THE ITALIANS

Evening Star, Issue 15817, 31 May 1915, Page 3

THE ITALIANS

CLOSING OX TRIESTE. AUSTRIAXS EVACUATE GRADLSKA. THE POPULACE STARVING. ROME, May 28. Tlio Italians occupied Gradiska. on May 25 after heavily bombarding the fortress. The Austrians replied vigorously for a few hours, but then their lire died down. The Italian cavalry entered in dip evenins.', and found that the. Austrians had evacuated the town The populace we'-e almost starving, and 2,0U0 had to be- transferred to Udine, where they were succored. The Italians also occupied the island of Grado. [Gradiska is 30 miles X.W. of Trieste, inland from the head of the Gulf of Trieste. Grado is a /small island off the X.W. head of the Gulf of Trieste.] OVER TYROL FRONTIER. MAKING TOWARDS TRENT. ROME. Mav 30. Official- The Italians have occupied Ala (on the Tyrol frontier, between Verona and Trent). Our casualties were slight. Our airships Miccessi'ullv dropped bombs ou Austrian territory over the Friuli border. A'i .Austrian aeroplane was brought down and captured near the mouth of the Podioolano. ANARCHY m TRSESTE. ROME. Mav 29. J.heauthorities at Trieste have fled from the. city, leaving it, at the mercv of the mob, which sa-.-ked and set fire to tho Italian buildings, commencing with the offices of the (Italian) Irredentist newspaper Ml Piccolo.' The .staff barelv escaped with their lives. Afterwards ferocious vandalism became general, and enormous destruction resulted with the connivance of the gendarmes. Mav 30. The newspapers describe the manifestations of the Austrians at Trieste as an exact repetition of the official excesses against the Serbians at Scrajevo after tho murder of the Archduke Ferdinand. BAVARIANS HELD UP. ITALY'S FIXE ARTILLERY. BER.XE. May 29. An Italian lieutenant and 85 men were ordered to hold tho passage of the Arnouelley against an entire company "of Bavarians. Sixty of the Italians fell. " The position then became most precarious. The lieutenant wag riddled with bullets just as assistance arrived. The feat enabled the Italians to advance 10 kilometres. j Italy's new 75mm guns are remarkable for precision. They silenced a batterv of 12in guns served at Fiiitch by Bavarians, | many of whom were killed.

BOMBS ON VENICE. VIENNA, May 29. Official: Several of our naval "airmen again threw many bombs on Venice, especially on the arsenal. Many fires and explosions resulted. PARIS, May 29. Two Taubea dropped bombs into St. Mark's square, Venice. After the bombs fell the water artillery drove the raiders off. " . j THE AUSTRIAN GENERAL COPENHAGEN, Mav 29. The Archduke Eugene is in command of the Austrian forces operating against Italy. ° IN THE ADRIATIC. NAVAL SKIRMISHES. ITALIAN DESTROYER SUNK. ROME, Mav 29. _ Official : The batteries at the Porto Corsi'ii Canal seriously damaged torpedo boat SSO, the_ destroyer Seharfreschute, and the scout ship Navbra. There wore numerous casualties. The Helgoland (light cruiser), Cspel, and three Austrian destroyers attacked the Italian destroyer Turbine and hit the boilers. The turbine fought for an hour, despite a fire on board. When the ammunition was exhausted the seacocks were opened. Thirty-six; of the crew were rescued. An Italian squadron came up and scritusly damaged the Helgoland and Cspel. Two Italian torpedo boats engaged a torpedo boat and two submarines. One of the submarines was repeatedly struck, I em'tted deive smoke, and sank. A dirigible dropped bombs on and hit several destroyers at Sebenieo [Porto Corsini is on the Italian const, near Ravenna, wth which it is connected jby a canal. Schp'iieo is on the coast of Dalmatia, Austria.! TURBSME'S PRECIPITANCY. RAN INTO ENEMY FLEET. VENICE, Mav 29. The Italian dinners were outmatched ( ? outmatched the Aestrians). _ When the Turbine was shattered and silking her commander called to the crew, thanking them for their efforts, and embraced the flag, lie then bade them save themselves. The decks were awash, and when the Turbine was disappearing her commander, shouting "Vive l'lialia !" flunc himself into the sea. He was ultimately resjucd. [The Turbine was one of several destroyers built between 1899 and 1904, had 30-knot speed, and her largest gun was a 12-pounder.j LONDON. May 29. Mr TV.nohoe. reporting from Rome, states fhat the Turbine was pursuing the enemy's ft' eing shin-;, outdistanced her consort, and ran vitrht into the main Austrian fleet The "commander, finding himself faced wi'h an enormously superior force, abandoned the pursuit and steamed away, but w- chased, and overtaken by three destroyers. POPES LETTER. London 'Times' and Sydney 'Sun' Servioes. LONDON. May 28. Popj has written to Cardinal Vaniiutelli deploring that methods of offence contrary to the dictates of humanity and international war have been introduced into the war. i ROME. May 29. The rope's letter to Cardinal Vannutelli has been published in the ' tore Romano.' After complaining ihat his voice in favor of pence was not heeded by the belligerents, he deplores that tin.'" conflagration has extended to "our beloved Italy." He points out that it will be necessary to make effort* for the relief of thi wounded and prisoners, and exhorts all Catholics to observe a practical three days' strict ecclesiastical fast. He accoids a plenary indulgence, applicable to souls in purgatory, and adds the wish that the " echo of our voice might reach all our children afflicted with the scourge of war and perniade them of our participation in their sorrows and troubles." A VIOLENT OUTBURST FROM THE GERMAN CHANCELLOR. FIGHTING FOR OUR LTVES AGAINST A WORLD OF PIGMIES. AMSTERDAM, May 28. In the Reichstag the German Chancellor (Herr Yon Rethmanu Hollweg), in the course of a violent outburst, said : " Ha--has inscribed in the book of history her violation of faith in ineffaceable letters of blood. Her war was n directly made war. Nobody threatened Italy—neither AustriaHungary nor Germany. She might havesecured a long list of concessions" without the shedding of blood. Perhaps she wished to conquer the German Tyrol. If so, hands off." He denied that Austria's offers came too late. Italy had engaged herself long beforehand so deeply with the Triple Entente that she was' unable to disentangle herself. Continuing, he said that the Cabinet at Rome manifested a fluctuating tendency as far back as December. It was always'useful to have two irons in the fire, and Italv had before shown a predilection for extra dances, but this was no ballroom. It was a bloody battlefield, in which Germany and Austria-Hungary were fighting for their lives against a world of picmies. Italian statesmen had played against Italy the same game as they'had against the Triple Alliance. The majority of the Parliament and the people early' in May did not desire war, but common' ■sense had no say. The mob alone ruled. With the assistance of leading statesmen of the Cabinet, fed with the Triple Entente's gold, the mob. under the guidance of unscrupulous war agitators, had been roused to a frenzv of_ blood, and had threatened the KinW with a revolution and all the moderate men with mnrdei- unless thev joined in the war delirium. The Italians had been intentionally kept in the dark regarding Austria's far-reaching concessions, "in this frenzy for war honest politicians were finite dumb. l After paying a tribute to Prince Von Bulovy s efforts, and predicting a triumph tor the central Powers. TTerr Von Beth mann Hollweg eulogised Turkey's victorious resistance at the Dardanelles. "Heretofore our enemies have vainly summoned against us all the forces of the world in a gigantic coalition of brave soldiers. We ! do not despise our enemies, as our adversaries like to do." The speaker ridiculed the British Government's publication of the evidence of unnamed witnesses on alleged cruelties in Belgium as so monstrous that only mad brains could believe it. He accused France of concealing the Allies' severe losses, both in the east and west, and added : " We are relying on our good conscience, just cause and victorious sword. We will' not allow' j ourselves to be forced a hair's-breadth from our path. We always recognised our right. Not in hatred, but in holv anger, do'"\ve ' wage this war The more wildly the ' storm rages the more firmly must we build our house. For your loyal co-operation throughout I bring to you your Kaiser's warm thanks." Prolonged applause followed the speech, the abusive passages of which were received with frantic cheers. NO MORE BUSINESS. AMSTERDAM, May 30. (Received May 31, at .190 a.m.) The Reichstag has adjourned till August