But take a less agreeable case. The Westminster Gazette published
communications from one of its Irish correspondents which, though they did not of course excuse the murder, approached that kind of condonation which is contained in the question " What could you expect ? " No doubt the correspon- dent wrote in the genuine belief that the false reports of Colonel Smyth's speech were true, but we have been surprised to notice that the Westminster Gazette, as well as some other papers which were led into giving currency to those false reports, have shown no visible concern at the misrepresentation. In some cases there has been no reference whatever to Sir Hamar Greenwood's denial. In Colonel W. D. Croft's book, Three Years with the 9th (Scottish) Division, we read that " S. of the One Arm," as Colonel Smyth was called, was wounded five times in the war. Even after his fifth wound he used to spend his time in hospital running up and down stairs in order to convince sceptical medical boards that he was fit for further service. Such was the man who was first calumniated and then shot like a dog as the result of lies.
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