WAR HORRORS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 235, 3 October 1936, Page 9

WAR HORRORS.

ATROCITY STORIES. Charges and Counter-Charges In Spain. N.Z. AIRMAN INJURED. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Received 11 a.m.) LONDON, October 2. Charges and counter-charges of atrocities in Spain are appearing almost daily but are generally given some, reserve. Two documents with an official flavour were issued to-day. The College of Lawyers in Madrid is circulating throughout the world , a document declaring that the rebels massacred 9000 in Seville, 2000 in Saragossa and 1500 in Badajos, where Loyalists were herded in the bull-ring and mown down with machine-guns, the wounded being left lingering among the dead. Ge:ieva delegates received from rebel headquarters at Burgos a list of horrors attributed to Government troops in every city captured in Southern Spain, including 91 slain with axes in Buena, 23 burned alive in Aralial prison, and the shooting of Colonel Luiz Pinzon, a descendant of Christopher Columbus, and an associate in the presence of two sisters who went mad. Big Battle for Madrid. An important battle is in progress in the Tagus sector, including the Toledo front, where Government troops are making desperate efforts to. prevent the rebel advance towards"Madrid. Loyalists are hastily constructing lines of trenches outside Madrid and also preparing masses of barbed-wire, concrete and sandbag strongposts. The Spanish Parliament met in the capital yesterday with the rebels' ring of steel only 20 miles away. Speakers hurled defiance at the rebels, expressing optimism about the future. Senor Barrao, President, said: "Spain prefers to die on her feet rather than live on her knees." The Premier, Senor Caballero, said: "We declare before Parliament and before the. world our profound conviction that victory will lie with Spain as represented "by this House. We will fight to the last moment while there is a square inch of soil to defend." A New Zealand airman, Mr. Eric Griffiths, who was wounded in a fight against rebel aeroplanes, is recovering in hospital at Madrid. FOUGHT REBELS. YORK EX-MAYOR'S STORY. (Received 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, October 2. Alderman Dobbie, a former Mayor of York and ex-president of the Rail\wiymen's Union, in a speech at London, revealed that while on a visit to Spain he joined a Government machine-gun crew at Toledo and took a share in their work. Had the Government possessed heavy artillery and high explosives the Alcazar could not have lasted two hours. NEW. AMBASSADOR. WELCOMED IN BRITAIN. British Official Wireless. (Received 9.30 a.m.) RUGBY, October 2. On his arrival at Croydon aerodrome yesterday the new Spanish Ambassador, Senor Don Pablo de Azcarate, was officially welcomed on behalf of the Foreign Secretary. FAVOUR WORKERS. REBEL LEADER'S DOCTRINE. (Received 12 noon.) LISBON, October 2. General Franco, in an interview, said: "We aim to establish a regime favouring workers and the middle-class. Every home must have bread and those possessing too much must share it."