Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-08-04

in the House of Lords that the Ger
mans recently shot two Irish prisoners
who refused to join Easements Irish
legion. The morning papers mostly deal
in the briefest and most mater Of fact
way with the execution Of Easement.
The only editorial reference is in the
Daily News. which says:
British Reference
1--WE cannot but reaffirm our convic-
ton that the government exhibited
grave unwisdom in exactin:g the death
penalty. No evil results could have fol-
lowed a Communication Of tile sentence.
THE hanging gives the ,,isaffected
section in Ireland another martyr, en-
hitters feeling throughout the island
alienates large and important body of
American opinion and enables Ger
many to play off the death Of Easement
against the death of Fryatt."
Easement rose about half past five
this morning. From then until Z o'clock
when Father McCarrell arrived, he
passed the time reading the instruc-
tions of the church for assisting at
mass and the taking Of the first com
munion. After mass he ate little
bread and butter and drank glass Of
water.
Nerves Calm
He had very little to say to the
priest, only making a few remarks
about the immortality Of the soul He
appeared, said Father McCarrell, like
a man who had slept soundly-his
nerves were completely calm.
A coroner's jury found that the SEN
tence had been carried out in accord
ance with lawsand in humane man
ner. Gavin Duffy, Easements solicitor.
who appeared in behalf Of relatives.
identified the body.
Replying to question by the coroner.
Solicitor Duffy said that Easements
health at times was very bad. He made
plea that the body be handed over to
relatives. which the authorities, he said,
had refused. The coroner declared he
had no power to interfere, whereupon
Duffy protested, saying it was a mon
strous act Of indecency that the authori-
ties should refuse the request"
Easements Hopes
According to one news agency. Case
ment had high hopes of being reprieved
until the eve of his execution He did
not hide the fact that he expected his
many powerful friends would obtain for
him free pardon, because many of them
exercised no little influence in political as
we'll as literary circles.
LAS there was no sign of reprieve last
nj oh this account saws "fho condemn
ed man became very morose and hardly
spoke at all. He did. however, inquire
about the Zeppelin raids and asked II the
German airships had reached London.
Soon afterwards he became resigned to
his fate and as he had done consider
able amount Of writing he retired to rest
and slept soundly."
Death instantaneous
At the inquest the governor of the
prison and the chief warden testified
that death was instantaneous. DR.. Man
der was asked by Solicitor Duffy whether
there was any truth in the statement pub
lished that Easement had been insane. He
replied:
II saw no evidence of insanity. He act
ed in sane manner to the end.'
Virtually to the very hour of Roger
Easements execution strenuous efforts
were made by his friends and sympa-
thizers in the United States and Ireland,
and even in England, to secure re-
prieve. Petitions for mercy poured In
upon the British government and efforts
were made to obtain action by President
Wilson. Repeated attempts to pass res
olution through the United States Senate
requesting the President to urge GreA
Britain to extend mercy to Easement
failed. The only action taken in WASH
ington was the passage of a resolution
by the Senate asking the President to use
his good offices with the British autnorl-
ties to obtain clemency for Irish polltical
offenders in general.
MANY prominent men both here and
in Great Britain interested themselves
in Easements behalf. The hopes OF
the condemned mans friends we're ex-
tinguished when Lord Robert Cecil.
minister Of war trade, announced on
Wednesday that the British govern
ment was determined not to grant
reprieve. Lord Cecil declared that
there was no ground which could be
brought forward in mitigation of his
Review Of Career
Honored with knighthood-a title
since taken from him by King
Georges order-for fis many years
Of service for Great Britain as con-
sui and consul general, Roger Case
ment assumed leadership, at period
IF his country's crisis, in the recent
Irish rebellion, the plans for which
we're laid while Easement was in Ber-
lin where he was reported to have
negotiated an understanding with the
German Imperial authorities.
British naval supremacy brought an
abortive close to Easements plans.
The German tramp steamship on
v hich there was transported an arm
I'd expedition from Germany nearly to
The west coast of Ireland in April Of
his year was blown up by it's own
crew when the latter foresaw that it
was inevitable that the blockading
English warships would capture 1t.
The crew were made prisoners. The
ramp had been conveyed from Kiel |
BY a German submarine. from which |
Easement and a companion landed on |
IRISH soil. where thew were taken into |
custody before their plans matured.
In May, Easement was given a pre- |
hearipcp opd uyoS i