London, 20 May 1895 
41 Regent’s Park Road, N. W. 

Dear (...)° 

You have set us a difficult task. We are to seek out ‘the journalist Tollitt 
England’ as also those ‘English papers’ containing the relevant details about 
Brauweiler. °* 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 

“Ms. damaged — ° reference is to James Pollitt 

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." 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