The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-25
Says Woman Took Part In a Worldwide Conspiracy
 Against Germany
COUNTLESS TROOPS
 AIDED IN ESCAPING
Utmost Severity Deemed Necessary to Serve as Warning Against repe- tition of Offense by Other
 Women


 foreign affairs. has issued an officia explanation of the recent execution i, Belgium of Miss Edith Cavell, the Brit ish nurse. He prefaced his remark by the declaration that he had exam ined every detail of the evidence witt the greatest care and found the yer diet. though regrettable, to be just. Hi statement follows:
 q see by the British and the Amer ican press that the shooting of an Eng
 fish woman and the conviction of sev eral other women in Brussels for trea and that we are being severely crit icized. It is indeed hard that a woman must be executed, but remember ts what shall state come which Is fl war if 1t allows to pass unnoticed g crime against the safety of its armies because committed by women No law book in the world, least of all those dealing with war regulations, makes such differentiation and the feminine has but one preference according tc legal usages, namely. that women in a delicate condition may not be exc cuted. Otherwise man and woman are equal before the law and only the de gree of guilt makes difference in the sentence for the crime and its conse- quence.
 Reviews Evidence
 It, hn .1 the decision of the court and examined the evidence down to the smallest de- tails. The result is so convicting and all the circumstances are so clear and convincing. that no court-martial in the world would have reached any oth- CT decision. For 1t concerns not the act of one single person, rather it con- cerns a well thought out, world wide which succeeded for nine months Co render the most valuable services to the enemy to the disad- vantage of our army Countless Brit ish, Belgian and French soldiers now again are fighting 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 Ca we'll.
 With such situation under the very eyes of the authorities, only the the government violates the most ele- mental duty toward the army and it's safety that does not adopt the strictest measures These duties in war are greater than any other.
 Several Offenders Acquitted
 "All those convicted were fully cog nizant of the significance of their &C., ions. The court went into Just this point with particular care and ac- luitted several codefendants only be. ,ause it believed doubt existed regard ng the cognizanoe of the punishable iess of their actions. Those convicted 5new what they were doing. Countless public proolamations had declared that support of enemy armies would be reated with the severest penalties. 'ven that the life of traitors would be sacrificed.
 T admit certainly that the motive of hose convicted was not unnoble, and hat they acted out of love for the fath- srland. But in wartime one must be 'eady to seal ones love for the father- and with ones blood, whether one op- poses the enemy in battle or whether ,ne commits acts in it's interests which ustly carry with them the death pen llty.
 Among our Russian prisoners are everal girls who fought against us in oldier's uniforms. Should one such have allen no one would accuse of treating women cruelty. So why now that any voman has met the death which she isked quite as thinking1y as a battle 
 Safety First
 There are moments in the lives of eople when consideration for the individ- al is crime against the whole, mo- rents that make severity. yes, hardness a uty for those entrusted with the safety their own countrymen. Onco nd for always the activity of entence had to be carried out to frighten hose who might presume on their sex to artake in enterprises punishable with cath. Should one recognize these pre- umptions it would mean to open the DOT for the evil activities of women who ften are handler and more clever in lese things than the craftiest man spy | He who bears the responsibility, how yer, may not. cannot do that Unmind- II ol tAc Wofiu D tcEuACtt H6 Iuu8l LraVol 1 le hard road of duty That despite these tets. leniency toward others who were ,nvicted and who, according to recog- zed law. have forfeited their lives, is sing considered. is proof of how ear estly we are trying to reconcile the feel gs of humanity with the commands of | gid duty.
 If others are shown mercy it will 3 at the cost of our army for it is to 3 feared that new attempts will be ade to fnjure us if 1t is believed pos- ble to escape without punishment or ith the risk of only a light sentence. nly pity for the guilty can load to an nelloration not admission that the cxe- tied sentence was too severe, for this as. hard as 1t may sound. absolutely st. and could not appear otherwise to l independent judge.
 The weakness of our enemies argu- ents 10 proved by the fact that they do t attempt to combat the justice of e sentence but try to influence public Union against uS by false reports of the ecution. It is claimed that tho soldiersI eigned to the execution first refused to Oot and finally fired so fauItily that . officers had to kill the accused with revolver. No word of this is true have the official report of the execu- 'n, in which 1t is established that it ok place entirely in accordance withi tahllshcd regulations. and that deathI
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