Arizona republican., 1918-05-31
WC|lANTE EDITOR LIBEL CASE OPENS
 IN LONDON COURT
lRepubll :ar1 A. p. Leased Wirel


 LONDON, May S0.-Noel Pember- ton- Billing, member of parliament for East Hertfordshire and publisher of the newspaper Vigilante, opened his defense in his trial in the Bow street police court today on the charge of libeling Maud Allan, dancer. and J. T. Grein. manager of the Independent the ater. Mrs. Villiers Stewart was called to testify to the existence of a book which Pemberton- Billing said had been prepared by German secret agents, containing the names of 47,0O0 British persons alleged to be addicted to vice and held in bondage to Germany through fear of exposure. Mrs. Stewart, under examination by Mir. Pemberton- Billing, said the book, | which she had seen, but was not pro- duced, contained the names of ex- Premier Asquith and Mrs. Asquith, Viscount Haldane, former secretary for war, and Justice Darling, who is try ing the case against the member of 1 parliament.
 Another witness, Capt. Harold Spen- cer, said he was shown the book by Prince William of Weld in Albania He said he did not remember seeing MT. Asquith's name in it, but declared the names of Mrs. Asquith and Viscount | Haldane were there.
 Threats Are Alleged
 Both Captain Spencer and Mrs Stewart said they had been threatened 1 the former after he had communicated the fact to the authorities. and Mir Pemberton- Billing asked the judge for protection for himself and his witness The judge referred him to the chiel commissioner of police.
 Captain Spencer, before giving the names of Mrs. Asquith and Viscoun' Haldane, said he would give only the names of those who had been ap- preached and had succumbed to Ger man temptation. He had placed the information before the foreign office the war office and the admiralty.
 There was great political pressure brought to bear" said the witness and I was told that If it were pub. lished it would undermine the whol, fabric of the government. I then tool it to the political machine"
 Captain Spencer declared that pres sure had been brought to bear to sup press the matter in September last when q political crisis was on ant they were trying to bring Asquith bacl to power"
 MT. Pemberton- Billing explained tha his object in calling testimony as t, the existence of the book of names wa to prove the existence of the cult" re ferred to in the alleged libel and 1t political significance.
 Continuing his testimony, Captain Spencer, who was a member of tn, Internationale Gendarmerie in Albani, before the war and aide-de- camp t, Prince William of Wied, and is now member of the royal air forces, said h. wrote the article which contained tn alleged libel and which was based ol letter from Marie Corelli, the novel ist. Last September he had heard of Camarilla in financial circles, who's object was to get Asquith back in pow CT and make German peace. As pre- caution, he informed American maya headquarters so that the plot might frustrated.
 : Admiral Mayo and his secretar came to me and got the whole state ment,' he said.
 Asked whether he knew of operation i, of the Camarilla between England an |. Germany, the witness said: There have been messages sent be tween England and Germany with thi intelligence"
 Society Woman Named 1 One of the principal messengers, h , learned from persons who had reporte , to the intelligence department, was we'll known English society woman , Mrs. George Keppel. He had seen Mir 3 Keppel came back from Holland. r Captain Spencer was ultimatel
 passed out of the flying corps as physi caliy unfit. Under oss-examinatio
 he said he had never been in the SC
 cret service. He was born in Americ
 and had never been naturalized in Eng land.
 , In the German book to which he ha . referred there was a note after eac ' name indicating the particular way 1 :. which the person could best be aI ' preached.