NIGHT OF TERROR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 280, 8 September 1936, Page 5

NIGHT OF TERROR

HORRORS AT SAN SEBASTIAN.

ESCAPE OF LOYALIST HOSTAGES. I REBELS CAPTURE A FORT. (United Press Association —Copyright.) LONDON, Septemer 7. ; The rebel forces in Spain, after their capture of Trim, are advancing warily on San Sebastian. At first they were subjected to a desultory fire from Fort Guadeloupe, but soon succeeded in taking the fort. The Ben day O' correspondent of “The Times” says the insurgents captured Fort Gaudaloupe at 7.10 p.m. T v e last loyalists to evacuate Irun were a squad of soldiers, a handful of whom covered their comrades’ retreat as a rebel armoured car dashed up, spurting fire. Some of the fugitives crawled over the girders of the railway bridge, oi swam the Bidassoa. River into France. One was drowned and two of the covering party were shot. The rebels hauled tlio corpses back and they raised the Spanish red and yellow flag, amid frenzied singing and dancing. The efforts of the French mayors and prefect to aid the refugees have attained perfection beyond praise. Most of the hostages at Fort Guadaloupe escaped death. I ifteen of the 190 were shot, hut the remainder escaped and wero able to embrace their relatives in the streets of Irun or across the frontier. The hostages were kept in damp underground cells. The extremists who succeeded members of the Popular Front as guards called tut the prisoners on Friday when Behobie fell. They selected a deputy, Senor Honorio Maura, a member of a famous political family, and another deputy, Senor Joaquin Buenza, leader of the Basque Rightists, and led them out to the courtyard. They made the survivors bury the bodies. Anarchists later furnished guards. They reassembled the prisoners, picked out and shot a formeivivlinister, Senor Leopoldo Mattos, an engineer, Senor Felix Churruea, a priest, the Marquis of Eliezegui, the Count de Lobregat, and eight others, who marched to theirdeath with neither plaint nor cry. Subsequently the guards called out the survivors find told them to fflee the wall. Then they laughed and dismissed them to their cells, where they spent the night in prayer and in terror that the same performance would he repeated later. . . Suddenly the prisoners realised that the guards had disappeared except one, who beckoned them to come out, when it was ascertained that the majority of the guards had succumbed to a gift of champagne, furnished by supporters outside. The prisoners, not daring to risk being shot at the prison door, ran through the passages and escaped through shell holes in the walls and immediately scattered, because everyone seen was sniped at. The majority escaped to Irun or to France in the'boats of friendly fishermen. The Hendaye correspondent ot lne Times” realised that ; the prisoners were escaping when he saw a boatful of four, who made signals of distress off Hendaye beach. A crowd idly .watched the boat capsize in the rough sea. A solitary swimmer landed, and the correspondent’s wife picked him up and drove him to her villa. He implored aid for his friends, who could not swim. Motorists turned their headlights to sea while mobile guards stripped and plunged into the suit, hut fishermen had picked up the remaining three.

GOVERNMENT &EEKS AID. EQUIPPING THE LOYAL ARMY. LONDON, September 7. The Madrid correspondent or ‘ ihe Times” says the new Government boldly faces the tremendous task of raising and equipping an army of 500,000 with modern armaments, especially aeroplanes. This could be achieved slowly if Spain were compelled to rely on hc.r own resources, and rapidly if the arms embargo were raised. In view of this the Cabinet - is doing its utmost to press its caso in the proper quarters abroad. The Spanish Ambassador in Paris is making every effort, and the new Ambassador to London, Senor Azearate, will plead Spain’s cause in England.

NON-INTERVENTION COMMITTEE.

MEETING IN LONDON TO-MORROW

(Received This Day, 9.50 a.m.) LONDON, September 7. The Non - Intervention Committee will meet in London on Wednesday.