The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-11-16
Destruction Of Liner Termed I'm,
paralIGI8d straClv"
NOTE 70 ALL NEUTRAL NATIONS
Asserts Nc Warnng-Was Given and
that Submarine sheliad Passen-
gers in Life Boats.

w NNG5l4AllStoll5 WV ~ -'oSSI Stsily y
Lansing personally received yester-
day from Macchi di Cellere. the Ital-
ian ambassador a communication ad
dressed By Italy to all neutral ma
tions denouncing as "an unparalleled
atrccity" the Smiling OF the Italian
liner Ancona with scores of neutrals
ana other noncombatants aboard
The statement recites the circum-
stances of the attack charg
ing that without even blank
shot" Of warning from the
attacking submarine the vessel
was shelIed, and that the killing
and wounding of passengers contin-
ded alter the ship had stopped. No
reference is made to the nationality
OF the submarine AS yet Emhassa-
dor Penfeld has not been instructed
70 call at the Vienna foreign Office for
information, but probably win be go
Instructed soon, in view OF the issn-
ance of a statement by the Austro-
Hungarian Admiralty describing the
attack.
The text OF the communication fol-
lows, as given in dispatch from
Washington:
"Tke government of the United
States is doubtless aware OF the par
ticulars reported by the press in con
nection with the outrage perHetrated
by the enemy on Italian shipping on
November q More than once destruc
tion of Italian merchantmen had TAX
en- place under circumstances which
permitted no other explanation that
there was behind the procedure
ruthless purpose to use british force
against private property OF innocent
persons. Noncombatant passengers
and crews already have been the vic
TINS of these methods but never has
there been an instance OF such unpar-
alleled atrccity as in the case Of the
sinking Of the Ancona. The unarmed
liner, enroute to New York. was
steaming westward between the
coasts of Sardinia and Tunis. carry
ing passengers and cargo destined
for America.
ut was cut of the question that the
vessel could have been suspected of
carrying arms or contraband or per
sons in the service OF any OF the bel
ligerents. In fact none Of the circum-
stances alleged in other cases i'll an
attempt to justify actions described
by their authors as a necessity of war
or as a reprisal were present in the
case OF the Ancona.
There are principles that no state
ought to diregard and no private in
diyidual could violate with impunity,
Respect for the lives of persons in no
way participants in war is among
these fundamental rules OF humanity
and international law This rule inn
poses on belligerents the strict obiiga
tiCn to do all in their power in every
circumstance to protect the lives of
such passengers
without any warning whatsoever,
without even q blank shot, without
observing any Of the formalities ac-
companying the right OF search the
submarine encountered by the An
coma in the aforementioned circum-
stances, opened FIRE on the uuarmed
passenger liner, ruthlessly shelling
not only the wireless apparatus, sides
and decks of the. ship while she was
at stop, but even the lifeboats in
which the terrorized passengers were
seeking refuge Many of the passen-
GERS were killed outright or wounded.
Some who approached the submarine
in the hope of rescue were driven off
with jeers. AS a result Of this inhu-
man procedure more than 20O mon,
women and children lost their lives.
THE royal government regards it
as duty to denounce solemnly to all
nations the circumstances described
above Their sentiments of justice
and humanity will cause them with
out doubt to judge, as it deserves, the
conduct of an enemy which is obvious
ly contrary to the dictates of civiliza-
lion and the recognized principles Of
international law"