Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1921-03-18
DULY EXECUTED BY MILITARY

Six boys sentenced to death by
court-martial for "levying war"
against the British Government were
"duly executed by the military IN
Cork the other day. The boys, whose
average age was 20 years, were shot
in patches of two at fifteen-mlnute
intervals. Five of the youngsters
were accused of having attacked
Grown forces a few weeks before,
the sixth was shot for having re-
volver and ammunition in his possession.
1t was the sentence of this last
voungster that the Courts Bench had
confirmed a few Gays before IN its de-
cision that ga state of war existed IN
Ireland" giving the military full
, power to act without interference Of
the civil courts. An appeal Tor
clemency for the boys, unanimously
signed by the council and aldermen OF
their home city, was rejected by the
authorities. Although relatives i'm
,nediately petitioned for leave to bury
the bodies, they were taken away to
the county jail and there destroyed in
graves Of qlicklime.
This is the plain, bald recital of
single incident in the present up
heaval in Ireland, as narrated by the
Associated Press dispatches. To those
whom familiarity with war brutality
and slaughter had not made callous,
the news must have conveyed some
such shock of sickening horror as
early in the war was aroused in all
of US by stories of "Hun atrocities"
or of outrage and massacre by 't'he
unspeakable Turk"
There are several conditions to be
taken into account, if the actual
human and historical value of the in
cident is to be rightly weighed. Here
are few of the more obvious: These
boys, slaughtered in cold blood for
"levying war against the Grown
forces" were accused not of warning
against their own country, not against
the government of their own country
chosen by majority of about 80 per
cent of the voters of Ireland; but
against what they regarded as for
eign invader ruthlessly and relentless
ly putting their native land to fire
and sword Even the high judicial
authorities of this foreign invader"
have declared that estate of war"
exists between Ireland and England.
Legally and actually, this is undoubt
edly the case. Why then were not
these captured boys accorded at least
the simple status Of prisoners of war?
Only a few months ago, a British
general was captured by the Irish
Republican troops, but he was not
shot by them. On the contrary, he
was scrupulously treated with all the
consideration accorded to a prisoner
of his rank in wars between civilized
nations. At rare intervals during the
Great War, charges were made on
both sides of the killing of prisoners,
and even hardened militarists de =.
nounced such butchely as the blackest
of crimes and one in utter violation
of even the scant decencies still de-
manded of belligerents.
We may take the stand thai the
millions of Americans of Irish blood
and breeding must be Americans, ard
not Irish; nor seek to embroil their
adopted country in the troubles of
their former homeland. But even if
there were not a single American of
Irish blood in the United States, we
could not shut our eyes to such doings
in Ireland. Americans who are not
Sin Feiners, or narrow nationalists in
any respect, will with difficulty re-
press deep sense IF disgust and re-
volt against a wanton slaughter that
must outrage the elementary feelings
of 1a rry1,,1J ox,oI TNoor