Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-28
GO To H., :" HOOVER
TELLS HUN MURDERERS
Refuses to Deal With the Man
Responsible for Miss Ca
Wells Execution.

Washington. Dec. IS A message
from Paris yesterday SAID that Baron Won
der Iancken and DIR. Meth. who were
prominent in tho German administration
Of Belgium. wired from Berlin to Walter
RYAN Brown, Director Of the ComInls-
sion for Relief in Belgium at Rotterdam.
that they had been appointed by the Ger
man Government 10 negotiate with Her-
bert G. Hoover for food supplies, and
that they desired MIR Hoover to advise
them when and where he would meet
them.
In answer 10 the request for CON
fcre, &C N;r Hoo cr sent this II essage:
"You can describe two and ha.f
wears of arrogance toward ourselves
and cruelty to the Belglums IN any Ian
gllage YOU may select and tell the pair
personally to 60 TO h with my CO -
pliments If / do have to deal with
Germans it will not be with that pair.
LANcKEN IMPLICATED IN cAsELL CASE.
One explanation of Mr.. Hoover's ref
ercnce to Baron Won der Ian ken is
found in the record of the latter while
he was the German Civil and Political
Governor of Brussels. 1t was to Won der
Lancken that Brand Whitlock, Amer
lean Minister TO Belgium, vainly ap-
pealed to interce e for Miss Edith Cavell,
the English nurse who was executed by
the Germans on the charge of "treachery'
On the night Of the execution Ambassador
Whitlock wrote his note to Won der Iancken
''AIy Dear Baron: / am TOO sick to
present my request myself, but | appeal
to your generosity of heart To support
il and save from death this unhappy
woman. Have pity on her
REFUSED TO SPARE NURSE.
Hugh s. Gibson, Secretary of the
American Legation, sought out the
Baron, but the latter told him that he
could not intervene to stay the death
sentence, tn t General Won Bissing the
Military Governor, having supreme au-
thority in such cases, had decided,
''after mature delveration, that the
infiction of the death penalty on Miss
Cavell was imperative Baron Won der
Lancken also refused the request OF
| President Falder Of the Belgium School
for Nurses that Miss Cavell's body be
delivered to them.
In an article called ''The Last Hours
of Edith CaveH, Mr. Gibson last year
told how he labored in vain with Won
der Lancken on the night III which Miss
Cavell has been sentenced To die, seek
ing at least stay, and was rebaffed
with a sneer Mir Gibson related that
when he and Maitr Castor d Laval attor-
nev tothe American Legation told Won der
I4ancken that the civilized world would
be stricken with horror at the shooting
of woman the German replied that
the effect on the world would be "ex-
cellent" At the same moment. he re-
lated, Count Harrach, colleague Of Won
der Lancken interrupted with the ra-
mark that his only regret was that they
did not have "threc or four ola English
women to shoot. =
WOULDN'T SEEK KAISER.
Mr. Gibson said he asked Won der
I.ancken to telephone the kais r at
Great Headquarters but the request
was refused
In October, 1918, Won der Iancken was
appointed by the Kaiser head of the so
called neutral commission to investigate
charges Of devastation and destruction
during the German retreat in Belgium
In commenting unon the selection The
London Daily News said.
The selection Of Won der Lancken is
extraordinary when it is recalled that
he PLAYED q leading role IN the murder
Of Edith Caveli
According 10 a London dispatch on
Dec ? the new German Government, In
starting an investigation into German
crimes in Belgium, the deportation OF
Belgian workmen, tic theft of Belgian
machinery and the murders of Edith
Cavell and Captain Frvatt, held Won der
Lancken, with others responsible.