"QUEEN OF SPIES."

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 264, 6 November 1937, Page 13

"QUEEN OF SPIES."

ACTION FOR LIBEL. GERMAN'S CONDUCT IN WAR. WERE WOMEN STARVED 7 (Special.—By Air Mail.) LONDON, October 17. 1 "You had no breakfast . . . sign this 1 document and there is a splendid dinner 1 for you." s A former woman secret service agent will give evidence on these lines in the 1 Law Courts against a German who was 1 a war-time police commissioner in Brussels. 1 This was stated when the Court of J Appeal heard more about the libel action ' which Dr. Hans Goldsehmidt, of Elber- ( feld, Germany, is bringing in respect of a book. "The Queen of Spies," written i by Major Thomas Coulson. 1 The defendants are Major Coulson, ] Messrs. Constable and Co., the pub- 1 lisliers, and Messrs. Mackays, Ltd., of Chatham, the printers. Dr. Goldsehmidt complained that his ; conduct while he was acting as a police i commissioner in Brussels during the war had been seriously impeached. i Major Coulson and Messrs. Constable had given particulars of justification, and Dr. Goldsehmidt now appealed successfully against Mr. Justice du Parcq's order in regard to them. She Was Shot. Mr. G. O. Slade (for Messrs. Constable) mentioned that "The Queen of Spies" — the character of the title of the book— was the Comtesee Louise de Bettignies (known a& Alice Dubois). She was referred to as one of a number of secret service agents, who also included Marie van Houtte and Gabrielle Petit. Louise de Bettignies or Alice Dubois was sentenced to be. shot, but was, j reprieved, and died of cancer in a German prison. Gabrielle Petit was shot. | Marie van Houtte would be called as a witness in the action. She was married and lived at Lille. Her husband had written a book, on information given by her, and it contained passages equally defamatory of Dr. Goldsehmidt. But that was in France, and no action had been started by Dr. Goldsehmidt there. When Marie van Houtte entered the witness-box the evidence ehe would give was on these lines: "I was constantly being confronted by Louise. We were starved. They were constantly pressing us to incriminate ourselves. "Dr. Goldsehmidt would come in on Sunday morning when we had had no breakfast and say: 'All you have to do is to confess and you shall have a magnificent dinner,' and I said I would not listen to him. "Then, on Sunday evening, when we were still more hungry he would come and say: 'You had no breakfast to-day; would you like a good dinner? You have only got to sign this document and there s a splendid dinner waiting for you.' "On Monday and Tuesday things of a similar kind happened." "Am I, 21 years afterwards, to be deprived of this evidence unless I can give the names of subordinates under Dr. (Joldsehmidt's command ?" Mr. Slade asked. ! Lord Justice Greer said the proper order would be that full particulars I should be given by the defendants of the allegations contained in the defence. Lords Justices Slesser and Scott agreed.