far as it has been possible to
discover, no other person has been directly implicated by any
testimony on the part of Miss Cavell.'

The acknowledgement of this mistake, however, could have afforded the Germans but little satisfaction, because its only effect was the removal of a slur on the loyalty of Miss Cavell to her friends.

In the clumsy attempt to justify their savagery the Germans have done nothing to prevent judgement going by default in the heart of all civilized nations. They omit all reference to their inhuman haste and calculated trickery, and their venomous refusal to allow exhumation and proper burial. No laws of war permit such outrages, no military necessities can excuse and no pedantic partisan can vindicate them.

XI

JUSTICE AND SAVAGERY CONTRASTED

Sir John Simon, the late Home Secretary, in an interview with a United States correspondent in London, averred that in the record of Britain's treatment of persons accused of military offences the case of Miss Cavell had and could have no parallel. To no woman, even in cases of clearly proved espionage, had Britain meted out a sentence of death; and in no case is a woman, whatever her nationality, tried in any but a civil court.

It may be urged that in an occupied territory such as Belgium the administration of the law may call for slight difference; but the Cavell case was not a sudden or unexpected discovery that called for a drumhead court-martial on a battle-field. The 'crime' was committed in Brussels, where the invaders claim to have restored orderly government under their own civil governor.

'In England the accused is brought before a tribunal which holds a
preliminary inquiry taking the summary evidence. He is always
assisted by a lawyer, and a complete record of the evidence, oral
and documentary, is given to the accused, who is then allowed an
interval to prepare for defence. _If it is a woman, the trial
always takes place before a civil tribunal_; if a man, he has the
right to claim to be tried before a civil tribunal instead of a
court-martial, if he be a British subject. At the trial, whether
military or civil, the lawyers for the defence have the same
opportunities as are given the accused in an ordinary case in peace
times.

'In the last case involving a woman in this country the offender
was of German birth, though technically a subject of another
country owing to marriage. She was acting in association with a
male spy, and was detected travelling to various points in order to
collect information about naval defences. The evidence against her
was overwhelming, and did not depend solely on witnesses, but on
documents found in her possession and letters written by her and
her associates.

'Going through the preliminary proceedings as previously described,
she was tried in September by three civil judges of our High Court
and a jury, and was convicted, not of harbouring German soldiers,
but of deliberate and persistent spying for the purpose of
providing the enemy with important information. Her male companion
was condemned to death; she was sentenced to ten years'
imprisonment.

'In the case of a court-martial, reconsideration always takes
place; in a civil trial, such as the one just recounted, there is a
right of appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal and consideration
by the Home Secretary, who gives his advice as to the prerogative
of mercy. In the particular case mentioned the woman did not
appeal.

'In any case when the accused has claimed to have connexion with a
neutral country we have not waited for application to be made to
us. We thought it right to give the neutral Embassy information of
the arrest. It has happened in several cases that the accused was
carrying what he alleged to be a United States passport. In such
cases, as the others, the American Embassy was consulted, and the
solicitors and counsel for defence were retained with the Embassy's
approval.

'Execution never follows a sentence here without a proper interval.
Indeed, there was a case not long ago when on the eve of the
execution a postponement was requested in order that some further
representation might be considered. The sentence was postponed for
a week, and the whole case was reviewed in the light of the new
material. In a case now pending the accused says he wishes to call
evidence from the other side of the world. We don't know whether
the evidence will be helpful, but we have postponed the final trial
from August to December.

'Mind you, I am not claiming any credit for the British Government
for our procedure. There is nothing unusual, to my mind, in taking
care that the accused persons have the fullest opportunity for
their defence. The thing that strikes Englishmen as most incredible
in the case of Miss Cavell is the calculated indifference with
which the inquiries of the American and Spanish Ministers were
treated. If the excuse is suggested that in time of war severe and
harsh measures have to be taken, our own experience is enough to
show that it is possible to combine a regard for the rights of the
accused and the respect for humane considerations with the effect
of punishment of hostile offences of the most serious kind.

'It would have seemed impossible for the Germans to do anything to
increase the horror produced by their behaviour in Belgium. It
would have seemed impossible to do anything which could cement more
closely the bond of sympathy between the populations of England and
Belgium. But they have accomplished both impossibilities by one
horrible act of brutality.'

The foregoing contrast between British and German conceptions of justice is practically the difference between barbarism and civilization; and Sir John Simon's impressive exposition of the difference between the two systems calls for nothing to elaborate it.

XII

PULPIT AND PEN UNITE IN DENUNCIATION

The publication of the official correspondence affording the details of Miss Cavell's stealthy execution raised a storm of righteous indignation, which found expression in every pulpit in the British Isles; while on the platform or in the press men of light and leading joined in their condemnation of the German atrocity. The following are but a few notable examples of whole sheaves of similar outpourings.

* * * * *

The Bishop of London, in preaching the Trafalgar Day Sermon, at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, said:

'The cold-blooded murder of Miss Cavell, a poor English girl,
deliberately shot by Germans for housing refugees, will run the
sinking of the _Lusitania_ close in the civilized world as the
greatest crime in history. There is one thing about the incident
which, perhaps, was not taken into account by those who perpetrated
the crime. It will settle the matter once for all about recruiting
in Great Britain. There will be no need now of compulsion. I wonder
what Nelson would have said if he had been told that an
Englishwoman had been shot in cold blood by the members of any
other nation? He would have made more than the diplomatic inquiries
which have been made by a great neutral into this crime, right and
proper as those inquiries are. He would have made his inquiries by
the thunder of the guns of the British Fleet, and pressed the
question with the Nelson touch which won Trafalgar, as, indeed, our
own Fleet at this moment is only too ready to do. But is it
possible that there is one young man in England to-day who will
sit still under this monstrous wrong? The three million new
recruits asked for will be there. Why was she put to death? Why was
she murdered? Three thousand thousand Englishmen, and Scotsmen and
Irishmen too, will know the reason why. God's curse is on the
nation that tramples underfoot and defies the laws of chivalry
which once relieved the horrors of war.'

The following is the Rev. F. B. Meyer's eloquent contribution:

'We may thank God for the chivalrous reverence in which the British
race holds womanhood; and how nobly that reverence has been
responded to is evident in the unparalleled service which the women
of our time have been giving to fill the depleted ranks of labour
and to render invaluable service in all departments, from the
hospital to the harvest-field.

'The crowning horror of the German treatment of womanhood is the
atrocious murder of this woman, who lived to alleviate suffering,
and who only did what any one of us would have done in saving the
lives of refugees who sought the shelter of a home. There should be
no necessity for executing a woman in war-time; and if it is said
that crime is committed in passion, the murder of Miss Cavell is
inexcusable even on that ground, because she was executed in cold
blood.

'It is impossible for any British men who are of suitable age and
physical fitness for the army to hold back, because it is certain
that the measure meted out to Nurse Cavell would be gentleness
itself compared to the treatment which would befall our womanhood
if once the German invasion triumphed over our resistance.

'If only the crime that we deprecate to-day would lead us to
concentrate our thought on the War, we should be doing more than we
realize towards bringing it to an end. The pessimist, the croaker,
the grumbler, the critic, work in a contrary direction. Our
enemies, with their Hymns of Hate and concentrated venom,
endeavour to hurt us, and they forget that passions of that sort
recoil on their instigators as poisonous gases roll back with the
wind to those who sent them. We do not concentrate in a spirit of
revenge or hatred, but in the stern resolve of an entire nation
that we shall never stay our hands until our Empire is free from
all fear of menace.

'Miss Cavell has set the world an example of how we should bear
ourselves in a supreme crisis. Her heroic conduct, her calm
composure in the face of death, cannot be accounted for merely by
her temperament. They were due to her religious faith.

'She died as a Christian, looking towards the Redeemer, and forgave
her persecutors, and she will go on ministering still.

'A life like hers will reverberate through the world. Thousands
will be inspired by her example, and long after the War has passed
away her name and character will shine like a beacon light in
history.'

The Rev. Lord William Cecil contributed a special sermon to the columns of the _Daily Telegraph_, of which is quoted only the final portion:

'Edith Cavell lives in the heart of the nation; nay, in the esteem
of the world.

'She by her deed has won undying renown, and has made England more
glorious. Far and wide will they tell the tale, and add--"Of such
are the English."

'The work of the statesman passes. New generations arise, with new
problems and new combinations. The victories of the general are
forgotten or live in the musty pages of history with dates and
sententious comments of the historian. But glorious deeds of
sacrifice never die. They live and grow mightier as years roll on.

'The old English chronicler, Hall, after discussing the question
whether Joan of Arc was justly killed or no, adds this
comment--that "it matters not, for in a few years the whole story
will be forgotten." Poor fool! He forgot that good deeds live, and
therefore can never be forgotten. So we shall tell the story of
Edith Cavell to the wondering children, and they on their knees
will lisp in childish words a prayer that they may grow like such a
holy woman.

'And the ages that are to come will learn her name. Yes, long after
other great actors in this awful tragedy are forgotten--when the
names of kings and kaisers are lost in the obscurity of the
past--the sacrifice made by Edith Cavell will be remembered as we
remember the holy deeds of saints and the martyrdom of the
Christian virgins.

'This foul world needs some saint to save it.

'The world that tells lies, breaks sworn treaties, murders and
kills, needs a ransom. Vile as it is, so vile that those who look
on it marvel at the depravity of human nature, and now, as a
sin-offering, a woman has been offered by the blood-lusting
Germans.

'The sacrifice will surely tell in the great world beyond, and a
blessing will come from her death.

'The heavenly trumpets sound the victory. Fear and cruelty shall
not prevail. Honour, love, and sacrifice are conquerors. And this
world will be saved from that combination of human power and
vileness which is revealed to the world by the Prussian military
system.

'Edith Cavell, by her sacrifice, pleads with God to send
righteousness again on this war-torn earth.

'She will conquer.'

Mr. T. P. O'Connor delivered more than one eloquent speech, and that which we quote may be accepted as the voice of Ireland:

'If ever we had any doubts as to what our duty is in this War, it
must have been removed by the events of the past few days. We have
given to this cause of liberty one of the noblest figures that ever
appeared in the martyrology of liberty throughout the history of
the world.

'I like to think of Miss Cavell as a symbol of our race. By her
devotion to duty, her assiduity in her work, her determination to
stand by her post, her humanity to the enemy as well as to the
friend, her words of courage, and at the same time of broad pity
and humanity, even under the shadow of death, that woman has done
more to inspire our race in our fight than the gallantry even of a
hundred thousand men.

'I am glad to see that a great newspaper has opened a fund for the
purpose of raising an adequate monument to her memory; but no
monument of marble or of bronze will speak as her own personality,
her own life, and her death.'

The following is extracted from a powerful article by Professor J. H. Morgan in the _Graphic_:

'The execution of Miss Cavell is not, perhaps, the most revolting
of the innumerable outrages committed by the German army, but it
is certainly the most callous and the most authoritative. Hundreds
of women and young girls have been outraged by German officers and
men; many have been shot, and others burnt alive. But what
distinguishes the case of Miss Cavell--not forgetting the singular
nobility of her character--from these obscurer tragedies is the
fact that, owing to the presence of the vigilant and high-minded
Minister of a neutral State, the veil has been lifted upon the
whole proceedings, from their inception to their mournful
conclusion in the courtyard of the prison of St. Gilles, and the
world has had revealed to it in the most lurid light the sinister
character of German "justice."

'The noble woman who, out of the abundance of her charity, sought
to save men from these things has been condemned and executed on a
charge of having offended against military law. I know nothing more
tragically ironical than that the Power which has broken all laws,
human and divine, should seek to justify the condemnation of Edith
Cavell with all the pomp of a tribunal of justice. While thousands
of ravishers and spoilers go free, one woman who had spent her life
in ministries to such as were sick and afflicted is handed over to
the executioner. Truly there has been no such trial since Barabbas
was released and Christ led forth to the hill of Calvary.'

Mr. G. K. Chesterton contributed a scathing indictment to the _Illustrated London News_:

'There is not much that can be said, or said easily, about the
highest aspects of the murder of Edith Cavell. When we have said,
"Dear in the sight of God is the death of His saints," we have said
as much as mere literature has ever been able to say in the matter.