The Sentinel=record., 1918-05-31
EK PREMIER ASQUlTH
 AND WIFE NAMED
Admiral Mayo Of the American Navy Is Alleged 10 Have Been informed of a Plot to Bring About a Peace Favorable to Germany.

London, May 30.-NOel Pemberton BillIs, member of parliament for East Hertfordshire and publisher of the newspaper Vigilanta, opened his defense in his trial in the Bow street | police court today on the charge of libelling Maude Allan, dancer, and J. T. Grein, manager of the Independent theater. Mrs. Villiers Stuart was call ed to testify to the existence of a book which Pemberton Billing said had been prepared by German secret l agents containing the names of 47,- | 900 British persons alleged to be ad- dicted to vice and held in bondage to Germany through fear of exposure. Mrs. Stewart, under examination by MT, Pemberton Billing, said the book which she had seen, but was not produced, contained the names of ex- Premier Asquith and Mrs. Asquith; Visoount Haldane, former secretary for war, and Justice Darling, who is trying the case against the member of 1 pal lldLltlAis
 Another witness, Captain Harold l Spencer, said he was shown the book | by Prince William of Wied in AL bania. He said he did not remember | seeing the name of Asquith in 1t, but | declared the names of Mrs. Asquith and Viscount HaIdane were there
 Both Captain Spencer and Mrs. Stewart said they had been threaten ed, the former after he had communi- cated the fact to the authorities and Mr. Pemberton Billing asked the judge for protection for himself and his witnesses. The judge referred I'm 10 the chief commissioner of po- lice
 Captain 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 who had succumbed to German temptation. He had placed the information before the foreign of flee, the war office and the admiralty.
 "There was great political pressure brought to bear" said the witness, and l was told that if 1t were pub lshed it would undermine the whole fabric of the government. ] then took it to the political machine"
 Captain 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"
 i Mir 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 ls political significance. 1 Continuing his testimony, Captain Spencer, who was a member of the international gsndermarie in Albania
 before the war, and aide de camp to 1 Prince William of Wied, and is now a member of the Royal air forces said he wrote the article which con
 tained the alleged libel and which
 was based on a letter from Marie
 Corelli the novelist. Last Septem-
 Der he had heard of a Camarilla iI ; financial circles. whose object was tC
 get Asquith back in power and make
 a German peace. As a precaution he informed American naval headquar. ; ters that the plot might be frustrat- l ed
 Admiral Mayo and his secretarg 2 came to me and got the whole state a meut' he said
 E Asked whether he knew of opera
 tions of the Camarlla between Eng s land and Germany, the witness re ! piled
 '@They have had messages sent bo