MACEDONIAN DRAMA

Evening Star, Issue 19006, 30 July 1925, Page 9

MACEDONIAN DRAMA

THE MURDER OF TODOR PA!i!ZZA The moment was carefully chosen for the shots, fired by a fanatical Macedonian woman, which killed Todor Panizza, states the Vienna correspondent of the 1 Manchester Guardian.’ _ r J ho Macedonian leader was in a third-tier box in the Vienna Burgthea.tcr, and the wreck scone in the hi Hi act of ‘Peer Gynt ’ had been reached. Tno six shots merely heightened the effect of the dago thunder and cries and the roaring of Hie sea ; the audience imagined thorn Lo lie part and parcel of tho scone. This fortunately prevented a panic, and after fifteen minutes’ break the performance was conducted to tho end. With tho murder of “ Panizza ” (Nicoloff was his real name) another link has been added to the long chain of murders in the Macedonian moveincut, Panizza’s death takes ns hack to the beginning of this campaign, which started in 1906. It was Todor i)iinitioff Panizzn himself who in that vear, carrying ont tho sentence_ of the Macedonian revolutionary organisation, killed two well-known Macedonian loaders, Boris Sarafoff and Garvanoff. Panizza came last year to Vienna, but after the death of Todor Alexaudroff lie was suspected, rightly or wrongly, of being an accessory to_ the crime, and tho organisation proclaimed his death sentence. Tie fled from Vienna, but returned in April of this rear. Used to eomitadji lilcy it had been no new experience for him to go into lading. In 1920, during the Stambuliski regime, he broke into Bulgaria at the head of a large band and occupied tho Bulgaro-Macedonian stronghold of Novrokop. Ho was soon driven away by Stambnliski’s Orange Guards, and fled into (tteek territory, taking over the command of fresh bands of ■omitadji. After his recent return to Vienna he lived in a suburban hotel, under close police observation, and assumed the name of Arnautovitch. He was careful in 'his movements, was extremely skilled in handling the revolver, and as he only moved about with a bodyguard it would have been an impossible task for any man to carry ont the death sentence. So it was that Ins enemies chose a woman to do their work. Tho murderess, who is of KutzoWallachian extraction, made friend, 1 with Panizza’s wife, and persuaded the two to go with her to the_ Bnrgthuater Alter her arrest she said in broke) German; "Panizza was a bad Mace domain He once killed two good Mace donians. so lie had to die 1”