The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-22
Handwriting. Is undated. It fol.

MY e Baron: I am too III to put
mv n request before o in person. but
oNiee more l appeal to your generosity
n heart to stand by and save from death
U1his unfortunate woman. Have pity on
ther. Your devoted friend.
. BRAND W~HrrLocK."
IA Document eleven Is a duplicate OF
n Document nine. but Is addressed to
Baron Won Kissing. Governor-General Of
Belgium.
Document twelve is a telegram from
Minister whitlock to Ambassador Page.
dated October 12, in which Mr.. Whit
lock says:
miss Cavell wal sentenced yesterday
and was executed at 2 o'clock this morn
ing despite my best efforts continued
until the last moment"
Document thirteen Is the report made
by Hugh Gibson. secretary Of the Ameri-
can Legation at Brussels. to Minister
Whitlock, under date Of October IL. II
says:
Learning early yesterday morning
from unofficial sources that the trial Of
Miss Cavell had been finished Saturday
afternoon and that the prosecuting at;or-
ney had asked for a sentence OF death.
telephone inquiry Immediately was
made OF the Politische Abteilung (politi-
cal Department. as to the facts.
ut was stated that no sentence had
been pronounced and that there prob
ably would be a delay of a day or two
before a decision was reached. Mr.. Con-
rad gave positive assurance that the
legation would be fully informed of the
developments in the case. Despite these
assurances we a repeated inquiries
in the course of the day. the last one
being at 6:20 y. NJ. Belgian time. Con-
rad then stated that sentence had not
Yet been pronounced and specifically re-
newed his previous assurances that he
would not fail to inform us as soon as
there was any news.
AT $3.50 l learned from an outside
source that sentence had been passed In
the course of the afternoon. before my
last conversation with Conrad, and that
the execution would take place during
the night. I went. accompanied by Mr..
dc Leval. to look for the Spanish Minis
ter. found him and explained the cir
cumstances. l asked. as you were Ill
and unable to 90 yourself. that ne go
with us to see Baron Lancken and sup
port strongly in your name the request
hat the execution be deferred until the
Government could consider you appeal
for clemency. The Spanish Minister
willingly agreed to accompany us to the
Poiitische Abteilung.
Baron Lancken and all the members
IA 49, ~ annsaa
stances of the case were explained to
him and your note was presented. He
read 1t aloud, expressed disbelief in the
report that sentence actuall had been
passed and manifested surprise that we
em,natiny from o,TiciaI sour,as n. IT,
sisted on L,n,.,rr, ,ha -, 80.
our inforpa,,o, hn, 7 ala 90, r.oi v,
Ihar,, 80 ~ w, zoo ~
BARON I,ncuen s,a,.d !, - r.
~,nnroh,h,. Tho, s.r,anoa haa - -.
nounced. and even so I, ,yo,id MOI ~,
executed within sn sbor, , i'm. To-
event IL was oui,e innossihis 20 ,,La
any action h.fnra ,,anna ""'
0u,cL &.,,ou ,...
III "as pointed out to him that action
was useless unless taken at once. We
uiseu MN 10 ascertain the Facts imme-
diateiy. After some hesitancy he agreed
ana teiephohed to the presiding judge of
the court-martiai and returned In a short
Tune 10 say that the facts were as repre-
sehted ana mat IT was intended to carry
out the sentence before morning.
we presented as earnestly as possible
your pea Tor delay. emphasizing the hor-
TOT OF executing a woman, no matter
what the Oftence' ana urged that delay
could entail no Danger TO the German
cause we even went so far as TO point
out the fearful effect of "A summary exc
cut!on or TINS sort on public opinion. both
mere ana abroad. although We had no
authority Tor doing so. and called his at
tention to the possibility that 1t might
lister forcibly supported all our repre-
sshtatiohs ana made an earnest plea for
eeuuen'!'
i'''Nhe" s'i'eu that the Mill
'"ls Governor was supreme In his au-
.nE'"' wv '"a' an appeal from MS de-
s's''" Nouiu ne carried only 10 the En-
p|ipi' the roNerhor-Gehefa having no
"u'"ol'ts 10 intervene IN such cases. lie
.e'e'" 10 ''ii the Nilhtafy Governor on
~ ''i'pno"e 10 'eafn whether he had
-"''"'" '"e sentence ana whether there
""'"S '"a"Ne % ciehencS'
~ ,etH'"eu IN mar an hour and
h'at'u thdt ne had conferred personally
WIN VI. NiIlltdrN foNernor, who said
~ "e nhn aC'eu IN the case of Miss
.",tH ohiy dt'er mature deliberation.
tndt tne circumstances of the case were
y, Su.u q c"dIaV'er mat he considered
- l'"l.',oh Oh me death penalty imper-
"','' """ 'hat ne must decline 10 ac-
''r, souF pea OF eienlency.
p'lo" ianchen asked me to take back
nc no'' "hlch l hdu presented TO him.
10 mn ! ueih'rrth' however. tnally
ie'Vnou the conclusion that inasmucn
as ne hah reah II aloud and We knew
NC was aware Oh 'he contents, there was
no'"ins |" nc gained by refusing to