| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 20 May 1895 |
ENGELS TO CARL HIRSCH
IN COLOGNE
London, 20 May 1895
41 Regent's Park Road, N. W.
Dear (...)[1] You have set us a difficult task. We are to seek out 'the journalist Tollitt[2] England' as also those 'English papers' containing the relevant details about Brauweiler. 598 In the first place, the English daily press does not even mention the name Braunweiler in its accounts of the case. The report of a Parliamentary Committee is not, however, published until its work has been completed. So the item must doubtless have emanated from some obscure trade paper and will therefore be impossible to trace in this country. In the second place, no one here knows the journalist Tollitt, who according to some is called Pollitt. Dr Freyberger tried in vain to track him down at the NATIONAL LIBERAL CLUB which has a vast number of journalists amongst its members. We have now taken further steps in order to discover the man if possible—it seems quite clear that he does not live in London or work for the political press; more likely he is in some trade branch—though that will take time. But it is very naive of you to expect that he would appear over there as witness on your behalf. After all, he himself says that he got into the prisons by stealth, and consequently be would at once be thrown into jug in Cologne for bribery of officials or something of the kind, and put on trial. Hofrichter's suggestion that he should submit to a judicial examination here is also impracticable. If, however, he is willing, he can swear an affidavit (a state- ment made on oath which, if false, carries with it all the consequences arising from perjury) before a Justice of the Peace in which he attests the statements he made before the committee. Once the document had been ratified by the German Consul, it would also be legally valid over there.
Bernstein was away from London during that week and Beer has no connections whatever in the circles in which Tollitt must be sought.
As soon as we discover anything further we shall let you know.[3] But time is damned short. Where did you get the item from? Keep on inquiring over there until you have found out how and through whom it got into the German press. That would provide a clue.
Many regards.
Yours,
F. Engels