Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-02
cERMANSP SPROBE
FRYATT MURDER
Court-Martial inquiries Into
Executive for Trying to
Ram U-Boat
ALLIES REPRESENTED
Teuton Testimony Says Sail
ors Saw Shadow of Ship
Pass Overhead
ALLIEs REPRESENTED

berlin, April Am investigation into
the case of Captain Charles Fryatt' OF
the British mercantile marine. who was
executed by the Germans in 1916 after
hts conviction by German court-mar-
tiai Of having attempted to ram the Ger
) man submarine U-33 with his vessel
was begun yesterday by national
B court-martial. Representatives OF Nari-
ous governments attended and large
number of witnesses, including Captain
Danger. of the U-33, appeared for exam
fnation.
The investigating commission is COM
&, posed OF Professor SChuecking, chaH-
man. Prince Schoenaich- -Carolath, priNy
councillor Herr Eckert, Of the foreign
once. Colonel Won Franzecky and MAJOR
Richter, of the war ministry, and cap
tain vanselow. of the navy. Ihe for-
eign governments represented are Great
Britain, France. Norway and Holland
which is represented by Chevaller an
Rappard, the minister here
Tried to Ram Submarine
At the opening of the investigation
ATTORNEY Rochal, for the COMMISSION
gave a description of the Fryatt case
According to this report, the English
steamer Brussels, under command OF
Captain Fryatt, encountered the SUP
4 marine U-33. under command OF Lieu
tenant Captain Gauffer. on Marcn 70
1915, eight miles west of the Mas
lightship off the coast Of Holland.
n was alleged that Captain Fryatt
4 at+amnted to ram the submarine. Cap
1ain Fryatt and the Brussels were cap
4ursd nv the Germans in June. 1916. The
cantain was first ordered confined at
Te,,hleben. Later he was brought before
a court-martial at Bruges, found guilty
and executed. :.
statements made by Captain Fryatt
.nd several British officers at the court
MARITAL were then read. Fryatt main
ltained that he tried to get away from
Inc aubmarine. German officers testified,
however. that the log of the Brussels
contained this entry:
when l saw him, l steered difecu!
for him"
American Protest Read
British and American notes of protest
against the dicis.on of the court-martial
were read The attorney explained that
Great Britain had complained that the
$Jtnited States had not been permitted
legal representation at the court-mar-
1 fial, although the United States was
then in charge of British interests in
Germany. The German Government
Z however, would permit the defendant to
have only one attorney, who was pres
ent in the person Of Major Naumann. oi
Bruges. Attorney Rochal then read this
except from the testimony at the court
martial:
.-The first witness-Danzer, testified
that the U-33 sighted Il steamer while
about to submerge and signaled 1t t.
Z stop Instantly, on pain of shot from
a submarine. The Brussels, however, h
said, evidently had seen the submarine
first and made directly for it, getting
UP steam as it advanced. Dancer sai'
he tried to get the submarine out o
the way without submerglng again. I
was impossible to discharge a TORPEDO
because the steamer was only $50 yard
away, Another officer gave the order t.
submerge and the u boat sank thirty
five feet in two minutes. The crew, 1
was testified, saw the shadow OF th'
British ship pass overhead"