INCITING TO MUTINY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 48, 19 October 1931, Page 3

INCITING TO MUTINY

-By Telegraph-

COMMUNISTS CHARGED naval men asked to get portsmouth police to strike "SHOOT THE DEVILS DOWN"

(Press Assn.-

— Copyright.)

Rec Oct. 18, 6.25 p.m. LONDON, Saturday. . Revelations of an alleged attempt to cause a mutiny among the police were made at Portsmouth when two Communists, George Allison, aged 36 years, and William Shepherd, aged 25 years, were committed for trial on a charge of inciting mutiny, the maximum penalty being penal servitude for life. Evidence for the prosecution showI ed that when Able Seaman Bateman, I a member of the_crew of a naval drifter, which was not among the vessels I the crews of which refused to sail at | Invergordon, came ashore at PortsI mouth on September 22, he met a I civilian named Gerald Hutchings, I who was not in custody although charged in conjunction with Allison and Shepherd for conspiring under the Mutiny Act. Huchings told Bousefield that he a beer, and said he was a newspaper man who wanted a story on events relating to the police. Bateman suggested that he should meet some more educated sailorj whereupon he introduced Hutchings to a telegraphist named Bousefield. Hutchings told Bousfield that he was a member of the Third International and suggested that Bousefield should address a meeting inciting a strike, adding: "I do not want passive resistance but to shoot the devils down." Bousefield told Hutchings that he would be flung out of the navy, but Hutchings assured him- he would get him a job in Russia. Bousefield duly reported the incident to his captain, after which acting under his orders, he visited the Communists headquarters in London and met Shepherd, who promised to pay him £100 and his wife 40/weekly if he were imprisoned. Allison, it was arranged, was to hand to Bateman a pamphlet which it was proposed he should distribute amongst the sailors. , The Magistrate refused bail.