The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-10-31

(Another chapter from A Journal
from Legation. Owing to the tenn
porary illness of Mr.. whitlock, AM
erican Minister in Brussels, who was
IN charge OF British interests in Bel
GUM, 1t fell to the duty of Mr.. Hugh
Gibson to undertake to save the life
81 Miss Edith Cavell, who. as this
narrative shows. had been denied JUS
lice by the German Military Court.
The facts were written down at the
Htme. 1t is not to be assumed that
because at the last moment the Ger
man authorities in Brussels refused
70 apply personally to the Kaiser for
= repDIeve. that the Kaiser was not
"a sympathy with the crime. He has
nefer repudiated it: he has defended
Son Aug. 8. 1915, Miss Edith Cavell,
an Engiish woman, directress of a
large nursing home at Brussels, was
quietly arrested by the German au-
thoritiea.s and confined in the prison
or &c. GILES on the charge that she
hMd aided stragglers from the Allied
armies to escape across the frontier
from Belgium to Holland. furnishing
them with money, clothing and infor-
nation concerning the route to be
followed 1t was some time before
the news OF Miss CavelPs arrest was
received by the American Legation.
which wa entrusted with the protec-
tion or British interests in the oc-
cupfodr portion OF Belgium. On Aug.
81&t the Ambassador In London trans
1nittfng N note from the Foreign Of
fic6 stating that Miss Cavel was re-
ported to have been arrested, and
r~~A 49, - - - 1nw,
her assistance Mr.. Whitlock imme-
nan authorities asking whether there
was any truth in the report Of Miss
Cave1rs arrest, and requesting au-
<hozfAtion for Maitre CASTOR de Lee
Val the Legal Counsellor of the Lee
H4t<on, 10 consult with Miss Cavell
&n4 AZ desirable, entrust some one
WIkh her defence
NO reply was received to this COM
mnn&oat1on. and on Sept. 10th, the
Legation addressed further note to
Baron Won der Lancken, Chief of the
Political department, calling his at
tention to the matter and asking that
Baron Won der Lancken enable the
legation to take such steps as might
81 necessary for Miss Caven's defence
Qn Sept 18th reply was received
nroxn Baron Won der Lancken in
which 1t was stated that Miss Caveu
had been arrested ON Aug. 18th. and
Ni4s still In the military prison of st.
EII1ee. The note continued:
7. She has herself admitted that she
concealed in her house French and
English soldiers, as well as Belgians
Of military age, all DESTROYS of pro-
c8ed1nx to the front She has also
Cd <-1| lei.
d1ers with the money necessary for
Atheir Journey to France, and having
fmcilitaxed their departure from Bel
E1un by providing them with guides
who enabled them to cross the Dutch
Frontier secretly.
Miss Caxe1rs defence Is In the hands
Of the advocate Sraun. who. may
add. - already In touch with the
ccnpefent German authorities. In
view Of the fact that the Department
OF the General as mat
Ter Of principle does not allow accus-
"a persons to have any interviews
whatever, much regret my inabil-
irY IT'D procure for M. de Leval per
mission to visit Miss CaveH as long
u.s. she is in solitary confinement =
Under the provisions of interna.
fionzz law, the American Minister
+. oouId take no action while the case
was before the courts. 1t is an ele-
mentnry rule that the forms OF a tria.
must be gone through without inter
ference from any source. II, wher
Tho sentence has been rendered it ap
p@Gxs that there has been a denia
pf Justice. the case may be taken uY
automatically with a view to secur.
Ing real Justice Thus. in the earh
~~A - a
Minister was helpless to interfere. AL
|fn&t NJ could do while the case wa,
before the courts was to watch thu
|prooeduro carefully and be prepared
With . fun knowledge Of the facts tt
49, that a fair trial was granted.
Gaitre de- Leva1 communicated witt
"A M~ Braun, who said that he had beer
prevented from pleading before tn,
lc1a1rt ON behalf Of Miss Cavell, blu
had asked his friend and colleague
* Ktrscz1en, to take MP the case
Ma1tre de fI<eyaI then communicate.
with Nh K1fschen, and learned from
him that lawyers defending prisoner
before German military courts wer
not Allowed to see their clients be
for the trial and were shown none o
the documents of the prosecution. I
lwas thus manifeet1y impossible t
prepare amy defense save In the pres
snce OF the court and during the pro
Erees OF tho trial Maitre de L,eval
who from the beginning to the en-,
OF the case showed a most seriou
and chfvalrous concern for the wei
fare Of the accused, then told MI
Kizsclen that he would endeavor t
be PRESENT at the trial in order t
Wzf1h the case. M. Kirschen dissuad
cd him from attending the trial o.
the ground that It would only serv
TO harm Miss Caven rather than he'll
hor; that the Judges would resent tn
presence Of representative of tn
American Legation. Although
seems unbelievable that any man q
judicial mind would resent the pres
ence OF another bent solely on watch
ing the course of justice, Mr. Kir
schen's advice was confirmed by 9th
er Belgian lawyers who had defende
prisoners before the German milftar
courts and spoke with the authorit
of experience M. Kirschen promised
howcver, to keep Maitre de Levai ful
1v ponted as to all the development
of the case and the facts brought OF
IN the course of the trial
Tho trial began on Thursday, DC
It'll, and ended the following day.
On Sunday afternoon the Legatio
learned from persons who had bee
present at the trial some of the fact
It seems that Miss Cavell wa