The Oskaloosa herald., 1915-10-28
GERMAN OFFICIAL
DEFENDS KILLING
Or. ZIMMERMAN JUsTIFIEs sLAY
ING OF ENGLISH NuRsE.,U ..
MERCY At THE COST Of ARMY
Under Secretary of Berlin Foreign OF
flee Says That striotest Meas
ures Are Necessary. to Pro-
teet the State.

! DSIlA VIVA lu0 I1dBue anu LOuuOuJ
Oct. 25.-Dr. Alfred F. NJ. Zimmerman
German under secretary FOR foreign
affairs, has issued an official explana
tion Of the recent execution of Miss
Edith Cavell, the British nurse.
Is Protection Of state.
The statement in part follows
Il see by the British and the Ameri
can press that the shooting of an
English woman and the conviction OF
several other women in Brussels for
treason have created a great impress,
sion and that we are being severely
criticized. -. ~ r.. ..
ut is indeed hard that a woman
must be executed, but remember to
what shall state come which is in
war If it allows to pass unnoticed a
crime against the safety of its armies
because committed by women. ~
mo law book in the world, least of
all those dealing with war regulations,
makes such a differentiation and the
feminine sex has but one preference,
according to legal usages, namely, that
women in a delicate condition may not
be executed
- Equal Before the Law"
=f'Otherwise man and woman are
equal before the law and only the de-
gree of guilt makes a difference in
the sentence for the crime and its con.
sequences.
In the. CaveH case have reviewed
the decision of the court and exam
ined the evidence down to the small
est details. The result is so convict
ing and all the circumstances are so
clear and convincing that no court
martial in the world would have
reached any other decision.
! For it concerns not the act of one
single person; rather it, concerns a
well.thought-Out, worldwide conspir-
acy, which succeeded for nine months
to render the most valuable services
to the enemy to the disadvantage Of
our army
|. Head Of Band, He Says.
Countless British, Belgian and
French soldiers now. again are fight
ing in the allied ranks who owe their
escape from Belgium to the activity Of
the band now sentenced, at the head
! of which stood Miss Cavell
with such a situation under the
very eyes of the authorities only the
utmost severity can bring relief, and
! the government violates the most ele.
mental duty towards the army and its
safety that does not adopt the strictest
measures. These duties in war are
greater than any other.
All those convicted were fully cog.
infant of the Significance of their ac.
tions. The court went into Just this
point with particular care and acquit+
ted several co-defendants only because
it believed doubt existed regarding the
cognizance of the punishableness of
their actions.
"knew What They Did,"
Those convicted knew what they
we're doing.
81 admit certainly that the motive
of those convicted was not unnoble
and that they acted out OF love for
the fatherland. But in war time one
must be ready to seal ones love for
the fatherland with ones blood.
whether one opposes the enemy in
battle or whether one commits acts
in its interest which Justly carry with
them the death penalty.
Once and for always the activity
of our enemies had to be stopped and
sentence has been carried out to
brighten those who might presume
on their sex to partake in enterprises
punishable with death. 49, 80
Should one recognize these pre-.
sumptions 1t would mean to open the
door for the evil activities of women
who often are handler and more
clever in these things than tho Craft.
est man spy. .. $50,
Mercy at Cost Of Army"
If others are shown mercy it will
be at the cost of our army. for il. is
to be feared that new attempts will
be made to injure us If 1t is believed
possible to escape without punishment
or with the risk of only a light sen.
tence. .z..s ~. al.
only pity for the, guilty can lead
toan amelioratlon. not admission that
the executed sentence was too severe,
for this was, hard as it may sound,
absolutely just and could not appear
otherwise to an independent Judge.
"Foes' Argument Weak.,,3se
THE weakness OF ourt efiefnies'
arguments is proved by the fact that
they do not attempt to combat the
Justice Of the sentence but try to in
fiuence public opinion against US by
false reports of the execution. s
1T is claimed that the, soldiers as.
signed to the execution first refused
to shoot and finally fred so faulty
that the officers had to kill the &C.
cused with revolver
mo word 3efrthis is true. have
the official report ofsthe execution In |
which 1t is established that 1t took
place entirely In accordance with es.
tablished regulations and that death |
occurred immediately after the first
i Ai.h