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 shillings a month.”
Further letters produced referred to the Parrott case, and one of these contained a cutting from a paper giving a report of the evidence against Parrott in the police-court. When asked if he wished to question the witness, Ernst replied that he was unable to employ a solicitor, and had determined to reserve his defence until he appeared on trial. With that the hearing of the case was adjourned for a week.
The detailed evidence, summarised above, is extremely interesting and enlightening, in that it outlines, with a few gaps, the working of the fixed post system, and further discloses that, in addition to the headquarter stations established at Brussels, Lausanne, Berne, and other places outside Germany, a headquarter station exists by means of which the fixed agents are enabled to communicate direct with Berlin. Moreover, this case demonstrates very forcibly the measures taken for counter-espionage, and shows that Germany needs another Stieber if the secret service of the present day is to be made as efficient as in the time of the first Franco-German War. Since the alleged treachery of Ernst was in the knowledge of the police from the beginning of the time stated as his period of work, and since the alleged effect of his establishment as a fixed agent was to produce more arrests by the English and Scottish police than useful news for Germany, one is at liberty to entertain very grave doubts of the efficiency of a system which includes such establishments as this. The capture of letters, and their opening and tracing, is worthy of note, especially when it is remembered that not only were the post office authorities able to capture incoming letters—a comparatively simple matter, once their suspicions were aroused—but also were able to trace and find the letters that Ernst was alleged to have posted to Potsdam—not so simple a matter, when it is remembered that he is alleged to have posted his missives from all over London. The chief feature of the case, as reported, is the credit it reflects on the British system of counter-espionage, and the way in which German efforts are neutralised.
The length of time the prisoner had resided in England was in accordance with the system pursued at Berlin, of planting men for use when they had passed out from chance of suspicion by reason of their having become to all intents citizens of the country on which espionage is required. The fact of naturalisation is proved to have no significance—nor, since a German retains his nationality if he wishes it, in spite of having been naturalised in any other country, should naturalisation be held as a bar to suspicion. The position held by the defendant, in which he was able to carry on an independent business of his own, is quite in accordance with secret-service methods—these are the men Berlin wants for its fixed posts. The only discrepancy with known methods lies in the rate of pay known to be allowed to fixed agents in French centres, but this may be accounted for by the fact that Ernst is alleged to have completed only a short period (two years or so) in the employment of the Berlin secret service.
Such evidence as the prosecution gave, as shown in the foregoing report, is worthy of very careful attention with regard to the working of the espionage system. For such a post as that which Ernst is alleged to have filled is but a link in a chain, and the chain is a long one.