Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-10-22

Mr.. Delevais request Oh the 10Th Tor
permission for an English clergyman
to see Miss CaveIl was denied, the re-
port says He WAS told she could see
the three Protestant clergymen at
tached to the prison.
On the evening of the 18th, Mr.. Dele
val learned from unofficial sources that
the sentence Of death had been passed
at o'clock in the afternoon and that
Miss Cavell would be shot at o'clock
in the morning.
1 On oct. 9, Mr. whitlock notified
\ Walter Hines Page, the American am
4 kassador in London. that q sentence
Of death had been asked for, but that
+, he had hopes the court might decline
/ to grant it. Mr.. whitlock added that he
felt it weuld be useless to take any
action until the sentence was pro-
I nounced.
| WhitIcck's Letter NJ
| The letter sent by Mr. WhitIock to
Baron Won Der Lancken by Mr. Glib
son On the Night Of the 18th, follows:
Your Excellency:
Il have just learned that Miss Ca
veil, who is a British subject and con-
sequently under tine protection of nv
embassy, was this morning condemned
/ to death by sentence of courtmartiaI
i Without going into the causes which
led to such a severe sentence and one
| which, if all the reports which have
reached me are correct, is more Sc
we're in this case than in all others
i which have been tried by the same tri-
| bunal, I hope TO be able to appea, to
rp pf him vif
osity of His Excellency. the governor
general. on behalf of Miss Caveu. in
order that the sentence of death which
has been passed against her may be
committed and that this unhappy lady
be not executed. " NJ @
Miss Caveli is the head nurse of a
surgical institute of Brussels. She has
spent her life in alternating the suffer-
ines of others and st her school have
been trained numerous nurses. who.
Throughout the world in Germany as
in Belgium, have kept watch at the
bedsides of patients. At the beginning
Of the wer Miss CaveIl gave her ser
vices to German soldiers as well as n
others
Failing other reasons her humanita.
rian career is of a nature TO inspire
pity for her and, in advance, 10 secure
her pardon.
IF the information given me is cor.
rect, Miss Cavel, far from hiding her,
self, with faudable frankness admitted
all the facts laid to her charge and
the information she supplied was the
cause of aggravating the sentence pass.
ed upon her.
1T is with confidence and hope of its
being favorably received that ] pra,
Your Excellency to present to the gov.
, ernor my request for grace in favor OF
Miss Cavell
II take this occasion to renew to You,
, Excellency assurances of my high con
sideration.
, (Signed) BRAND WHTTLOCK.'
! Report to Mr. Page IS
, In report to Mr.. Page at London MIR
Whitiock wrote.
Il know that you will understand
without my telling you chat we exhaus.
, ted every possible effort to prevent the
r. infliction of the death penalty and thai
our failure has been felt by US very
severe blow ] am Convinced, however
, that no step was neglected which 1coule
have had any effect g
From the date we first learned of Miss
, Cavell's Imprisonment we made frequent
. inquiries of the German authorities ane
, reminded them of the promise that We
should be fully informed as to develop
ments. They were under no misappre
henson as to our interest in the mat
. ter
The British foreign office in a nots
, To Ambassador Page asking him TO ex
. press to Mr. Whitlock and his staff thu
I British governments grateful thanks fol
2 their efforts in behalf of Miss Cavell
says:
Sir E Grey (the British foreign
minister) is confident that the news o.
the execution of this noble English wo
disgust, not only in the Allied states
, but throughout the civilized world
Miss Cavell was NOT even charged
| with espionage, and the fact that sh,
had nursed numbers Of wounded Ger
. man soldiers might have been regarded
as a complete reason in itself for treat
E ing her with leniency.
Facts Concealed +-..
''The attitude Of the German authori
' ties is, if possible, rendered worse b,
the discreditable efforts successful,
made by officials of the German civil
] administration at Brussels to cmcea
the fact that the sentence had beer
passed and would be carried out imme
diately.
These efforts were, no doubt
prompted sby a determination to carr,
out the sentence before an appeal from
the finding of the courtmartial could b,
made to higher authority and show
IN the cleareEt manner that the Ger
man authorities were well aware tina,
the carrying out of the sentence VIA,
not warranted by any consideration
Further comment on these proceeding,
would be superfnous."
Sir Edward Grey adds that he lis full,
satisfied the American legation left n,
stone unturned to secure a fair tr,a
Tor Miss Cavell and mitigation of he,
|