September 27, 1917 
LAND & WATER 
If 
have throughout the civilized world. With an ill-concealed 
sneer he replied that on the contrary' he was confident that the 
efiect would be excellent. 
When everything else had failed we asked Lancken to look 
at the case from the point of view solely of German inter- 
ests, assuring liim that the execution of Miss Cavell would do 
Germany infinite harm. We reminded him of the burning 
of Louvain and the sinking of the Lusitania. and told him that 
this murder would stir all civilized countries with hoiTor 
and disgust. Count Harrach broke in at this with the rather 
irrelevant remark that he would rather see Miss Cavell shot 
than have harm come to the humblest (ierman soldier, and 
his only regret was that they had not " three or four 
English old women to shoot." 
Appeals to Kaiser Refused 
• The Spanish Minister and I tried to prevail upon I-ancken 
to call (jreat Headquarters at Charleville on the telephone 
and have the ca.se laid before the-Emjieror for his decision. 
Lancken stiffened perceptibly at this suggestion and refused, 
frankly — saying that he could not do anything of the sort. 
Turning to N'iilajobar, he said, " I can't do that sort of thing. 
1 am not a friend of my sovereign as you are of N^ours." to which 
a rejoinder was made that in order to be a good friend one must 
be loyal and ready to incur displeasure in case of need. How- 
ever, our arguments along this line came to nothing, but Lanc- 
ken finally came to the point of saying that tlie Militarv* 
Governor of Brussels was the supreme authority {(jerichtslierr) 
in matters of this soft and that even the Governor-General 
had no power to intervene. After further argument he agreed 
to get General von Sauberschweig, the Military Governor, 
out of bed to learn whether he had already ratified the sen- 
tence and whether there was anv chance for clemency. 
Lancken was gone about half an hour, during wiiich time 
the three of us laboured witli Harrach and Falkenhausen, 
without, I am sorry to say. the slightest success. When 
Lancken returned he ref)orted that the Military Governor 
said that lie liad acted in this case only after mature de- 
liberation ; that the circumstances of Miss Cavell's offence 
\vere of such character that he considered infliction of the dea\h 
penalty imperative. Lancken further explained that under 
the provisions of the German Military Law the Gerichtsherr 
had discretionary power to accept or to refuse an appeal for 
clemency ; that in this case the Governor regretted that he 
must decline to accept the appeal for cleitiency or any re- 
presentations in regard to the matter. 
We then brought up again the question of having the 
limptTor called on the telephone, but Lancken replied very 
definitely that the matter had gone too far ; that the sen- 
tence had Ix'en ratified by the Military Governor, and that 
when matters had gone that far " even the Emperor himself 
could not intervene."* ' 
•He then asked me to take back the note I had presented 
to him. 1 at first demurred, pointing out that this was not 
an appeal for clemency, but merely a note to him transmitting 
a note to the Governor which was itself to be considered 
the appeal for clemency. I pointed out that this was especially 
stated in the Minister's note to him, and tried to prevail 
upon him to keep it. He was very insistent, however, and 
inasmuch as he had already read the note aloud to us and 
we knew that he was aware of its contents, it seemed that 
there was nothing to be gained by refusing to accept the note, 
and I accordingly took it back . 
The Last Hopeless Plea 
Despite Lancken's very positive statements as to the futility 
of our errand, we continued to appeal to every sentiment 
to secure delay and time for reconsideration of the case. 
The Spanish Minister led Lancken aside and said some things 
to him that he would have hesitated to say in the presence 
of Harrach, Falkenhausen and Leva!. Lancken squirmed 
and blustered by turns, but stuck to his refusal. While this 
conversation was going on, I went after Llarrach and I-'alk- 
enhausen again. This time, throwing modesty to the winds, 
I reminded him of some of tlie things we had done for Ger- 
man interests at the outbreak of the war ; how we had re- 
t)atriated thousands of German subjects and cared for their in- 
terests : how during the siege of Antwerp I had repeatedly 
crossed the lines during actual fighting at the recjuest of I'ield 
Marshal von dcr Golt/, to look after German interests ; how 
all this servia- had been rendered gladly and without thought 
of reward ; that since the beginning of the war we had never 
asked a favour of the German authorities, and it seemed in- 
•Although accepted at the time as true this statement was later tound 
to be entirely false and is understood to have displeased the Kmp<'ror. 
The Empf:ror could have stopped the execution at any monient. 
credible that they should now decline to grant us even a day's 
delay to discuss the case of a poor woman who was, by her im- 
prisonment, prevented from doing further harm, and whose exe- 
culion in the middle of the night at the conclusion of a course of 
trickery and deception was nothing short of an affront to civilisa- 
tion. Even when I was ready to abandon all hope, Leval was 
unable to beHeve that the German authorities would persist 
in their decision, and appealed most touchingly and feelingly 
to the sense of pity for which we looked in vam. 
Our efforts were perfectly useless, however, as the three 
men with whom we had to deal were so completely callous and 
indifferent that they were in no way moved by anything that 
we could sav. 
We did not stop until after midnight, when it was only too 
clear that there was no hope. 
It was a liitter business leaving the place feeling tliat we 
had failed and that the little woman was to be led out before 
a firing scjuad within a few hours. But it was worse to go back 
to the Legation to the little group of English women who 
were waiting in my othce to learn the result of our visit. Tliey 
had been there for nearly four hours, while Mrs. Whitlock 
and Miss Larner sat with them and. tried to sustain them 
through the hours of waiting. There were Mrs. Gahan, wife 
of the English chaplain. Miss B. and several nurses from Miss 
Cavell's sciiool. One was a little wisp of a thing who had been 
mothered by Miss Cavell, and was nearly beside herself with 
grief. There was no way of breaking thenews to them gently, 
for they could read the answer in our faces when we came in. 
All we could do was to give them each a stiff drink of sherry 
and send them home. Leval was as white as death, and I 
took him back to his house. I had a splitting headache 
myself and could not face the idea of going to bed. I went 
home and read for awhile, but that was no good, so I went out 
and walked the streets, much to the annoyance of German 
patrols. I rang the bells of several houses in a desperate 
desire to talk to somebody, but could not find a soul — only 
sleepy and disgruntled servants. It was a night I should not 
like to go through again, but it wore through somehow and I 
braced up with acold bath and went to the Legation for the 
day's work. 
Miss Cavell's Brave Death 
The day brought forth anotlier loathsome fact in connection 
with the case. It seems the sentence on Miss Cavell was not 
pronounced in open court. Her executioners, apparently in 
the hope of concealing their intentions from us, went into her 
cell and there, l)ehind locked doors, pronounced sentence upon 
her. It is all of a piece with the other things they have done. 
Last night Mr. Gahan got a pass and was admitted to see 
Miss Cavell shortly before she was taken out and shot. He- 
said she was calm and prepared, and faced the ordeal without 
a tremor. She was a tiny thing that looked as though she could 
be blown away with a breath, but had a great spirit. She told 
Mr. Gahan that soldiers had come to her and asked to be 
helped to the frontier ; that knowing the risks they ran and the 
risks she took she had helped them. She said she had nothing 
to regret, no complaint to make ; and that if she had it all to 
do over again she would change nothing. 
They partook, together of the Holy Communion, and she 
who had so little need for. preparation was prepared for death. 
She was free from res(?ntment and said : 
" / realise that patriotism is not enough. I must have no 
haired or bitterness towards anyone." 
She was taken out and shot before day-break. 
She was denied the support of her own clergyman at the 
end; but a (ierman military chaplain stayed with her and gave 
her burial within the precincts of the prison. He did not con- 
ceal his admiration and said : " She was courageous to the 
end.. She professed her Christian faith and said that she wa3 
glad to die for her country. She died like a hero." 
The Stars 
By Eden Phillpoi;? 
Did each white star that shines upon the clear 
Of Night's untroubled forehead, like a gem ■ ' 
Glittering within her far-flung diadem, 
Melt to the lustre of a fallen tear 
Through all high heaven, enough would not be shed 
To dedicate one drop to each man dead. 
More tears than there are sfars have yet to fall ; 
More hearts than there are stars have yet to break 
For sacred Liberty's immortal sake. 
At I'Veedom's high and universal call. 
Oh, seed of heroes, watered with our tears. 
Thine the sure harvest of these bitter years. 
