The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-08-29
Such is Opinion of American
Bar Association as to Kill
ing of Miss CavelI.
THEY WANT LAW CHANGED
But Majority of the Association
Want Death Penalty for WO-
men Retained-Other Chang
es Opposed.

Baltimore, Aug. 2S-Execution by
the Germans of Miss Edith Cavell,
the English nurse, which aroused the
indignation of the allied world, was
in accordance with the laws of "civi-
lized warfare" according to minor
ity reports of the committee on law
of the American Bar association.
made public here today, advocating
abolition of the death penalty for
women convicted of infringing mill
tary law. Both majority and minor
ity reports were prepared by the com
mittee which was appointed to inves-
tigate courts-martial and suggest re-
forms III military law.
The reference to the case Of Miss
Cavell was made by S. S. Gregory. of
Chicago, chairman of the committee.
and was concurred in the Judge Will
liam p. Bynum. of Greensboro. n. c.,
the other minority member. In his
report Mr.. Gregory said:
"A careful consideration of the
case of Miss Edith Cavell, one of the
most pathetic and appealing victims
OF the great war, whose unfortunate
fate has aroused the sympathy and
excited the Indignation of two con-
tinents, has led me to the conclu-
sion that she was executed in accord
ance with the laws commonly to re-
fer as civilized warfare.
This being so it has seemed to me
quite inconsistent with our condem-
nation of those who thus took her life
to retain in our system of military
justice those provisions of law which
were relied upon by the German mill
tary authorities in ordering her exc
cution. AS the mere fact that her trial
was attended by the brutality and du-
plicity which commonly marked the
exercise of military power by the Ger
man command, does not altar this
aspect of the case This is not a sub
ject upon which l desire to reason as
any impulses of the heart can much
better be relied upon than sophisticat-
ed and artificial reasoning.
For us to take any other course, il
seems to me, is to impeach our SINGER
| ity and good faith in criticising the
German authorities in this regard,
and to warrant the suggestion that
such criticism is inspired rather by
the fact that they our enemies were
responsible for it. as we'll as sympathy
for good worthy woman. than any
we'll considered judgment in the mat
| ter"
| The majority Of the committee. An
drew A. Bruce, of Minneapolis; Mar
tin Conroy, OF New York. and John
! Hinkley, of Baltimore. declared thew
could not concur in the suggestion
or Mr.. Gregory that there should be
! a provision prohibiting the death pen
atty in the case of women SPIES
ut would certainly be inadvisable.
| unless such a provision were in the
codes Of al nations with whom We
/ would be likely TO be at war" they
SAID. We could not afford to be thus
handicapped. We agree thoroughly
, that the penalty should not be infiict-
ed except in the most extreme cases,
/ but that it should be abolished en-
/ tire!y we can not agree. Experience
, has shown that on account of the sex
! lure women are the most dangerous
/ OF all spies. and our chivalry towards
/ some should not allow us to leopard
ize the national cause of the lives of
/ thousands of the sons of others"