New-York tribune., 1918-06-05
Penbeztor1 Billing,
Who Exposed Vice
Cult Is Acquitted
Maud Allan Loses Suit
Against Publisher and
Theatrical Manager

LONDON, June 4.-Noel Pemberton-
Billing, who had been on trial on a
charge of libel preferred by Miss Maud
Allan and J. T. Grein, manager of the
Independent Theatre, was found not
guilty to-day.
Ihe Judge in summing up frequently
was interrupted by the defendant, who,
after his own speech, took his place in
the dock, and by Captain Harold Sher-
win Spencer and Lord Alfred Douglas,
two of the witnesses.
Lord Douglas and Captain Spencer
were removed from the court, the
former calling the judge liar. The
Judge also was Kissed by friends of the
defendants in the gallery.
Crowd Cheer Verdict.
The verdict only had reference to the
slander on Maude Allan. The other in
dictments were not proceeded with,
however, and the prisoner was dis
charged.
The acquittal of pembertcn Billing
was a sensational ending of the most
sensational of the scandal cases that
have been tried in English courts in
many years The crowd in the court
room checrod the verdict, and the
cheering was taken up by hundreds Of
persons in the street
The trial throughout had been
crowded with dlsorderly incidents and
numerous outbreaks. The judge gave
Pemberton- billing the greatest lati-
tude, because he was conducting his
own case and claimed that he knew
nothing about law or the rules of evi-
oence.
Trial Attracted Women
large proportion of the persons
who tried to get into the court during
the trial were we'll dressed women. All
the newspapers have given great space
t" the trial, notwithstanding the I'M
portant war news.
Pemberton- Billings closing a~gu-
ment was largely based on a plea that
he was fighting German influence in
england as a matter of public dutv. He
first came into the public eve two
years ago when the popular newspa-
pers reported him as an jndependent
candidate for the House of Commons
on q platform of denouncine the gov
ernment for alleged apathy toward the
ar service in the war He previously
: nad an adventurous career, as a soldier
IN the Boer war, actor, airplanc builder
company promoter and editor His ca
reer as free lance member of the
house OF Commons has been as breezy
as MS libel trial, involving many tilts
with the Speaker at Westminster
similar to his clashes with Judge Darl-
ing throughout the trial.
The acquittal of Ncel pemberton-
Billing, member of Parliament and pub
Usher of the newspaper "Vigilante, u
followed trial which was marked by
series of sensational revelations
relative to the power alleged to have
been welded over influential English
meh and women by the German Gov
ernment, whose agents had collected
what purported TO be data on immor-
ality in England and had placed it in
book which was said 10 be in posses
sion Of certain German prince
Miss Maud Allan, an American
dancer, figured in the case because she
had played prominent part in the
presentation of Oscar Wilde's "Sa
lone The play was given at the
; Independent Theatre, which has been
under tho management OF J. T. Grcin.
The "Vigilante," which had printed
the story OF the secret book alleged to
be held by the Germans, asserted that
II Scotland Yard were to seize the list
of the members subscribing to the
independent Theatre, there was mo
doubt they would secure the names OF
several thousands of the 47,000
which was ths number of names con-
tained in the book, the contents OF
which ware suonlied by German agents