Part 6 (1/2)
The act was sufficiently unusual to excite comment on the part of the court authorities; but Mr Tilly withdrew.
The second hearing took place on October 5, 1914, when the first witness called, a clerk in the secretary's office at the General Post Office, deposed to having opened and copied the letters which bore as postmark either ”Potsdam” or ”Berlin.” These letters were written in German, and many of the envelopes contained letters which were to be reposted by Ernst to other addresses. Some of the letters to Ernst were signed ”St,” and one of them, bearing the postmark ”Berlin 6-1-12” contained an envelope addressed to ”Mrs Seymour, 87, Alexandra Road, Sheerness.”
Mr Bodkin explained that this was the pseudonym and address of the man Parrott, who figured in an espionage case in the autumn of 1912.
Another letter to Ernst, the witness further deposed, was dated ”Potsdam, January 25, 1912,” and signed ”St” It contained a request that envelopes, bearing the printed name of the makers, should be sent to the writer. Then, on February 12, the same correspondent addressed Ernst: ”Please post the enclosed letters at once, and send me, if you please, fifty envelopes as sample which you sent. Then write me a letter, if you please, a letter in good English, in which a customer asks for letters to be forwarded to him on the Continent addressed to `Poste Restante, etc.'”
There were enclosed with this missive two letters, addressed respectively to ”F. Ireland, Mess 2, H.M.S. _Foxhound_, care of G.P.O.,” and ”A Schutte, 5, Castletown, Portland Harbour.” Another letter produced, bearing date of January 23, 1912, signed ”St,” and dated from Potsdam, contained the following:
”According to information from newspapers, a fireman has been arrested on the English cruiser _Foxhound_. If that is Kr's nephew, then it is certain he was dragged into it through the carelessness and stupidity of Kr. Perhaps you can get into communication with K., but by all means be cautious. If my suspicions are correct, then Kr. will be watched.
Above all--caution. Should you have an opportunity to speak to him then ask him at the same time respecting a certain Schmidt he once recommended to me. He [Kruger] must be cautious, and especially show no address. That is to say, only go there when you know there is no danger to you. I mean, he must not start speaking German to you in the presence of others. Please let me hear something soon.”
Mr Bodkin explained that Ireland of the _Foxhound_ was a nephew of a man named Kruger, who took the name of Ireland when he joined the Navy.
Another letter addressed to the prisoner from Potsdam, and dated February 11, 1912, contained the following:
”Many thanks for your valuable letter. In future it will be done so.
Do you also desire that the letters I send you be sent `care of'?
Please reply to me as to this. Please deliver at once enclosed letter addressed to Kronan. Expenses please charge. Best greetings.--St”
A letter sent to the prisoner for reposting was addressed to ”H.
Graves, Esq, B.M., B.Sc., 23, Craiglea Drive, Morningside, Edinburgh,”
and in this were three five-pound Bank of England notes. On March 7, 1912, Steinhauer signed his name in full, and enclosed 100 marks, requesting Ernst to obtain for him a copy of a London daily paper, which contained a detailed article on espionage, published a little time before the close of the Stewart espionage case. Copies of the letters sent through Ernst to ”Mrs Parrott, Alexandra Road, Sheerness,” and to ”H. Graves,” at Edinburgh and later at Glasgow, were put in as evidence, but these were not read in court. One of Graves's letters was enclosed in an envelope which bore the name of a well-known firm of chemical and drug manufacturers, as detailed in the evidence at the trial of Graves. Mr Bodkin, commenting on this, said that the envelope was probably stolen.
On March 23 ”St” (Steinhauer) wrote from Potsdam to Ernst: ”K. has excited himself for nothing. The youth is free. I will tell you the story orally next time.” Mr Bodkin remarked, by way of explanation, that the youth Ireland had been discharged.
Another letter addressed to Mr Graves, at the Central Hotel, Glasgow, dated April 9, 1912, and forwarded through Ernst, contained bank-notes for 15 pounds--this was very nearly the last letter ever sent to Graves, judging from the time of his arrest and trial. On March 2 a letter from Potsdam contained a request for the prisoner to inquire whether a certain person living near Hyde Park was a busy man, and whether he was connected with the English Government. Then, in July of 1912, ”St”
must have grown suspicious of the correspondence having been examined, for he wrote: ”There is another point that I wish to impress on you, and that is, always to post registered letters in different post offices or districts. But you do that probably on your own accord.” Yet again, in a letter dated September 1, from Potsdam, Steinhauer emphasised the need for caution. ”You can imagine,” he wrote, ”for yourself that we need in all directions only good, sure, and trustworthy people. We must be safe from surprises on the part of the women. Will you take another name instead of Walters?”
Evidence of another travelling spy was afforded by letters addressed to ”F. Gould, Queen Charlotte Hotel, Rochester,” and to ”Charles Graham, care of Mr Gould,” at the same address. The one directly addressed contained two five-pound notes, and the ”care of” letter contained three of these.
So far, the evidence had concerned letters addressed to Ernst, and then the witness went on to tell of the letters sent by Ernst to Steinhauer.
Witness had from time to time opened these letters, acting under his official instructions, and had found they were posted in London to Mrs or Miss Reimers, care of Steinhauer, at a Potsdam address. They were all in handwriting which he recognised as that of the prisoner, when given the opportunity of comparing the writing, and were variously signed ”G.E.,” ”W. Weller,” and ”J. Walters.” Certain extracts from these letters were read in court by Mr Bodkin, and the following pa.s.sages may be quoted:
”Dear Mr Steinhauer,--Allow me to make a few suggestions which came into my head while reading the case of Grosse. You will be able to see that your agent Grosse had not the slightest consideration for your other agents. No more could be expected from a man who has already done ten years' penal servitude. Therefore, I beg that when you give any one my address, you give a different name, such as W. Weller.
”I have immediately posted both letters. [To Schutte and Ireland.]
Herewith enclosed two sample letters. I should also like to mention that the papers are making a gigantic row respecting the Stewart affair.
To-day several papers had the interview and confession which he has made. W. Weller.”
The ”sample” letters referred to may be judged from the following, read in court from one of them:
”Dear Sir,--My business has caused me to go to Switzerland for a short time, and, as I shall not be back in London for about two months, I should like you to send on my letters, marked Poste Restante. Any expenses you might incur I will make up on my return to London.”
Another letter was as follows:
”Dear Mr Steinhauer,--I should be very pleased if you would address letters to J. Walters, care of Ernst. In future I shall sign my letters J. Walters, so that no mistake can be made... With regard to your other order, I beg you to excuse me, as I don't at all wish to meet Kruger. I have seen him once, and he does not please me. I myself got a letter for somebody, care of the _Foxhound_. I did not post the letter in my vicinity, but in the West End. The newspapers have the sailor's photograph, and he is said to be named Ireland, and to have been born in Germany. I shall have nothing to do with it.”
Another letter was mentioned in which the accused was alleged to have referred to what he described as ”a fine article” in a monthly magazine with regard to the East Coast defences, and he also enclosed a cutting from a newspaper which detailed the arrest of Doctor Graves of Edinburgh. Ernst's comments on this, as read in court, were: ”It shows how dangerous it is to have letters addressed Poste Restante. I only say of myself that for one pound a month I will not live in fear, as I have indeed a good business which maintains me. In April I shall end my second year in your service, and I should like to ask that my salary be increased. A confidential post such as mine is worth 30 s.h.i.+llings a month.”