Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-28
Brutal Violation of Inter
national Law, Say Ally
Authorities.
RETALIATION LIKELY
United States Is Interested
to Extent Submarine
Warfare Involved.

Washington. July 2S.-Germany'
execution of Captain Charles Fryatt,
master Of the British steamship BruS-
sells, for an alleged attempt to ram
submarine, is regarded in allied quar-
tiers here as a brutal violation of in
ternauonal law, likely to result in
prompt retaliatOry measures by Great
Britain. They contend that if d hostile
submarine approached the Brussels it
was in effect an attack and Captain
Fryatt. in making a counter attack by
attempting to ram, subjected himself
only TO treatment as a prisoner Of war
in event OF capture.
United States Interested.
The United States government is in
terested in the incident and what may
follow it, particularly because OF the
bearing it may have upon the difficult
problems involved in submarine war
fare. which in the past have brought
the country to the brink of war, be-
cause it is charged with the care Of
interests of prisoners on both sides.
Reprisals by the allies, it is feared,
might be followed by a change in the
German submarine policy.
Authorities on international law
agree that the justice or injustice of
the shooting Of Captain Fryatt depends
entirely upon the circumstances under
which he headed his vessel for the
submarine If the submarine attack
ed or was about to attack him, he had
the right to counter attack; il he was
seeking out an enemy vessel for at
tack, he placed himself in the class Of
a criminal subject TO summary execu-
ton upon capture.
Rule By The Hague.
Convention No. 10 of the second
Hague peace conference sets forth
how the crews Of merchantmen who
legitimately resist capture shall be
treated as part OF the armed forces OF
an enemy The investigation has been
cl0uded by the belligerents' charges
and counter charges concerning the
conduct OF submarine warfare and the
allied efforts to exterminate the Ger
man submarines. Germany claims
British merchant ships have orders
from the admiralty to ram any enemy
submarines sighted and that the mas
ters Of ships carrying out such orders
are pirates.
Officials here point out that the
United States has taken the position
that the master of any merchant yes
sci WHO sees a submarine approach
ing has from the very nature OF the
submarine method of warfare the
right to presume that he is about to be
attacked Consequently, it is argued,
he has the right to fOrestau that at
tack by himself ramming or firing TO
defend himself.
Attempted to Ram
Berlin, July rs, Cby wireless to Say
vile). -Captain Charles FTyatt OF the
Great Eastern Railway steamship
Brussels, which vessel was captured
by German destroyers last Month and
taken into Zeebrugge, has been exc
cuted by shooting, after trial before
German naval court martial me
death sentence was passed upon Cap
tain Frya&t because OF his alleged &C
ton in attempting previously TO ram
German submarine
Testimony vas presented at the
court martial TO show that while Cap
tain Fryatt did not belong TO the armed
forces, be had attempted on March q, |
1915, while near the Mas light ship TO
ram the German submarine U-33.
The trial was held at Bruges, Bel |
GUM. yesterday.
When captured by German torpedo |
boats on June "a, Captain Fryatt was
plotting the steamship Brussels from /
Rotterdam TO T1lbuy. Several German
warships dashed out Of the naval base
At Zeebrugge and escorted the Brus- 7,
GELS back 70 the Belg1 n harbor. On
board the Brussels was an unusually
large number Of Belgian women and
children refugees and she carried an /
Al-British crew OF A men.
Tipped OF by Passenger.
Dutch newspapers said 1t was gen
orally believed that the capture OF
The Brussels was brought about by a .
passenger who said he was an Amer1- /
can but who was believed to be Ger I
nan. This man remained on deck 4
throughout the voyage and was said 10
have made signals with lights with the
result that the German warshlrs .
steamed m zud HALTED The vessel