KEPT HUNGRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 301, 20 December 1937, Page 8

KEPT HUNGRY.

THEN OFFERED MEAL. I CONFESSION WANTED. i WOMAN SPY'S SUFFERING. The sole survivor of a little band of women Secret Service agents during the war is to {jive evidence in the "Queen of Spies" libel suit. Both her companions were sentenced to 1m? shot. One w« shot, the other reprieved —to die in a German gaol. The third, now married. 2ive<s. at Lille. The case i~ one in which I>r. Hans Goldschmidt. a lawyer of lilberfeld. Germany. sues Major Thomas Coulson, author of a book called "The Queen of Spies." Messrs. Constable, its publishers, and Maehays, Limited, of Chatham, its printers. It came before the Court of Appeal when I)r. Goldschmidt nought to upset an order of Mr. Justice du Parcq in chambers relating to particular* of justi-j lication delivered by the author and pub- ! lishers, and refusing to direcv them toj give l>etter particulars. His appeal was allowed. Mr. Justice du i'arco's decision being reversed. " Sinister . . . Prussian." Dr. G >ldschmidt from 1915 to 1918 was a commissioner nf police for Germany in one of the areas of Brussels. He complains that the book refers to him as "a familiar figure in the sinister gallery of more objectionable German police types," and goes on: "His cropped hair and thick spectacles were in the traditional style of the Prussian. His manners were abominable. judged by any standard." "Among hit* duties was that of preparing cases for presentation to the courts-martial. Harsh, loud-voiced, domineering, relentless, Goldschmidt had no conception of justice. To him any tribunal with which he was associated was a court of punishment.

''Goldschmidt has no defenders in modern Genua nay, but his name is remembered to-day in Brussels for the same reason that Cromwell's is preserved in Ireland—its invocation serves as a curse."

On behalf of Dr. Ooldschmidt, Mr. \ alentine Holmes contended that the defendants were not seeking to treat the action as a personal one by Dr. Goldschmidt, who wished to defend his character, but to attack the whole astern of courbs-martial during the war. Nurse Cave 11. The name of Xurse Cavell was bronght in by the defendants in their particulars of justification, but they did not su?pest that Dr. Goldschmidt had anything to do with her trial or execution. ° r -P' i S,ade (for Messr «- Contable) sai d those who practised in the English courts knew that where a !rm,M ner f Was • I ( : OlK ' ernwl ' the courts would, if possible, exercise additional solicitude. „ " Tha t- no doubt." said Mr. Slade accounts f or the fact that in spite of all these things, and worse, that have been said against Dr. Goldschmidt in Fraiioe he is now bringing his action a_.iin.-t an English gentleman in this eountrv.

Both Mr. Shawcross, who appears for Major toulson. and I desire to Ik: equally solicitous that Dr. Goldschmidt shall not be prejudiced, and it is for that reason that there is no cross-appeal in this case."

• Sl :! de rn °ntionpd that the "Queen of Sp'es' w as the Comtesse Louise de tfetticrmes (known as Alice Dul>ois) She was referred to as one of a number of Secret Service agents. who also included Marie van Houtte and Gabriel le Petit.

Louise de Bettignies was sentenced to be shot, but was reprieved and died in a German prison.

Gabrielle Petit was sentenced to death and was shot. Marie van Houtte would be called as a witness in this action.

Woman's Treatment in Gaol.

She was married a.nd lived at Lille. Her husband had written a book on information given bv her, and it contained equally defamatory passages of Dr. Goldschmidt, but that was in b ranee, and no action had been started by Dr. Goldsohnudt there. When Marie van Houtte entered the witness-box the evidence she would rive was on these lines: °

"I was constantly beingr comforted bv Jjouise. We were starved. Thev were constantly pressing us to incriminate ourselves.

"Dr. Goldschmidt would come in on Sunday morning, when we had had no breakfast, and say: 'All you have to do 13 .„ con s and yon shall have a magnificent dinner.' I said I would not listen to him.

'f h °. n .., on Sl, nday evening, when we wore still more hungry, he would come and say '\ou had no breakfast to-day Would you like a pood dinner You have only got to sign this document and tlier« is a splendid dinner waiting for von ' "On Monday and Tuesday things of a similar kind happened."

"Am I, 21 years afterwards, to be depmed of tins evidence unless I can give the names of subordinates under Dr Ooldsclimidt s command?" Mr Slade asked. Priest's Visits. lmoM* S,ad if- aid that a P assa fre in the !'™ k *° exception was taken was that Dr Goldschmidt "now proposed to attack her (Mane van Houtte) through her religion. He decided to employ a priest to extract a confession from her." , ~ , order *?* to Particulars in regard to that was that the defendants should give the dates, place, and name of the priest. How could they give the dates of the visits of a priest to a woman who had been in prison f«>r a year? Lord Justice Slfsser: No doubt after -1 years she canopt rememWr the dates when the priest Waited her. Robinson Crusoe could not rcw»raber a date, and I don t see how a woman who had been do Ko° n a J ' ear COlll<l bc ex pected to Lord Justice Scott: The whole business is in a dreadful mess at the moment. Mr. Slade: It is; but not on mv account. -