HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2019
From Peel City Guardian 2 January 1915
A Military Court was conducted at the Court House Douglas, on Tuesday morning. Major Cholmondeley, sub-Commandant, Knockaloe Detention Camp, resided, the other officers being Capt. Hon Major T. Mackenzie, Major Nodin, N.R., Mr R. B Moore, Judge Advocate, Officer in Waiting, Capt. W. Loughin. Capt. F.C. Bland, Sub-Commandant Douglas Detention Camp, acted as prosecutor. The accused was Herman Blass, No. 1757, an Austrian prisoner of war detained in the Alien Detention Camp, Douglas. He was charged with commiting an offence, in that on the 15th October, 1914, at the Alien Detention Camp, Douglas, he acted in a manner prejudicial to the good order of the said camp, in that he endeavoured to communicate with an alien enemy, Frau Agness Blass, of Karlsbad, by writing in the body of a letter in invisible ink.
Prisoner pleaded guilty, and asked to be allowed to make a statement to the Court.
Capt. Donath appeared as prisoner's friend, and on his behalf said the accused had been interned at Dorchester, and there he first heard the talk about writing with invisible ink. The censors evidently were not very strict, as no complaint had been made about this writing, and no one was found out. He was then sent to Douglas, and while he was writing his letter there was more talk about writing with invisible ink, so he thought he would try it, and for a joke he wrote part of the letter with lemon juice. He could not deny that, but regretted it very much. If he had known the consequences he would never have done it. The fact that he told in the letter written in pencil that there was something else written in invisible ink, showed that no serious attempt was made to evade the censors.
The letter was then read by Mr T Voyle, the interpreter as follows:-
"I was very pleased to receive your nice letter of the 4th, 14th, and 27th. Thank goodness I have received news of you. As to how I am getting on, I must say out of politeness to my English hosts, I am very well. ... I cannot write you all, as it goes through the censor. Fritz ought to make the lemon joice quite hot; just ask him, he should know how to do it." (The lines 9-11 refer to the recipe for invisible writing). (The following was written with lemon juice): "We are treated here like pigs. In spite of the very bad weather we have had to sleep in tents. Food also very bad. Worms in potatoes. Meat you cannot look at, and it stinks. Frightfully bad sanitary conditions; 3,500 men here, half of them ill. We are driven about with bayonets like convicts. Revolution has already occured twice on account of the sleeping. Situation unbearable"
(signed) Herman
Please answer as soon as possible
Accused added that there was nothing in the charge he could deny. He regretted
it very much and threw himself entirely on the mercy of the Court.
The President asked if accused wished to call any evidence as to character.
Accused said he had no friend here at all. He came over in a Dutch ship as a
cook, and did not know anybody. Capt. Quodbach was the captain of his line of
tents.
Capt. Bland, prosecutor said that prisoner had been given every facility at
the preliminary inquiry of calling any witnesses he liked, but had not done
so. The prosecution was prepared to say that prisoner had never appeared before
the officers of the Camp for any offence, and no complaint had ever been made
against him.
The Court was then cleared while the Judges considered their sentence. On re-opening,
the President announced that the sentence would be forwarded to the Lieut.-Governor
for confirmation.
Peel City Guardian 16 Jan 1915 - We are informed by the Government Secretary
that the prisoner-of-war Herman Blass who was recently on trial for communicating
with an enemy in sympathetic ink has been sentenced to two months' hard labour.
Blass arrived at the Douglas on the 9th October in a party of 450 from Dorchester Camp and was transferred to Knockaloe on 19th.February 1915 on his release from prison - a standard 'punishment' for those who had broken the camp rules. There is however something wrong with the date of the charge as from internal evidence of the letter it post dates the shooting. Herman Blass was before Madoc on 17th Dec 1914 for writing in invisible ink in a letter - Madoc took statements and sent him to gaol pending instruction for a military court. A court was planned it appears for 21st Dec but postponed until the 28th.
The earlier use of invisible ink was by Otto Luz, Madoc notes in his daily log under 3rd Dec 1914 that Otto Luz #1380 appeared before him for using invisible ink in a letter written to Germany - he admitted it and Madoc put him in for a Court martial and lodged him in Douglas Prison; Madoc noted that the summary of evidence was to be ready for a court martial on Dec 15th which was also held at Douglas Court House with result that Luz was given 2months penal servitude and like Blass was transfered to Knockaloe on completion of his sentence. Luz is known from other records to have been given Knockaloe #2253 and in the 2 weeks seperating Luz and Blass's release only two arrivals are noted thus Blass was probably Knockaloe #2256.
Madoc had added "I do not quite see how this practice is to be stopped" - the War Office in a circular letter - 0103/3725(D.P.W - noted in Knockaloe Letter book on 5th June 1915 banned certain 'harmless medicines' sent as medicines from Germany which were being used as invisible ink; also stating that lemons were not to be sold in the canteen.
The comments made by Blass were factually correct.
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| Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The
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