St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-05-12

The American people were shocked
beyond expression when the news Of
the torpedoing of the great Cunard
liner Lusitania with more than 1900
noncombatant passengers on board
reached this country Friday after
noon. Further details revealed the
fact that the ship was struck by three
torpedoes, sank in twenty minutes
and over 1900 of the passengers
were drowned. Here is the official
announcement of the massacre by the
German government:
"The Cunard liner Lusitania was
yesterday torpedoed by a German
submarine and sank.
1.-THE Lusitania was naturally
armed with guns, as were recently
most of the English mercantile
steamers. Moreover, as is we'll
known here, she had large quantities
of war material in her cargo.
Her owners, therefore, knew to
what danger the passengers were ex-
posed. They alone bear all the re-
sponsibility for what has happened
Germany, on her part, left moth
ly warn them. The imperial embas-
sador in Washington even went so
far as to make a public warning, so
as to draw attention to this danger.
The English press sneered then at
the warning and relied on the pro-
lection of the British fleet to safe
guard Atlantic traffic"
In this cold and impassionate man
hof Low III i'm 70
sition in the front ranks of civiliza-
ton announces the most horrible muir
der of innocent noncombatants that
has darkened the pages of world his
tory. The demoniacal spirit and
purpose of the perpetrators of this
crime is shown by the firing of three
torpedoes into the doomed vessel. No
warming was given so the passengers
could be saved and the firing of three
torpedoes shows the determination to
destroy the ship so suddenly there
could be no escape for the passengers.
Nothing more inhuman can be i'm
agined. The first charge had dam
aged the ship beyond saving but had
the attack stopped then there would
have been time to have removed
many of the passengers before the
ship sank. The German fiends would
not allow even this touch of human
ity to their act.
The German nation is guilty of a
deliberate lie in it's official account
r~sv hn / IL
sitania was naturally armed with
guns. 1t is learned upon good au-
thorfty that it was not armed at all.
1t was also known that United States
would not allow an armed vessel to
enter and leave it's ports and the
statement the ship was armed is an
unnecessarily weak resort to false
hood on the part of a power that
could well afford to be truthful.
The fact there were large num-
Der Of American citizens on board
the fated ship and that this govern
ment had warned Germany she would
any damage to American life or prop
erty together with the feeling of ter
rible resentment this crime has en-
gendered brings a most serious prob
lem before the American government.
To allow such an affront to pass un-
punished is unthinkable yet there are
many obstacles in the way of just
settlement. First the ship was ar
English ship. The United States has
no right to demand reparation for an
English vessel. Germany, too, claims
it issued due warning to Americans
that the ship would be destroyed and
doubtless will claim the passengers
were making the trip at their OWL
risk.
But civilization wherever it exists
demands the cessation of such inhu-