On the second day of the trial Lady gave evidence, and his story was an extraordinary one. He told the Court that he had been a Jieutenant in the German navy, and that on being transferred to the Seewahr he married in the United States a lady of German descent. He severed his ties with Germany then, but his marriage was not happy, and it was dissolved, He gave a number of details regarding work in which he had been engaged, and then went on, "It was put before me by a certain person—"Who was the person?" was the query.
Lady paused, and then, bursting into tears, cried, 'I cannot name that name, That name I cannot} say, as I have given my word of honour." He did, however, tell the Court that the person was a superior naval officer, from whom he had received instructions to make his way to England, to remain until the first engagement had taken place between the two Powers, to give information as to the actual loss of British cruisers, and to report all he could see with regard to movements in England. There is no pressure in a sense of the word, but there is certainly an understanding that you feel obliged to obey. T have never been a coward in my life, and I have certainly not been a shirker," was Lady's response to a question as to whether he acted under compulsion.
"Lite in His Hand The frank nature of the prisone evidence was also the leading characteristic of his counsel's closing speech. Mr. George Elliott told the Court that prisoner had asked him to say that he went to England in the service of his country, and as a German actuated by patriotic German motives. He went there secondly, in obedience to the suggestions of his superior commanding officer, and, thirdly, absolutely voluntarily in the sense that he was not physically compelled to do so, and entirely at his own expense. He went into the country to fulfil what he regarded as the mandate of his superiors in the service in which he was an officer. He wished to go down to his final fate as a brave man, an honest man, and an openhearted man.
There was no suggestion of an attempt at pleading for mercy or for favourable treatment. " Englishmen will not deny him respect for the courage he has shown," said Mr. Elliott. "His own grandfather, an old soldier, held a fortress against Napoleon. He know that he carried his life in his hands, and he stands before the Court in that spirit.... And he
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.