Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-07-29
Captain Charles Fryatt Or
dered to Be Shot By
Germans
EMPEROR's APPROVAL
Commander of Merchantmen Was
Put to Death for Alleged Attempt
to Ram Submarine

London, July 20 That Kaiser
wilhelm himself confirmed the sen
tence of death found by court
martial trying Capt. Fryatt, Oh the
passenger liner Brussels, for his at
tempt to ram submarine was re-
norted in a Maastricht dispatch mere
today.
1t served further to infame brlt-
ish feeling against what press ana
public alike branded as SURPRISING
the execution of Miss Cavell, the
British nurse, in cold-blooded feroity'
The Maastricht dispatch asserted
the Duke of Wurtemburg wired tn'
sentence of death pronounced by the
naval court-martial at Zeebrugge on
Fryatt to imperial headquarters ASK
ing for confirmation.
The war council. it was stated
granted this confirmation at once
all it's members, including the KAISER
and Gen. Erich Won Falkenhayn,
former war minister, agreeing on the
Justice of the death sentence.
Berlin, July 29-Capt. Charles Fry
att. of the Great Eastern Railway
steamship Brussels, which vessel was
captured by German destroyers last
month and taken into Zeebrugge, has
been executed by shooting after a
trial before a German naval court
martial. The death sentence was pass
ed upon Captain Fryatt because OF
his alleged action in attempting pre-
viously to ram German submarine.
Testimony was presented at the
court-martial to show that, while
Captain Fryatt did not belong to the
armed forces, he had attempted on
March %, 1915, while near the Mas
lightship, to ram the German sub
marine U-39.
Captain 4Eryatt, the. ..rst officer and
the first engineer of the Brussels, re-
ceived from the British Admiralty
gold watches for "braye conduct" and
were mentioned in the House Of Com
mons.
THE submarine B-33, according to
the official account of the trial, had
sienaled to the British ssteamer to
show her flag and to stop, but Cap
tain Fryatt did not heed, and, it IS
alleged, turned at high speed to-
ward the submarine, which escaped
only by diving Immediately several
wards below the surface. Captain
Fryatt the official statement says ad-
mitted that he had followed the in
structions of the British Admiralty.
Sentence was confirmed and the
captain was executed and shot for
''franctireur crime against arme
German sea forces"
The trial was held at BRACES, Brus-
sells, Thursday.
London, July 29-tNews of the ex'
ecution of Captain Fryatt, of the
British steamer Brussels, caused 8
painful impression at the British
Foreign Office. Under the instructions
of Viscount Grey, the Foreign Sec
retary, a note was dispatched inn
mediately to the American Embassy
requesting that James w. Gerard
the American Ambassador at Berlin
procure complete details of the affair
The first intimation of, the trial Of
Captain Fryatt was called to the at
tention of the Foreign Office by press
reports on July 1S to the effect thai
he was to be tried as the result oi
finding on him watch containing al
inscription reciting his efforts to ran
a German submarine.
From inquiries made of the ow
ners of the steamship Wrexham. Which
Captain Fryatt commanded when tn
alleged incident took place, the For
eign Office learned the captain ha
with him neither watch nor letter t
the effect that he had attempted t
ram a submarine when he was cal
tured. Therefore, officials here stat