NURSE CAVELL'S ENEMY

Waikato Independent, Volume XXIV, Issue 2390, 30 October 1924, Page 3

NURSE CAVELL'S ENEMY

| WHY SHE WAS EXECUTED. | ■ A curious story about Nurse Oa veil's condemnation has just been given to the world, on the authority of an evening paper, which, on its part, cites it as from an "absolutely unimpeachable German source." According to this account, her exe- j cation was ordered by General Sauberz- j weig,. to whom till sentences of courts- ; martial in Brussels had to be submitted i Nurse Cavcll, it will be recalled, was j tried by court-martial, along with a ! number of others, and all of them were,' by the Court, condemned to death. On reviewing these sentences, General i Sauberzweig ordered her alone to be ! shot ;it dawn next day, for he had been I specially angry with her because the j military authorities had allowed her to I j carry on her work for the wounded, and I she had even been given special f.icilij ties for it. An officer, Baron von der Lancken, inferior in rank to General SauberzI weig, protested against his decision, and urged that before carrying out the ! decision the Kaiser should be informed ! —the baron pointing out, and justly, ! that such an execution would horrify the civilised world. The general was obstinate, and he became so angry that he ordered von Lancken out of the room. In spite of this usage from his superior officer, the baron telegraphed to Ckarloville, the German headquarters, informing the officers on duty of the facts of the case, and urging them i to make them known at once to the j Kaiser, so that he might intervene. | But the Kaiser had gone to bed. None j ■ of the officers dare wake him, and by j next morning, when tlie Kaiser was j told the execution had taken place. It j is said that the Kaiser was wroth, and ] that he at once ordered the reprieve of j the other women condemned to death at the same time. No other woman suffered the extreme penalty. I This account adds that General >Sauberzvveig's conduct was more inexcusable since Nurse Cavell 's condemnation was illegal under the German military code itself. The offence for which she was condemned was not espionage.