Death In The Air A Patriotic Duty.

New York Times 100 years ago today, April 5, 1913:
Germans Say Airship Captain Should Have Wrecked His Craft Rather Than Land in France.
By Marconi Transatlantic Wireless Telegraph to The New York Times.
    BERLIN, Saturday, April 5.— The Tägliche Rundschau suggests that the officers of the Z4 can only he adequately dealt with in the way in which France dealt with Marshal Bazaine for the surrender of Metz — namely, by court-martial. The Journal agrees with The Post that it was the unquestionable duty of the senior German officer to blow up the airship with all on board and let it alight on the parade grounds at Lunéville a shapeless mass of smoking wreckage rather than run the risk of permitting priceless secrets to fall into French hands.
    When the Zeppelin Passenger Airship Company's office at Frankfort-on-the-Main sent word to the Kaiser at Homburg last evening of the day's events at Lunéville, his Majesty's first inquiry was for the names of the officers on board.
    It is declared that the French Intelligence Department has gained information for which it would probably have been glad to pay an immense sum of money.

By Marconi Transatlantic Wireless Telegraph to The New York Times.
    PARIS, Saturday, April 5.— The German Zeppelin Z4, after twenty-four hours' detention by French troops on the parade grounds at Lunéville, sailed homeward yesterday afternoon and was safely berthed at Metz at 5 o'clock. Thus an incident which, might have developed gravity has a satisfactory termination.
    While the Zeppelin was at Lunéville three French aeroplanes from Epinal paid it a visit.
    The populace of Lunéville, which at first thought the appearance of the Zeppelin meant a German invasion, was openly hostile, and in view of its attitude the German officers declined the French Commandant's invitation to dine at the military club.
    The Z4 carried away with her various inscriptions scribbled on the cars, such as "Bon jour, Guillaume!" "Vive la France!" "A bas les Prussians!"

    LUNÉVILLE, April 4,— The landing of the German military airship, z4, which created a sensation by descending on the parade ground here in the midst of a brigade of French riflemen yesterday, was satisfactorily explained to a French board of inquiry to-day. The airship and her crew were afterward released on payment of $2,000 as customs duty, and the authorities declared the incident closed.
    Capt. Glund, the ranking German officer, gave his word of honor that neither he nor his companions had taken any observations of military value, upon which the officers were dismissed, and the police commissary of Avricourt accompanied them to the German frontier.

    FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, April 4.— The French military authorities at Lunéville refrained, during the presence there of the Z4, from pressing their advantage and respected throughout the German secrets, according to reports received here. Only a police commissary went on board the airship.