legraphed to our Ambassador in London:
"Miss Cavell sentenced yesterday and executed at 2 o'clock this
morning, despite our best efforts, continued until the last moment."
The sentence had been confirmed and the execution ordered to be
carried out by General von Bissing, the German Governor General of
Belgium.

The British press drew an apposite parallel between the summary
execution of Miss Cavell in Belgium and the course taken in England in
the case of Mrs. Louise Herbert, a German, and the wife of an English
curate in Darlington. She had been sentenced to six months'
imprisonment as a spy. According to English criminal law every
condemned person is entitled to appeal against the sentence inflicted.
Mrs. Herbert availed herself of this indisputable right, and her
appeal was heard at Durham on October 20, 1915--eight days after the
execution of Miss Cavell. The female spy admitted that she had sought
information regarding munitions and intended to send this information
to Germany. She also admitted that she had corresponded with Germany
through friends in Switzerland. Here, according to military law, was a
certain case for the death sentence, which would undoubtedly have been
carried out in the Tower had the accused been a man. It must be borne
in mind that the Court of Appeals in England has the power to increase
a sentence as well as to reduce or quash it altogether. Astonished by
her frank answers, the judge remarked: "This woman has a
conscience--she wishes to answer truthfully and deserves credit for
that. At the same time, she is dangerous." He then gave judgment that
the sentence of six months' imprisonment should stand. No charge of
espionage was preferred against Miss Cavell. She was refused the
advocate Mr. Whitlock offered to provide her with, and the details of
the secret trial have not been made public.

Whatever may be the right or the wrong of the case, it is reasonably
safe to apply to it the famous dictum of Fouche on Napoleon's
execution of the Duc d'Enghien: "It is worse than a crime; it is a
blunder." It certainly had the effect of still further embittering the
enemies of Germany. Perhaps no incident of the great world war will be
more indelibly imprinted on the British mind than this. Many thousands
of young Englishmen who had hitherto held back rushed to join the
colors. "Edith Cavell Recruiting Meetings" were held all over the
United Kingdom. A great national memorial service was held in St.