The sun., 1918-07-04
The Comfort and the Llandovery
Castle.

The Comfort and the Llandovery
Castle.
The sinking OF the Canadian hos
pltal ship Llandovery Castle by a
German submarine was typical and
carefully planned exhibition Of Prue-
sian frightfulness.
The tentative denial Of response
bility issued from Berlin Is in nbso-
lutte contradiction of the reports OF
survivors Of the unfortunate ship. 1t
is strongly reminiscent Of the denials
made by Berlin of responsibility for
the attack on the Sussex, in which
the submarine commander was quoted
as saying that he did not torpedo the
Channel steamship, but another ex-
actly like her and in exactly the same
position she was In.
In the middle Of April the German
Government caused the publication to
the world OF the false charge that
American aviators were transported
to France as Red Cross workers, de-
llberately assuming the status Of non
combatants to obtain protection on
their Journeys across the ocean.
This Infamous falsehood was imme.
diately denied by the British Adml-
rally and by our Department of state.
Through official announcements these
agencies made the truth known. But
Germany persisted in her falsehood.
To her rulers the facts were nothing.
They had determined to intensity
their warfare against hospital ships.
which from early in the war had
been conducted spasmodically, and
their sole purpose in circulating their
lie about American combatants was
TO prepare plausible defence for
their contemplated systematic viola
lions Of the Geneva convention and
the laws Of Christian civilization.
A private malefactor who adopts a
similar course is said to manufacture
IN abb. The consprators who, in
advance Of the commission of n crime,
arrange to perjure themselves in an
effort to convince the jury that its
perpetrator could not have been in the
vicinity of the spot when the deed
was committed are familiar figures
In the criminal courts Of every nation.
A course not different In principle was
adopted by the Imperial German Gov
eminent when 1t decided to undertake
as a part Of its routine Of war the
wholesale murder of surgeons. nurses.
unarmed sailors and helpless wounded
and sick men and women who relied
for protection on the solemn promises
Of Gll civilized nations to spare the
Red Cross and the individuals under
its guardianship.
The Llandovery Castle was the first
hospital ship to fall victim in the
operation OF the plot. She complied
with all the requirements of the
Geneva convention. She carried no
arms. She had on board no armed
men. She was painted and illumi-
mated in exact conformity to the
rules established to distinguish hos
pital ships on their errands Of mercy.
And she was torpedoed and shelled by
n U-boat. whose commander completed
his inhuman work by asserting in
brazen defiance of the truth that
eight American aviators ma squerad-
ing as -combatnnts were among
tha y.rSppS nh,a ri 90 bnr
Thus the plot was carried out. The
Imperial German Government laid
the foundation Of the crime with a
lie. The Imperial German Govern
ment's agent committed the murders.
Having performed one part OF his
criminal duty, he set up his Govern
ment's lie to justify his act. 1t is
impossible to conceive n more cold
blooded and dastardy plot than that
which eliminated in the sinking OF
the Llnndovery Castle.
We have heard nothing recently
Of the plan once entertained by the
Navy Department to send the hospital
ship Comfort abroad without convoy,
trusting to the Imperial German Gov
eminent 10 respect her under the
terms Of the Geneva convention. For
time this scheme of innocence was
baked by the intelligent refusal Of
civilian sailors to imperil their lives
on such n mission. In their refusal
they showed better judgment ana Il
fuller knowledge Of the Imperial Ger
man Government than the authors of
this invitation to death. Had the
Comfort been In the LlnndOvery Cas-
ties place, the Comfort would have
been sunk and the people murdered
for the Imperial German Government
wars not only against fighting men,
but against the sick and wounded, the
unarmed and helpless as well.
The Man Who Rem ade the state OF