The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-01-22
GERMANS DISREGARD tlW.
BRITISH GOVERNMENT ANSWERS
BARALONG CHARGES,
Calls Attention to Number Of Cases in
Which Cruelty is Alleged-British
Sailors Wantonly Killed.

SAILORS WontOny Killed.
London, Jan. 18.-The British Of
ficial view Of the German note re-
garding the Baralong case was given
out tonight in part as follows:
''The Germans claim that their army
and navy have observed the principles
Of international law and humanity
and that the German authorities take
care that all violations will be care
fully investigated and punished.
Some surprise is. expressed that
the nation whose armed forces have
been responsible for. the sack Of Lou
vain, the murder Of hundreds Of un-
Ioffending men, women and children on
the Lusitania and other ships. the ex-
ecution of Edith Cavell. the introduce
tion Of poisonous gases. the poison
Ing of wells, attempted torpedoing of
hospital ships and countless other
atrocities should describe their meth
DDS Of warfare as humane.
1T is further pointed out that 1t
would be interesting to know how
many German subjects. IL any. have
been punished for these atrocities
The Germans claim that the Arabic
was torpedoed because the commander
|of the submarine had the conviction
THAT the Arabic was deliberately sunk
the submarine. The true facts are
thta the Arabic was deliberately sunk
by a German submarine without warn.
ling.
with regard to the destruction OF
the British submarine Ella in Danish
waters by a German torpedo boat
destroyer. 1t is claimed that it came
to a fight between the war vessel and
the submarine defended itself with
gunfre. The true facts are as fol.
lows: 81.
THE Germans found the submarine
Istranded in neutral waters and In.
capable Of either offense or defense
THE German destroyer fired a torpedo
lat the E-13. The torpedo exploded
Iclose to her. At the same moment
the German destroyer fred with all
Fher gums and the commander of the
kC-13. whose submarine was afire fore
and aft, gave orders to the crew t.
abandon her. While the men were
in the water they were fired on BY
maohine guns and with shrapnel.
i The Germans defended their &C.
4 tion In the case Of the. Rusi on the
lEronnd that IT. was an issue OF re.
tpritaL The Germans, thus maintair
their 'subnArine policy in consequence
lot the British measures against Ger.
Imam trade. s a sa sYs
4 This is. Of course, quite untrue
As far back as December. 1914. Ad.
miral Won Tirpritz foreshadowed the
submarine blockade Of Great Britain
land submarine attacks were made or
q merchant ship and hospital shir
n on January 30 and February /, re.
lspectively. Moreover. back as ia,
IS September, 1914. a Dutch ship
with q cargo Of grain for Dublin and
Belfast. was sunk by the Karlsruhe
and the American ship w. p. Frye
simtlarly was sunk on January 2S.
Further, on February 4 the Ger.
man government declared their in.
tention Of instituting a genuine sub.
marine blockade iof Great Britain and
Ireland with the avowed purpose OF
cutting off all supplies from these
islands and this blockade was put into
effect on February 18.
1T was only on March IL that the
British government put into force as
a means Of reprisal measures agains,
|German trade.
The Germans maintain that in the
case Of the Arabic, the Ella and the
Ruel they were only aiming at the
destruction Of hostile ships and in
nowise the destruction Of helpless
persons The death roll of the
Arabic, the shelling Of British sailors
as they were swimming ashore after
abandoning the E-13 and the firing
on the crew Of the Ruel who were at
tempting to save themselves In the
boat sufficiently answer this claim.
with regard to the German re-
fusal to submit the Baralong case and
the three cases put forward by the
British government for investigat ton
by an impartial neutral tribunal. this
action seems hard to explain II the
Germans are really so convinced as
they say of the guilt of the British
commander and the innocence of the
perpetrators OF the three outrages
cited by the British government. So
Il