The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-11
THE BRITISH STATE SECRET.
BETRAYED TO THE LONDON GLOBE ny
GOVERNMENT CLERK.


ffom The london Itnst
Charles Marvin OF 81 Burrage road Plum
stead. employed as copying clerk or writer in
the Treaty Department OF the Foreign ONCE
was brought before Mr.. Vaughn at Bow street
yesterday. June q. on warrant granted on
Wednesday evening. charged with stealing
copying and appropriating certain documents
connected with the negotiations pending be-
tween the Governments Of England aud Russia.
Mr.. Poland instructed 10y Mr.. \. X. Stephen
son OF the Treasury. conducted the prosecution;
Mr. @. Lewis. Jr.. appeared for the defendant
Mr.. Poland said that he appeared on behalf OF
the Treasury to prosecute the defendant. under
the 3Oth section Of the Larceny act t2i and Is
Vic. cap &C., for stealing two documents. which
were strictly private and confidential. and were
in the possession OF the Foreign Onice. Theat
provided that whoever should steal or take
away for any fraudulent purpose from its
proper place OF deposit, or from any person
having the careful custody thereof. any original
document relating IN any way to the public SER
vice should be liable to n tsrm OF three years
penal servitude. or two years Imprisonment
with or without solitary confinement. and with
out the necessity OF specifying the actual owner
shin OF the documents alleged Ia hr stolen
The facts OF this case would show that during
the important negotiations which had been
pending between England and Russin relative
to n Congress Of the European powers certain
private documents had been distracted or
70 obtain Information of this nature for nublica-
hon in newspaper was very grave offence ut
hour "a o'clorkj To- 20 fully into tho charge
against the defendant. or TO give more than
merely formal evidence especially us mate-
rial witness. whom it would be his duty to ex-
anime. was NJ present engaged ut Berlin,
1t would Ice enough ~ state that the defend
ant occupied a subordinate position rs writer
in the Foreign Once. and that during the uego-
tations Which had been going on between Her
MaIestys Government and Count SchouNalon II
became necessary that corics should be made Of
n document known MS tho" Irpiet lie Mcmorun-
dunn" which had been prepared on the ooh Of
%
No signatures had been attached To- IT, and II
had e. be printed for III. private use OF tho
this purpose. together with shorter document,
which was Il, some extent an epitome Of the
the Treaty Departments had received instruc::
tons from Mr. Currc the Private Secretary OF
Lord Salisbury. To prrpnrr these copies. and he
was engaged with Mr.. Irving. another gentle
man IN the department to ge' then in readi-
ness but some pressure was put upon them.
and one OF the puprfs being II long one the
prisoner was employed To assist in the work.
Up 70 this time entire confidence had been re-
posed in him. and be was Ms much trusted ms
my servant ia the highest departments Of the
Office He WIS asked TO copy the smaller paper.
hut he. % course. had access TO the longer one
at the same time. He was engaged on this duty
May. and he LETT the Office about a. ana AT
O'Clock the same night there was published an
extra special edition Of the Globe newspaper.
containing what purported to be the chiet heads
OF the Anglo Russian agreement, preceded by
the following announcement:
"Thr'Congr"ss decided upon. Terms OF the
have good reason To- believe that the question Of
the assembling of the Congress IL definitely set
tied. and that the following are the points on
which the Governments OF England and Rus
sia have, subject to the decis lons Of Congress.
arrived at an UNDERSTANDING
Then followed ten paragraphs. in which was
embodied information not only contained in the
"Projet de Memorandum" but also in the Sec
ond and shorter document which had been that
day ntru,trd 10 the defendant to COPY Tho
publication OF this private matter, Of course. ex-
the time of tho tlepnTf tlr itll Hauapn--
field. on the stu %. June. aud that OF Lord sails
bury on the 10Th. and on this latter dnv the de-
PENDANT addressed this letter TO the editor OF tho
MOrnutg Aireiii s,7':
DEAR rIR | have Just been able. while en-
Foreign Orcc. 10 secure Tor lrrnsai Tor a f.w
minutes H.. agreement. or rather PROJECTED
was awHr-. even hciore its app 'urancn IN the
Globe. of the existence Of the document in qurs-
ton. but the terms diyulgcd were So rxtraor-
binary that tho lsht would endeayor to test
their correctness before informing YOU Of tho
fact. On reading hurnrAly tlie two memoranda
notes.. / find that tive Globe vers on was quite
correct bat the articles were differently ar
ranged. and there were "A lew minor points
which. with some other iniormuton from the
Foreign Oni,e have embodied IN thu enclosed
letter from Russia. ! thought IL better - ar
range il in this form. rs II would not nttrnrt
suspicion thereby To lis authorship. and wuull
carry more weight than a mere paragraph con
frmng what the GloLe had said The Russian
part OF the letter received only this morning
from 81. Petersburg. Will inform you II any
y
j run considerable risk in writing this might
suggest that II SHOULD BIZ destroyed alter being
read. Yours. faithfully. CHARLES MAININ. your
e. Petersburg correspondent. 81 Burrage road.
Plumstead."
This letter was marked Strictly private and
confidential, and he would direct particular
attention to il. The editor of the Morning. Al
vertser, greatly TO his credit declined 10 avail
himself OF the proiiered Information. but on
the next day. June Is. the Globe newspaper
published thetwo documents IN question at iull
length, with the heading. 9" Full Text Of tho
Anglo Russian Treaty" the principal items OF
the supposed agreement having already APP
peared on the Both Of May There was another
tention, namely. that on the day follow
ing the publication of this document in
the sum 94a into ' hs paia
the Brkbeck Bank. OF course he had no
with the price paid TO hIm for having committed
serious breach OF trust; but II would be idle
To deny that some one ought TO be standing by
the side OF me prisoner IN the dock to share
the responsibility and the penalty incurred by
the act of tre49chery which he had been tempted
To commit He could not help expressing his
surprise that any newspaper OF such respectH-
billy as tho GLOBE could have ayailed itself.
even in the struggle Tor early Information. OF
information obtained in this way. and If the
Treasury could Fix upon the person actually
what course to take. aud would show no hesita-
ton in pursuing It,
When the prisoner was Appreciated on the
present charge the officer found II lctter-copy-
ing book in his possession, and some Of the let
ters IN Il struck him Mr. Ponnd) as having
ton, in anticipation of his probable arrest. He
would briefly reter 10 one or two Of these letters
only. One Of them. purpOrting to be written to
friend. had been designed to give a false clue
rs to the origin o! the communications TO the
Globe. 1t was dated Sunday last. June %. and
was TO this effect:
" have been too busy to write this week to
Rose. and too much worried, owing TO my two
fold connection with the press and the Foreign
Office. You see by some extraordinary means
the secret despatch has got into the Globe, and
there has been devil Of a stir about il. Ever
since Friday week ii has been the talk Of the
town. Though | did not send Il 10 the GiObe.
the Foreign ONCE would naturally put it on me
II they wanted n scapegOat. and my position has
been very uncomfortable ever since. Even now
] cannot say If this letter Will not pass through
Scotland-yard beiore seeing you. 1t is far from
pleasHnt to be sitting in room every day with
officers IN the next apartment"
There was another letter OF a similar purpOrt,
addressed to Il Mr.. prendigast. and in which ii
was stated That h" could assure reward Of G5
or even ElO. 10 any one who could supply the
Information rs To who furnished the GiOJe with
tho Anglo husslan treaty, All ling the scanda-
lous words, The opinion IL that Count Schou-
valon sent It, In another lrttrr he sad:
could not hHVr don" less tnan sever my
with tup (,IDI.g