Bisbee daily review., 1918-05-31
ACTRESS FIGURES IN LIBEL ACTION
By Review Leased wire)

II (By Review Leased Wire) ' LONDON, May 20.-Noel Uemberton Billing. member of parliament for East Hertfordshire and publisher of f the newspaper Vigilante, opened his !! defense il his trial in the Bow street | police court today on the charge of ! libeiing Naude Allan, dancer, and J. T. Grein, manager of the Independent Theater. Mrs. Villers Stewart was | called to testify to the existence of a book which Pemberton- Billing said had been purchased by German secret agents, containing the names of 47,O0O British persons alleged to be addicted to vice end held in bondage in Ger many through fear of exposure.
 Had Seen Book
 Mrs. Stewart, under examination by Mir. Pemberton-Billing said the book which she had seen but was not pIo- duced, contained the names of ex-pre- mier AsquIth and Mrs. AsGuith, Wis count Haldane, former secretary for war and Justice Darling. who is trying the case against the member of parlia- ment.
 The charge against Noel Pemberton- Billing, member of parliament, of libel ing Made Allan, an American dancer, and J. V. Grein, manager Of the Inde- pendent theater which now is being tried in the Bow street police court arose cut of the publication in Mir. Pembertor-Billings paper Vigilante of an attacS on Miss Allan such as was unworthy.of any man to make upon a woman, according to the prosecution
 Hints on Vice
 The meaning of the passage com plained of was that there was some connection between nameless vice and the performances at the Independent theater This was made clear by cryptic reference suggesting that if Scotland Yard were to seize T list of the members subscribing to the Inde- pendent theater, there was mo doubt they would secure the names of sever al thousands of the 47,000"
 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 except ing the very highest in the land. The writer said there had been many per sons who had been prevented from putting their full strength into the war by corruption and black mail ani the fear of exposure, and that there were reasons for supposing that the Ger mans were making use of the most productive and cheapest methods.
 Book of Names
 
 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 debauch cry more than a thousand pages of the book were filled with the namea mentioned by German agents in their reports. including the names of 47,00O English men and women. Then there was the suggestion that the most sacred secrets of state were threatened It also declared that Ge~- man agents, by certain liasons. could l obtain information as to the disposi- tiOn of the fleet, and that the thought that 47 900 English men and women were held in enemy bondage through fear, calls all clean spirits to mortal l combat"
 At the early stages of the trial MT Grein. wEo was born in Amsterdam. ! but is a British subject by naturaliza- l tiOn. said he had founded "the Ger man fai'," in London. and that he held l the fourth class of the order of saa Germon Eagle and the Order of the 1 Prussian Crown. Miss Allan had no 1 German associations Co his knowledge ]