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A NOBLE WOMAN
The Life-Story of
EDITH CAVELL
By
ERNEST PROTHEROE
Author of 'In Empire's Cause.' &c., &c.
'I will give thee a crown of life.'
London
THE EPWORTH PRESS
J. ALFRED SHARP
_First Edition, January, 1916_
_Second Edition, September, 1916_
_Third Edition, January, 1918_
_Fourth Edition, May, 1918_
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION 7
II. THE HEEL OF THE OPPRESSOR 17
III. THE ARREST 29
IV. SPINNING THE TOILS 37
V. THE SECRET TRIAL 44
VI. THE FIGHT FOR A LIFE 52
VII. THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYR 63
VIII. IN MEMORIAM 73
IX. BRITISH OFFICIAL REPROBATION 89
X. GERMANY'S CYNICAL DEFENCE 99
XI. JUSTICE AND SAVAGERY CONTRASTED 108
XII. PULPIT AND PEN UNITE IN DENUNCIATION 114
XIII. THE LASH OF THE WORLD'S PRESS 128
XIV. AMERICA'S VERDICT 159
XV. CONCLUSION 167
I
INTRODUCTION
Edith Louisa Cavell was born in 1866 at the country rectory of
Swardeston, near Norwich, of which parish her father, the Rev. Frederick
Cavell, was rector for forty years. In that pleasant sunny house the
little girl passed her early days in uneventful happiness, for
Swardeston had few interests apart from the obscurities of its own rural
retirement.
The rector, who was a kindly man at heart, but firm to the point of
sternness where his duty was concerned, ruled his home with evangelical
strictness. His daughter Edith was a thoughtful child; and her
unfailing consideration for others and her concern for their welfare
caused her to be beloved by everybody. But the child's innate gentleness
was tinged with a sense of duty remarkable in one of her years, which
characteristic was the undoubted outcome of her father's precept and
example.
Edith Cavell's education was as thorough as her parents could contrive;
and, apart from mere scholarship, her outlook was widened by being sent
to a school at Brussels.
When the Rev. Frederick Cavell died, the family removed from Swardeston
to Norwich, and Edith decided to adopt the profession of nursing the
sick poor. To that end on September 3, 1895, she entered the London
Hospital as a probationer, and remained in that great institution for
nearly five years. From the first, by her unselfish devotion to duty she
endeared herself to her colleagues and patients alike. Part of the time
she was staff nurse in the 'Mellish' Ward; and when the authorities
sent her to Maidstone at the great outbreak of typhoid in that town, she
did excellent work.
Later, Miss Cavell was appointed to the post of night superintendent at
St. Pancras Infirmary, where she remained for three years; then she
migrated to Shoreditch Infirmary to act as assistant superintendent. As
evidence of her more than ordinarily wide experience, it should be
stated that for a time she worked at Fountain Hospital, Lower Tooting,
under the Metropolitan Asylums Board; and for nine months she acted
temporarily as matron of the Ashton New Road District Home, Manchester.
In all these varied spheres of activity Nurse Cavell proved herself not
only a capable nurse, but she became a clever, painstaking teacher, able
to illustrate her eloquent lectures by means of her own facile and
useful diagrams. Many nurses acknowledge their indebtedness to her lucid
teaching, and are proud to claim their one-time association with one
whose devotion and energy made her an ornament of a noble profession.
The sense of duty, which in the child was indicated so plainly, in after
years developed into almost a religion. Every one with whom Miss Cavell
came in contact speedily understood that she placed duty before either
friendship or personal comfort. Her hospital training had taught her the
value of discipline, and she would never tolerate inefficiency, or any
tendency towards slackness, in her subordinates. As a surgical nurse her
skill was remarkable; but her undoubted _forte_ was the power of
organization, which is almost rare compared to mere cleverness in the
technical details of nursing.
Her absorption in her calling and her outwardly stern and reserved
demeanour sometimes caused Nurse Cavell to be misunderstood; but those
who were fortunate enough to serve under her quickly came to learn to
admire her, equally as a nurse and a kind woman. Her expressive eyes
were an index to her overflowing sympathy; and her fellow nurses found
themselves impelled to take their troubles and difficulties to her, sure
of a patient hearing and tactful and sympathetic advice.
In 1906 Miss Cavell was offered and accepted the position of matron of a
surgical and medical home in Brussels, which had been founded by
Monsieur de Page. This enlightened and enthusiastic Belgian doctor was
impressed by the need of a better knowledge of hygiene and aseptic
methods, of which through no fault of their own the nursing sisters in
Belgium were generally ignorant.
Nurse Cavell's new post was one that called for the utmost discretion,
for she was an Englishwoman and a Protestant, engaging in work which
hitherto was practically a monopoly of the Roman Catholic religious
sisterhood. But even inborn prejudice, and in some cases positive
enmity, could not long hold out against Miss Cavell's professional
skill, backed up by her charm of manner; and in quite a short time she
was as popular with the Belgian staff and patients as had always proved
to be the case in her English experience.
The establishment of a training school for nurses was a bold experiment,
for Belgian women of good birth and education were accustomed to look
upon earning their own living as a loss of caste.
The English nurse was fully aware of the difficulties with which she had
to contend, and resolutely set herself to combat them. Soon she had five
pupils, who commenced their work on recognized lines. Their uniform
consisted of blue cotton dresses, high white aprons with white linen
sleeves to cover the forearm, which was bare beneath, 'Sister Dora' caps
without strings, and white collars. 'The contrast,' wrote Miss Cavell to
the _Nursing Mirror_, 'the probationers present to the nuns in their
heavy stuff robes, and the lay nurses in their grimy apparel, is the
contrast of the unhygienic past with the enlightened present. These
Belgian probationers in three years' time will look back on the first
days of trial with wonder.'
By April, 1908, the probationers had increased to thirteen; and by 1912
the number was thirty-two. Some of the members of the staff were English
nurses who had worked in the London Hospital or the Shoreditch
Infirmary. They not only assisted in training the probationers, but also
attended the private patients in the Nursing Home which was attached to
the school.
Miss Cavell's school met with the warm approval of the Queen of the
Belgians, who was quick to realize the value of trained nursing in
Brussels. When Queen Elizabeth broke her arm a few years ago she did not
hesitate to have it attended to by the nurses at the Home. Her Majesty's
action was an exceedingly valuable tribute to the institution and the
Englishwoman at its head. It gave public opinion a lead that caused the
School and Home to be viewed favourably, where, perhaps, hitherto the
new departure had been deprecated, if only because it was considered to
be an unnecessary rival of the nuns and lay nurses, who worked under
religious vows.
The Queen came to hold a very sincere regard for Miss Cavell, and it is
certain that the feeling was reciprocated. Little did the royal patient
and the English nurse then imagine that within but a few short years
they would figure together in adversity, in their respective spheres, as
two of the most pathetic heroines in modern history.
Quiet and unassuming, yet determined and courageous, Nurse Cavell
continued her good work, which was bound to have a marked effect on the
future of the Belgian nursing profession. She herself declared that 'the
spread of light and knowledge is bound to follow in years to come. The
nurses will not only teach, as none others have the opportunity of
doing, the laws of health and the prevention and healing of disease;
they will show their countrywomen that education and position do not
constitute a bar to an independent life; they are rather a good and
solid foundation on which to build a career which demands the best and
highest qualities that womanhood can offer.'
In acting as directress of three hospitals, Miss Cavell found full scope
even for her unusual organizing capabilities. In addition to her arduous
lectures throughout the day, she gave four lectures to the doctors and
two to the nurses every week. She always attended at the
operating-theatre herself. One of her greatest pleasures was the
children's ward, decorated in blue and white after her own design; she
made a special point of visiting the little inmates every evening. The
better class of Belgians paid for the services of the private staff of
nurses, but the call of the poor never went unheeded.
Although Miss Cavell was intensely happy in her work in Brussels, she
always looked forward with positive joy to visiting her aged mother,
with whom she spent every possible holiday in England. In the summer of
1914 mother and daughter were enjoying one of these affectionate
reunions.
Suddenly the great war-cloud burst. Edith Cavell was in her mother's
garden weeding a bed of heartsease when she heard the news. She needed
no heart-searching to decide where her duty lay; and, without
hesitation, she returned hotfoot to Belgium, where she had an intuition
that she would be wanted.
II
THE HEEL OF THE OPPRESSOR
When Germany had disclosed her infamous designs against the neutrality
of Belgium, followed by her declaration of war against France, succeeded
in a few hours by the entry of Great Britain into the fray, Miss
Cavell's intuition of trouble became an absolute and appalling fact,
with the positive certainty that war's ghastly harvest would mean work
for nurses in Brussels.
Forthwith the Berkendael Medical Institute became a Red Cross Hospital,
of which Miss Cavell was _directrice_, with a number of English and
Belgian nurses under her charge. Others of her training staff and some
of the school probationers were in a board school, which had been
rapidly converted into another hospital. Some of the nurses of the
Training Institute were of German nationality, and these sorrowfully
made a hasty departure for the Dutch frontier, carrying only hand
luggage, which was all that they were allowed to take. Miss Cavell was
sorry to have to send them away, but they would have been in a most
invidious position if they had remained in an enemy capital towards
which the German army was ruthlessly hacking its way.
Although there was every indication of the extreme danger of Belgium,
none could foresee the inexpressible agony that awaited her. How utterly
Miss Cavell herself failed to realize the impending doom of the heroic
little nation was shown in her letter of August 12, 1914, which she
addressed to the Editor of _The Times_:
'Sir,
'I notice that there is a big movement on for the establishment of
Red Cross Hospitals in England. In the natural course of things
these will get almost exclusively naval men, whereas the army
wounded will have to be dealt with on the Continent, and, as far as
can be seen at present, mainly at Brussels.
'Our institution, comprising a large staff of English nurses, is
prepared to deal with several hundreds, and the number is being
increased day by day. May I beg, on behalf of my institution, for
subscriptions from the British public, which may be forwarded with
mention of the special purpose, to H.B.M.'s Consul at Brussels?
'Thanking you in anticipation, I am yours obediently,
'E. CAVELL,
'_Directrice_ of the Berkendael Medical
Institute, Brussels.
'Ambulance 53,
'Rue de la Culture, 149, Bruxelles,
'August 12, 1914.'
Probably Miss Cavell learned later that the big movement in England to
which she referred not only provided for our wounded soldiers from
France and Belgium, but also distant Gallipoli, when that region became
embroiled in the almost world-wide War.
Events moved with startling rapidity. It was on August 4 that the German
troops commenced to swarm across the Belgian frontier. Liege was
attacked with a fury and violence that fortresses hitherto considered
practically impregnable could not withstand. Only eight days after the
dispatch of her letter to _The Times_ the heroic English nurse witnessed
the entry of 20,000 Germans into Brussels.
'News came,' she wrote to the _Nursing Mirror_, 'that the Belgians, worn
out and weary, were unable to hold back the oncoming host.... In the
evening (August 20) came word that the enemy were at the gates. At
midnight bugles were blowing, summoning the civic guard to lay down
their arms and leave the city.... As we went to bed our only consolation
was that in God's good time right and justice must prevail.'
Although Nurse Cavell was an Englishwoman, and her sympathies were
claimed for the people within whose gates she had laboured for eight
years, her great heart could feel compassion for the physical sufferings
of the invaders, for the article continued: 'Many more troops came
through. From our road we could see the long procession, and when the
halt was called at midday some were too weary to eat, and slept on the
pavement in the street. We were divided between pity for these poor
fellows, far from their country and their people, suffering the
weariness and fatigue of an arduous campaign, and hate of a cruel and
vindictive foe bringing ruin and desolation to a prosperous and peaceful
land.'
From that date Nurse Cavell was cut off from the outside world.
Enveloped in the fog of war, nothing was heard of her for eight months,
although she had arranged to act as special correspondent to the
_Nursing Mirror_. Not until the month of April was another and last
communication received. It was dated March 29, 1915, but was not
delivered in London until seventeen days later, when it came to hand in
a dilapidated condition and without any outward sign that it had
undergone inspection by the Censor. The article cannot be quoted at full
length, but a few paragraphs of it vividly depict the conditions of life
under the iron heel of a relentless conqueror:
'From the day of the occupation till now we have been cut off from the
world outside. Newspapers were first censored, then suppressed, and are
now printed under German auspices; all coming from abroad were for a
time forbidden, and now none are allowed from England....
'The once busy and bustling streets are very quiet and silent; so are
the people who were so gay and communicative in the summer. No one
speaks to his neighbour in the tram, for he may be a spy. Besides, what
news is there to tell, and who has the heart to gossip?
'I am but a looker-on after all, for it is not my country whose soil is
desecrated and whose sacred places are laid waste. I can only feel the
deep and tender pity of the friend within the gates, and observe with
sympathy and admiration the high courage and self-control of a people
enduring a long and terrible agony.'
Edith Cavell had anticipated that there would be work for her in
Brussels. She found it in abundance, first in nursing wounded Belgians,
succeeded by an influx of suffering Germans, for the new authorities
allowed her to continue her work; and in due course numbers of English
and French soldiers came under her ministering care. And be it noted
that to be wounded was a sure passport to the great heart of the English
nurse. Even the injured invaders were tended with impartial care, in
accordance with the great tenet of the Red Cross nursing creed, that
suffering humanity shall know no distinctions, whether friend or foe,
their necessities calling for the same single-minded devotion.
Miss Bertha Bennet Burleigh relates that she spent a pleasant half-hour
with Miss Cavell, whom she met by chance shortly after the German
occupation. In conversation the lady journalist learned that the nurses
in the various nursing institutions had been requested to give an
undertaking that they would also act as guards of the wounded. Miss
Cavell said, 'We are prepared to do all we can to help them to recover
from their wounds, but to be their jailers, never!' A German general
smote the table with his clenched fist when the nurse gave her emphatic
reply, but he could not cow her indomitable will. 'He looked,' Sister
Edith afterwards told one of her colleagues, 'as if he would like to
shoot me dead.' From that day onwards the German authorities commenced
to deal harshly with the British Red Cross nurses who were in their
power.
There is evidence available to prove that many Germans had occasion to
bless the good offices of Nurse Cavell; and from all who passed through
her hands she won the most profound esteem, which in itself was a cause
of offence to the German authorities, who knew that they themselves were
just as cordially detested.
But Edith Cavell's greatest offence lay in the fact that she was an
Englishwoman, heroic daughter of the race that no specious promise or
bribe could tempt from the path of honour; that could not view its
treaty signature as a 'scrap of paper,' whose 'contemptible little army'
had played a dramatic part in hurling back the Germans when Paris was
literally in their mailed grasp; and that had succeeded in locking the
once weak line of the Allies, which now forbade approach to the Channel
ports of France from which a royal bully had proposed to attack the
shores of England.
Baron von Bissing had been appointed Governor-General of Belgium, and
forthwith he had commenced to terrorize the inhabitants. Brussels was
plastered with proclamations calculated to make life scarcely worth
living. One of them in particular forbade any person to assist subjects
of countries at war with Germany to leave Belgium.
It is not quite certain whether Baron von Bissing ever came in personal
contact with Miss Cavell, but it is positive that she became suspect to
some of his emissaries, who promptly set about weaving a web for her
undoing. It did not take long for clever German spies to ascertain that
the English nurse had supplied British, French, and Belgian refugees
with food, clothing, and money, and had connived, if not actually
assisted, in their escape across the frontier into Holland.
No purpose would be served by attempting to deny that there was in
existence a Band of Mercy whose object it was to smuggle fugitives out
of Belgium. The members of this secret organization included Prince
Reginald and Princess Marie de Croy of Belignies, the Comtesse de
Belleville, a French abbe, Mademoiselle Thulier, M. Philippe Bancq, a
Belgian architect, and others. It may be stated that the Princess is
partly of English extraction, and her arrest caused the death of her
English grandmother as a result of shock and subsequent illness. The
Comtesse de Belleville belongs to the French nobility through her
father, while her mother, the Vicomtesse d'Hendecourt, is Belgian. She
spent much of her time in Belgium, devoting herself largely to
charitable work, and when war broke out she came to the aid of her
distressed compatriots.
Nurse Cavell undoubtedly participated in these simple acts of humanity
which the Germans construed into 'crimes.' She permitted her hospital to
be used in the chain of rest-houses by means of which fugitives escaped
detection and capture, as they were passed from point to point towards
their golden enfranchisement across the Dutch frontier. Admittedly Miss
Cavell did wrong in setting the German military law at defiance, but it
was the policy of German 'frightfulness' that was her justification.
The enemy army violated their own treaty obligations, and had plundered,
burnt, slaughtered, and ravished a helpless people in a manner that had
not been conceivable in this twentieth century. Edith Cavell's contact
with wounded soldiers had afforded her first-hand information concerning
the brutal atrocities of which the invaders were guilty, and doubtless
gave rise to a passionate desire to enable any wounded British
compatriot, Belgian or French friend, to escape from the common peril.
For nearly a whole year Nurse Cavell continued her work, one supreme and
unbroken test of the heroic spirit with which she was imbued. It was
wonderful that her God-given befriending of refugees should have escaped
detection so long; but at length the German Administration in Belgium
verified some of the escapes of men from their iron thrall, and Edith
Cavell was wrenched from her hospital by soldiers and put in prison.
III
THE ARREST
On the evening of August 5 Nurse Cavell was engaged in binding lint on
the wound of one of the invaders, when a peremptory knock on the door
resounded through the quiet hospital. Not waiting for admission, half a
dozen German soldiers burst open the door with the butt-ends of their
rifles and entered the ward. Without preamble the corporal in charge
seized Miss Cavell roughly, and commenced to drag her away from his
wounded compatriot to whom she ministered.
The Englishwoman did not quail before this uncouth representative of
'Kultur,' but with calmness and dignity demanded to know the reason of
the brutal exhibition of authority. The bullying corporal's instructions
evidently included nothing in the way of explanation. He considered a
cuff to be the best means of meeting the situation; and forthwith he
marched her through the gathering gloom to the military prison of St.
Gilles.
The German authorities made no public announcement of the arrest of the
English nurse or any of her alleged associates. In all probability at
first they maintained secrecy in the hope of being able to incriminate
other suspects, and thus make a clean sweep of an agency that had
attempted to lift by the fraction of an inch the iron heel that was
grinding out the life of suffering Belgium.
Three weeks elapsed before Edith Cavell's relatives in England heard of
her arrest from a chance traveller who had come to England from Belgium.
The news was communicated to the Foreign Office, and on August 26 Sir
Edward Grey requested Mr. Page, the United States Ambassador in London,
to make inquiry of the United States Minister at Brussels whether the
arrest of Miss Cavell was an actual fact, and, if so, the reason
assigned for it.
In the interval the German authorities were hard at work in securing
evidence, not merely to justify the arrest, but to provide plausible
excuse for the execution of the prisoner, which later sinister mockeries
of justice proved to have been a foregone conclusion from the
commencement.
It is believed that not only did German spies ransack Belgium for
evidence, but some even visited Norwich to interrogate Miss Cavell's
friends, to trace her movements, and, if possible, to intercept her
correspondence. But even then the testimony against the prisoner
aggregated but a sorry charge of presenting a great-coat to an ill-clad
man, a glass of water to a thirsty pilgrim, and small coins to persons
who were being hunted for their lives. There was a fear that these
'crimes' would be insufficient to secure a conviction on a capital
charge. There was no time to ferret out any real damning testimony, and
so the jailers of the English nurse fell back upon the method of
attempting to convict her out of her own mouth.
It requires to be accentuated that Miss Cavell, apart from her
profession, was a well-read woman. She knew more than a little of modern
German philosophy, and had come to believe that the triumph of
Prussianism would result in the collapse of Christianity. Once, when she
was expressing some such view, a friend inquired whether it was prudent.
'Prudent?' she exclaimed, with reproach in her eyes. 'In times like
these, when terror makes might seem right, there is a higher duty than
prudence.' And as she was a woman who would not count the cost of
clinging to her standards, she was little likely to hide her opinions
when confronted by the enemy.
It is a prime feature of English justice that the veriest felon need not
incriminate himself; nay, he is specifically warned that any statement
he makes may be used as evidence against him. Practically he is reminded
of the old legal axiom that a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a
client, with the consequent advisability to bridle his tongue against
any unwise admission. The conception of German justice in Brussels was
the converse, and the accusers of the Red Cross representative of a
hated race deliberately laid snares for the extortion of the evidence
they required.
The course of procedure was terribly reminiscent of the methods of the
old Spanish Inquisition. True, Miss Cavell was not subjected to actual
physical torture, but the mental strain was calculated to break down
anything in the nature of obstinacy. With diabolical cunning she was cut
off from communication with the world outside the jail as completely as
if she were dead, lest any whisper of warning to guard her tongue might
reach her from outside; and often she had to face interrogation by
brutal and implacable enemies, who sought not to do her justice, but
only to assure her condemnation.
It is a comfort to believe that Miss Cavell's keen perception and her
knowledge of German unscrupulousness enabled her to realize the
inevitable end that awaited her, thus saving her from carking
speculation that might have unhinged her reason. With Christian
fortitude she grasped the inestimable boon of resignation, fully assured
that 'death is the liberator of him whom freedom cannot release, and the
comforter of him whom time cannot console.'
Really the secrecy of her arrest and imprisonment and the precautions
taken for her utter isolation were scarcely worth the trouble the crafty
conspirators had taken, for Nurse Cavell took up a simple and heroic
position that greatly simplified matters from the German standpoint. She
was not an inexperienced girl, she was a noble woman of clever
intellect, and had never been in doubt of the penalty she might incur by
succouring compatriots and friends in distress in defiance of the
German military code.
Inspired in her perilous work by the dictates of purest humanity, which
has been the glory of women of all nations in all ages, she boldly
avowed to her accusers that she had nothing to conceal. The last thing
to have entered her mind would have been to attempt to mitigate her
offence by lying; she would not even palter with disingenuousness. Not
only did she admit the charges against her, but she related incidents
about which her inquisitors had but the most fragmentary particulars, or
even only flimsy suspicions. She did not hesitate to supply dates and
details for which the spies had sought in vain.
It is impossible to tell when Miss Cavell first became aware that a
considerable number of her friends were under arrest. In any case during
her long incarceration in prison and the numerous interrogations she had
to undergo in order to elicit the admissions to construct the case
against her, she scrupulously avoided the implication of other persons.
No brutality, no wheedling, no bribe, could ever have made that brave
soul disloyal by word or deed to any of her associates.
IV
SPINNING THE TOILS
The Germans have asserted that Edith Cavell's arrest, trial, and
punishment were necessary as a warning, especially to others of her sex,
that enterprises conducing to the disadvantage of their army were
punishable with death. It is sufficient commentary upon this claim to
remember that Baron von Bissing caused the English nurse to be arrested
in secret and tried _in camera_, when publicity was a prime necessity if
her case was to act as a warning to others.
The arrest took place on August 5, but the fact was carefully
concealed--and the significant reason is not far to seek. Germany had
agreed that all British civil subjects in Belgium, so long as the
German army occupied the country, were under the protection of the
United States Minister. Baron von Bissing's paramount duty was to notify
Miss Cavell's arrest without delay to Mr. Brand Whitlock, the American
Minister in Brussels.
This obviously honourable course found no place in von Bissing's
villanous scheme of vengeance. If he could avoid it, he had no intention
of allowing his English prisoner the benefit of neutral protection. But
news of the arrest did in due course reach the American Legation, and
Mr. Whitlock at once commenced to make inquiries, in which he was
assisted by Mr. Hugh Gibson, his secretary, and Maitre G. de Leval, a
Belgian advocate and legal adviser to the Legation.
On August 31 Mr. Whitlock wrote to Baron von der Lancken, the German
Political Minister in Brussels, asking whether it was true that Miss
Edith Cavell had been arrested. If so, the reasons for the arrest were
requested, and the German judicial authorities were asked to allow M.
de Leval to interview the prisoner and make arrangements for her
defence.
Baron von der Lancken having vouchsafed no answer to the American
Minister, Mr. Whitlock reiterated his request on September 10, which
elicited a reply that was delivered on the 21st. It was ominously
suggestive that the Baron had dated his letter September 12, obviously a
crafty subterfuge to palliate the delay, which was all part and parcel
of a treacherous intention to deceive those who had the temerity to
desire that justice be done to Nurse Cavell.
The Baron's letter stated that the accused admitted that she had
facilitated the departure from Belgium of British, French, and Belgians
of military age. Her defence was in the hands of Advocate Braun, who was
in touch with the competent German authorities. The missive ended with
the statement that for M. de Leval to be permitted to visit Miss Cavell,
so long as she was in solitary confinement, would be contrary to the
principles of the Department of the Governor-General.
Promptly the American Legation wrote to M. Braun, requesting him to
attend at the Legation in order that he might afford details of the
accusation made against his client, and further to consort arrangements
for her defence.
Although time was now pressing, seven weeks having elapsed since the
arrest, Braun wasted several more days before he put in an appearance at
the Legation, which certainly indicated no energetic interest in the
unfortunate prisoner. This casual attitude became understandable as by
degrees the German plot disclosed itself. It was amazing with what a web
of deception the Department of the Governor-General considered it
necessary to weave about one poor weak woman, evasions, chicanery, and
callousness summing up a cold-blooded villany of purpose without
parallel in the annals of any nation subscribing to the most elementary
principles of humanity, leaving justice altogether out of the question.
Braun's next tardy step was to inform the American Legation that 'owing
to unforeseen circumstances' he was unable to act further on behalf of
Miss Cavell, whose personal friends had besought his assistance; but he
had arranged for M. Sadi Kirschen, another Belgian lawyer, to defend the
prisoner.
There was thus a fresh delay while M. de Leval got into communication
with Kirschen, a meeting with whom provided but very cold comfort. The
legal adviser to the American Legation was astounded to learn that the
prisoner's new advocate was ignorant of the details of the charges
against her; for the German military code did not permit him to see his
client before the trial, and he was not allowed to inspect any documents
in connexion with the case.
When M. de Leval announced that he himself would attend the trial,
Kirschen strongly deprecated any such course. He asserted that the
judges would not approve of the presence of a neutral spectator, and
they might show their annoyance by delivering a judgement more severe
than otherwise would be the case. M. de Leval, not desiring to prejudice
the prisoner in any way, did not persist in his intention to be present
at the trial. He had to rely upon Kirschen's statement that the tribunal
would act with fairness, and that a miscarriage of justice was a very
remote possibility. Kirschen further explained that these trials of
suspects generally developed so slowly that, as the charges against Miss
Cavell were disclosed, he would be able to elaborate the best possible
defence.
In view of later events it is evident that Kirschen was but a cog in the
wheel of German 'rightfulness'; but at the time there was nothing in his
demeanour or his expressions of opinion to cause one to suspect his
genuineness. But it goes without saying that if M. de Leval had evinced
the utmost determination to attend the trial, the Department of the
Governor-General would have found means to prevent the presence of an
unbiased spectator of their clandestine and insincere method of
'justice.'
V
THE SECRET TRIAL
The trial of Edith Cavell took place behind an almost impenetrable veil
of secrecy. A fortnight after the execution of the victim certain German
newspapers printed an account that was mainly a brief for the
prosecution, while the accused were put in as unfavourable a light as
possible. Fortunately an eye-witness afterwards afforded M. de Leval
additional details, by which we are enabled to picture the scene with
tolerable certainty; and surely never since Joan of Arc faced the
corrupt Bishop of Beauvais has the light of heaven looked down on a more
merciless and brutal caricature of law and justice.
The secret court-martial was held in the Brussels Senate House, where
thirty-five persons were charged with similar offences. The judges'
names were not made public. Of the accused, the principal were Edith
Cavell and Princess Marie de Croy, the Comtesse de Belleville and
Mademoiselle Thulier, and M. Philippe Bancq. Prince Reginald de Croy did
not stand his trial, for the simple reason that the Germans had been
unable to lay hands on him. Armed guards had escorted the prisoners to
the court, where soldiers with fixed bayonets stood between them.
The court-martial was not likely to be a long and tedious affair, for
the prisoners had been questioned and cross-examined _ad nauseam_ long
before this final stage, and in most cases the accused had signed
depositions admitting their guilt.
The outstanding figure among the prisoners was Miss Cavell, the typical
Red Cross nurse, whom sick soldiers love and reverence, whose
incomparable devotion to duty places her in the forefront of the
world's womanhood. She appeared in the uniform in which she had been
arrested: the white cap covering the back of the head; the stiff collar
around the neck; starched bow beneath the chin; and on her arm the Red
Cross, the badge of her merciful mission.
Even in a British court of justice perfectly innocent people are
overawed by their surroundings, causing them to be self-conscious,
nervous, and distracted at a time when cool collectedness should be the
first line of their defence. But Miss Cavell knew that she was arraigned
before unjust judges, who lacked the virtues of charity, sincerity,
humanity, and probity, without which the exercise of judgement is a
mockery and a sham.
Her clear and expressive eyes looked out of a countenance that two
months of close confinement had made deathly white. She was of the stuff
of which martyrs are made. For what amounted to no more than a series of
acts of womanly compassion she had become the sport of dire misfortune;
but 'misfortune is never mournful to the soul that accepts it; for such
do always see that every cloud is an angel's face.' Edith Cavell
fearlessly looked about the court, viewing with evident curiosity the
row of malevolent-looking officers in gorgeous uniforms, who occupied
the judges' bench under the black Prussian eagle that is now the emblem
of a nation's degradation. Occasionally her delicate features were
illumined with a commiserating smile to encourage those who shared her
own imminent peril.
The case for the prosecution was that the accused were the principals in
an organization that assisted British, French, and Belgian soldiers to
escape from Belgium. It was alleged that fugitives were first smuggled
into Brussels, where they were hidden either in a convent or in Miss
Cavell's hospital. Later, as opportunity offered, they were disguised
and conducted in tram-cars out of the city, and handed over to guides
who led the way by devious routes to the Dutch frontier.
When Miss Cavell was called upon to plead, she mastered her physical
weakness, and serenely faced her accusers. In gentle accents she
asserted that to the best of her belief she had but served her country,
and, so far as that was wrong, she was ready to take the blame. Calmly
she contemplated her end; cheerfully she was willing to be the
scapegoat, in the hope that some at least of her friends might escape
the dread punishment that she perceived would be her fate.
She was interrogated in German, which an interpreter translated into
French, with which tongue she was perfectly familiar. She spoke without
trembling, and exhibited a clear and acute mind. Often she added some
greater precision to her previous depositions. Her answers were always
direct and unhesitating. When the Military Prosecutor inquired why she
had helped soldiers to go to England, the reply came promptly: 'If I had
not done so they would have been shot. I thought I was only doing my
duty in saving their lives.'
'That may be true so far as British soldiers were concerned,' agreed the
interlocutor, 'but it did not apply to young Belgians. Why did you help
them to cross the frontier, when they would have been perfectly free and
safe in staying here?'
Miss Cavell treated this question with the silent contempt it deserved.
She knew only too well what freedom and safety had been accorded to many
Belgians of military age who had been found in their own desecrated
fatherland.
She not only admitted that she had assisted refugees to escape, but she
acknowledged that she had received letters of thanks from those who had
reached England in safety. This was a vital admission. German evidence
alone could have charged her with an 'attempt' to commit the crime, but
the letters of thanks conclusively proved that she had 'committed' the
offence.
Among the other prisoners, M. Philippe Bancq was equally fearless.
Without a quaver he admitted that he had assisted young Belgians to
escape and rejoin their army. 'As a good Belgian patriot,' said he, 'I
am ready to lay down my life for my country.'
The Military Prosecutor demanded that the death penalty be passed upon
Nurse Cavell and eight other prisoners. Whether the Englishwoman's
compassionate conduct that was her offence and her heroic bearing under
trial made an impression on her judges, one cannot tell. Their apparent
disagreement may only have been a theatrical adjunct to the tragedy
which Baron von Bissing had staged with consummate care. It may have
been that they lacked the moral courage to pronounce sentence in her
presence. In any case, judgement was postponed. In an ordinary trial
this respite would have given play to hope, the miserable man's god,
which keeps the soul from sinking in despair.
But hope could neither flatter nor deceive Edith Cavell as she was led
back under escort to her cell to wait--to wait for the assured
condemnation that her eyes of courage must have perceived at the end of
the cul-de-sac of German infamy.
VI
THE FIGHT FOR A LIFE
The trial had occupied two days, and had ended on Friday, October 8. M.
Kirschen had promised to keep M. de Leval informed how the matter was
proceeding. He duly notified the date of the trial; but in thorough
keeping with what had gone before, during the two days' progress of the
inquiry he made no sign. He did not disclose that the Military
Prosecutor had asked for the death penalty; he maintained silence even
when the sentence was promulgated. Thus he was a party to cutting off
the unhappy prisoner from the only friends who could bring powerful
influence to bear upon the authorities for a revision of the sentence.
Kirschen not only did not communicate with M. de Leval, but he
disappeared entirely after the trial.
It is placed on record by one present in court that Kirschen pleaded
well for his client, but it is doubtful if it were more than a formal
plea for mercy for one who was prejudged and her fate already sealed.
That Kirschen is believed to be an Austrian by birth, although a
naturalized Belgian, doubtless explains much that for a time had
mystified the officials of the American Legation. It makes one's gorge
rise to think that while the German conspirators pretended to allow the
prisoner a friendly advocate, he was in reality a hideous travesty, a
hypocritical cat's-paw of the Department of the Governor-General.
After the perpetration of the crime M. Kirschen informed a sceptical
world that he was not of Austrian origin, but was born at Jassy, in
Roumania. He also denied that he promised to inform the American
Legation about the sentence, and, in fact, did not know until it was
announced publicly. It need only be commented that M. de Leval's letters
to his chief are in emphatic contradiction, and there is no doubt whose
word is worthy of credence.
Failing to find M. Kirschen or learn any news of him, on Sunday night M.
de Leval went to see Baron von der Lancken. The Baron was out, and Mr.
Conrad, a subordinate, was unable to give any information.
On Monday morning M. de Leval was informed by Conrad that the American
Legation would be made acquainted with the judgement immediately it was
pronounced, at the same time volunteering the assurance that it need not
be expected for 'a day or two.'
M. de Leval did not propose to rely upon any German assurances, and,
further, was bent upon learning some of the details of the trial. In
view of M. Kirschen's continued silence, he called at the house of the
advocate at 12.30, but was informed that he would not be at home until
late in the afternoon. He therefore proceeded to the house of another
lawyer, who had been interested in one of Miss Cavell's fellow
prisoners, but failed also to find that gentleman. However, he called
upon M. de Leval a few hours later, and reported that he had heard that
judgement would be passed on Tuesday morning. He also said that he had
good grounds for believing that the sentence of the court would be
severe for all the prisoners.
Meanwhile repeated telephonic inquiries were made by the American
Legation at the Politische Abteilung (Political Department), and upon
each occasion it was stated that sentence had not been pronounced; and
this was the reply as late as 6.20, together with the renewed promise to
afford the required information as soon as it came to hand. And so the
day dragged on.
Yet the death sentence had been passed at five o'clock in the afternoon,
and the execution of Miss Cavell was fixed for the same night! Not until
8.30 p.m. did the American Legation learn from a reliable outside
source that sentence had been passed, and the execution would probably
take place at two o'clock in the morning. Thus the American Minister was
hoodwinked up to almost the last moment. The same fiendish mind that had
engineered the secret arrest and the trial _in camera_ had deliberately
jockeyed the Legation out of anything like the time required for taking
the requisite steps to secure the deferring of the execution, pending an
appeal in the highest quarters for clemency.
At this critical juncture Mr. Brand Whitlock was ill in bed; but,
nevertheless, with Mr. Hugh Wilson, he threw himself into the task of
attempting to save Miss Cavell's life, although the brief time at their
disposal afforded but a slender chance of success. In a letter already
prepared for dispatch to Baron von der Lancken, it was pointed out that
the condemned Englishwoman had been treated with more severity than had
been the result in other similar cases, although it was only her own
commendable straightforwardness that enabled the charges against her to
be proved. It was urged that she had spent her life in alleviating the
sufferings of others, and at the beginning of the War she had bestowed
her care as freely on German soldiers as on others. Her career as a
servant of humanity should inspire the greatest sympathy and call for
pardon. A letter in identical terms was addressed to Baron von Bissing.
Apart from what may be termed these strictly official communications,
the Minister directed a touching personal appeal to Baron von der
Lancken that was calculated to move the heart of a Bashi-Bazouk.
'My dear Baron,
'I am too ill to present my request in person, but I appeal to the
generosity of your heart to support it and save this unfortunate
woman from death. Have pity on her!
'Yours sincerely,
'BRAND WHITLOCK.'
That this poignant intercession failed in its purpose is indubitable
proof, if further testimony were necessary, that the Prussian model of
manliness is utterly devoid of chivalry, and that blood-lust takes the
place of the ordinary dictates of humanity.
Forthwith Mr. Gibson and M. de Leval sought out the Marquis de
Villalobar, the Spanish Ambassador, and together the anxious trio
proceeded to the house of Baron von der Lancken. Not only was the Baron
not at home, but no member of his staff was in attendance, which
suggests even to the most charitable chronicler that the visit had been
anticipated. An urgent message was sent after the Baron, with the result
that he returned home a little after ten o'clock, and was shortly
followed by two members of his staff.
When the circumstances necessitating the visit were explained to Baron
von der Lancken, he professed to disbelieve that the death sentence had
been passed, and asserted that in any case there would be no execution
that night, and that the matter would lose nothing by waiting until the
morning. But the neutral diplomatists were too hot upon the trail of
German trickery and prevarication to permit of the desired
procrastination; they were ambassadors in mercy rather than mere
politics, and they firmly insisted upon the Baron instituting immediate
inquiries. He retired to engage in telephonic communication with the
presiding judge of the court-martial, doubtless not to seek for
information, but to condole with each other upon the disclosure of their
cunning scheme to these pestering neutrals, whose interference they had
exercised their ingenuity to avoid.
Shortly the Baron returned and admitted to his visitors that their
information was correct, whereupon Mr. Gibson presented the letters
appealing for delay in execution of the sentence, and at the same time
he verbally emphasized every conceivable point that might assist to gain
even the most temporary respite; and in these representations the
Spanish Minister lent all the support at his command.
Baron von der Lancken informed them that in these matters the supreme
authority was the Military Governor; that the Governor-General had no
authority to intervene; and that appeal could be carried only to the
Emperor, and only in the event of the Military Governor exercising his
discretionary power to accept an appeal for clemency.
Upon the urgent appeal of the neutral diplomatists Baron von der Lancken
agreed to speak to the Military Governor on the telephone. He was absent
half an hour, and upon his return stated that he had been to confer
personally with the Military Governor, who declared that the sentence
upon Miss Cavell was the result of 'mature deliberation,' and that the
circumstances in her case rendered 'the infliction of the death penalty
imperative.'