Evening star., 1918-05-31
Witnesses Threatened.

II.
clared the names of Mrs. Asquith and
Viscount Haldane were there.
Witnesses Threatened.
Both Capt. Spencer and Mrs. Stew
art said they had been threatened the
former after he had communicated the
fact to the authorities; and MIR. Penn
berton Billing asked the judge for
protection for himself and his wit
nesses. The judge referred him to
the chief commissioner Of police.
Capt Spencer. before giving the
names of Mrs. Asquith and Viscount
Haldane. said he would give only the
names of those who had been ap-
preached and had succumbed to Ger
information before the foreign office,
the war Office and the admiralty.
There was great political pressure
brought to bear" said the witness.
''and l was told that II it were pub
lished 1t would undermine the whole
fabric of the government. | then took
1t to the political machine"
Capt. Spencer declared that pressure
had been brought to bear to suppress
the matter in September last. when "a
political crisis was on and they were
trying to bring Asquith back to
power"
Mr.. Pemberton Billing explained
that his object in calling testimony
as to the existence of the book Of
names was to prove the existence of
the cult" referred to in the alleged
libel and it's political significance.
Continuing his testimony. Capt.
Spencer. who was a member of the
international gendermerie In Albania
before the war, and aid de camp to
Prince William Of Wied. and is now
q member Of the royal air forces. said
he wrote the article which contained
the alleged libel. and which was
based on a letter from Marie Corelli
the novelist. Last September he had
heard of camarilla in financial
circles, whose object was to get As
quith back in power and make a
German peace. As precaution, he
Informed American naval headquar-
ters. SO that the plot might be frus-
trated.
admiral Mayo and his secretary
came to me and got the whole state
ment," he said
Asked whether he knew of opera
tions Of the camilla between England
and Germany the witness replied:
They have had messages sent be-
tween England and Germany with
this intelligence"
One of the principal messengers.
he learned from persons who had re-
ported to the intelligence department
was a well known English society
woman. Mrs. George Keppel. He had
seen Mrs. Keppel come back from
Holland.
Under cross examination after his
startling testimony Capt. Spencer de-
clared that In May, 1917, he had made
this report to the chief of the British
general stan in writing:
Blackmailed by Germans.
I'VE are heinc- undermined IN Jtayy
because the British ambassador in
Italy Is being blackmailed by the Ger
mans and is afraid to send informa-
tion to England"
basSadOrs name was also on the list
prepared by German secret agents Of
47.000 British men and women.
The charge against Noel Pember-
ton Billing. member of parliament, Of
dancer. and j. T. Grein. manager of
the Independent Theater, which now
Is being tried in the Bow street police
court. arose out Of the publication in
Mr.. Pemberton-Billing's paper. Vigi-
lante. of an attack on Miss Allan such
as was unworthy of any man to make
upon woman, according to the
prosecution.
The meaning of the passage COM
planned of was that there was some
connection between nameless vice and
the performances at the Independent
Theater. This was made clearer by
cryptic reference suggesting that, IL
Scotland Yard were to seize a list OF
the members subscribing to the Inde-
pendent Theater there was no doubt
they would secure the names of sew
eral thousands Of the $1,000"
The explanation of this reference
was discovered in an article in the
previous issue OF the paper, in which
the alleged libels were directed
against whole classes of people, not
excepting the very highest in the
land. The writer said there had been
many persons who had been prevented
from putting their full strength into
the war by corruption and blackmail
and the fear of exposure. and that
there were reasons for supposing that
the Germans were making use Of the
most productive and the cheapest
methods.
The paper went on to state that
there existed in the cabinet noir'"'
of certain German prince a book
compiled by the secret service from
the reports of German agents who
had infested England spreading vice
and debauchery More than a thou
sand pages Of the book were filled
with the names mentioned by German
agents In their reports. including the
names of $1,000 English men and
women.
Sacred Secrets Threatened.
Then there was the suggestion that
the most sacred secrets of state were
threatened. 1t also declared that
German agents, by certain liaisons,
could obtain information as to the
disposition Of the fleet. and that "the
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