The article contained an almost exact reproduction of a confidential police document, circulated on June 14 by the Chief Constable of Southport to other forces, setting forth the fact that a warrant had been obtained for the arrest of a man on a fraudulent conversion charge, and describing the men and his mode of working.
Mr. S. H. Booth. managing editor of the "Daily Dispatch," under strong protest, supplied the police with the name of Mr. Lewis as writer of the article, and the police the asked Mr. Lewis the source of hij information, which the reporter gé- clined to divulge.
The argument on his behalf was that the police officer demanding the information was not an officer holding office under his Majesty, but a servant of the borough, and therefore had no authority under the Official Secrets Act to demand the information. Further, there was a contention ihat the Official Secrets Act could not be invoked. For Supt. Cattle it was contended that a police officer held office under his Majesty.
Lord Hewart said the magistrates found that the document circulated by the police was confidential to.the police, and no instruction was given that it could be passed on to the Press,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.