Historian Gustav Mayer in 1909 described the incident as follows:[2] It was stated there that between nine and ten on the morning of August 4, 1862, the accused was arrested in the Mannheim Palace Park for having there seduced a boy under fourteen years of age into undertaking an indecent act.

But since the boy ran away and his age could not therefore be ascertained, the sentence that resulted was not for a crime against morality [Verbrechen gegen die Sittlichkeit], but only for the giving of public offense through the public perpetration of an indecent act [Erregung öffentlichen Ärgernisses durch öffentliche Verübung einer unsittlichen Handlung].Schweitzer served two weeks in jail in Bruchsal for the offence.

Liebknecht and August Bebel founded the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany (German: Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Deutschlands, SDAP) in 1869.

Schweitzer edited the ADAV's newspaper Der Sozialdemokrat (English: The Social Democrat), which brought him into frequent trouble with the Prussian government.

[8] On his failure to secure election to the newly formed German Reichstag on 3 March 1871, he resigned the presidency of the ADAV and retired from political life.

In response, Liebknecht proposed to dissolve the office of the presidency and transform it into a board of directors, which would also control Der Sozialdemokrat.