Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-02
Unofficial AdviCes Tell of Com
mander Not Needing Ger
man Order.
THROWS DIFFERENT LIGHT
ON CASE IF FOUND TRUE
Seeking to Evade Capture Justifies
Sinking Under international
Law, It Is Said.

Tension over destruction of the British
steamer Armenian. with the loss of a
number of American lives, was consider
ably relaxed today following the receipt
of unofficial advices telling of the apparent
refusal of the ships commander to heed
the warning of the German submarine
to stop
This phase Of the matter overshadowed
in the official view all other questions in
volved in the destruction of the Armenian.
If official reports should bear out news
dispatches concerning the attempt of the
Armenian to escape it was said no new
cause of complaint likely would be added
to issues pending between the United
States and Germany. Officials hold that
if the Armenian sought to evade capture
the sinking of the ship was justified under
international law, even though non-com-
batants were on board. Precedents are
cited in support of this contention.
Detailed information of the destruction
of the Armenian still was awaited today.
Until such data is available the position
of the United States will not be an
nounced.
Little Tension Over Incident.
There was little tension over the in
cident in official quarters here after i,
became known that the Armenian hao
sought to evade capture. 1t was admit
ted that if official reports bore out the
press dispatches there was no likeli-
hood that any new cause of complain,
would be added to the issues pending
between the United States and Ger
many.
One or two officials suggested that in.
asmuch as Germany had in effect giveI
warning that enemy ships would be
torpedoed without warning. mer,
chairman carrying contraband might
be justified in attempting to escape
since to halt would mean certain de.
struction, with no assurance of an OPP
portunity for the crew to escape. II
was pointed out that the last Ameri-
can note to Germany on the Lusitanis
and Falaba cases said:
Nothing but actual forcible resist
-Ance or continued efforts to escape by
flight when ordered to stop for pur-
pose of visit on the part of the mer-
chairman has ever been held to forfeit
the lives of her passengers and crew.
Purpose of Orders Not Given.
These officials were inclined to argue
that the German submarine might not
order vessels to stop merely for the
purpose of visit Others, however
declared that the rules of warfare dc
not require the commander of war
ship to state his purpose when direct
ing a merchantmen to halt.
When it was suggested to officials
that if the Armenian were a public
ship of war she could not have sailed
from the United States without violat-
ing neutrality, it was pointed out that
there had been cases before the fed
eral courts in which this point arose
and it had been ruled that the charter
ing of a vessel by foreign consul for
his government to transport munitions
of war or supplies did not constitute
a violation of federal statutes. In the
case of vessels which are loaded to
supply a belligerent fleet at sea, how
ever, the American government has
ruled that such ships must be treated
as ships of war.
The question of charter and be1liger-
ent control was overshaqowed in Off
cial quarters by the press dispatches
telling of the desperate attempts of the
Armenian to escape.