DEATH PENALTY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 195, 1 August 1934, Page 7

DEATH PENALTY

MURDER & TREASON PLANETTA & HOLZWEBER Austrian Rebels Hanged SCENE AT THE SCAFFOLD Men Die Crying. “Hail, Hitler!” 'By Telagraph—Pre«« Aisn.—Copyright.) (Received 1, 11.30 a.m. VIENNA, July 31. Planetta and Holzweber were sentenced to death. Their petitions for clemency were rejected. They were later hanged. Otto Planetta was charged with the murder of Dr. Dollfuss and high treason, and Franz Holzweber was charged with high treason. Both were ex-soldiers. They were tried by a special military court presided over by Major-General Albert Oberweger. The Court found Holzweber guilty of high treason as the ringleader of the gang whose only object in bursting into th# Chancellery must have been to arouse feelings leading tn civil war. Murder was clearly proved in the case of Planetta, expert# having shown that hie eontention that he accidentally fired the second shot was impossible and that he used a deadly weapon at short range. I The Court found the absence of previous convictions a point in favour of the accused. Planetta and Holzweber, unshaven, standing grimly at attention, heard the death sentence without a quiver. The Judge gabbled the sentence inaudibly as if leading a routine message. The accused marched out erect, apparently unmoved, guarded by steelhelmeted infantrymen armed with fixed bayonets and Lewis guns. ▲ transcript of the evidence shows that Planetta admitted that there was no question of self-defence. He did not intend io shoot, but someone jogged his arm and the gun went off and Dr Dollfuss fell. Planetta vainly tried to get a doctor and then helped to dress th# Chancellor’s wounds, v < FINAL STATEMENTS. Asked to make a final statement before the verdict, Planetta said: "What I have done has been for the country. I am not a cowardly murdrer. I did not want to kill. As an individual I am sorry for Dr. Dollfuss and beg the pardon of Frau Dollfuss.” Holzweber declaredi "X only participated in the action because I was told that Herr Eintelen would be at the Chancellery and a new Government had already been formed and that blood would not be shed. I take the responsibility for all I have done. lam willing to accept the consequences.” Counsel for the defence, in addition to protesting against the Court’s rejection of all his applications, appealed on behalf of Nazism, saying: "I d<not accept the new law of treason formulated under the new constitution The accused's ideal can .be expressed in one sentence —namely, ‘One people, one empire,’ which is the Nazi slogan.” Holzweber, who was hanged first, affectionately farewelled his wife, saying: "A great cause is at stake. Germany must either become great er perish.” Both went to the scaffold unpinioned and unblindfolded, a chaplain murmuring spiritual consolation. As the noose was placed round his neck Holzweber shouted several times loudly enough to be heard throughout the prison: "Hail Hitler!” Holzweber was ten minutes dying, as the gallows, which was only a nooso attached to a plank, did not include a neck-breaking drop as in England. Planetta also died crying "Hnil, Hitler!” The guards outside the prison were doubled during the execution. MAJOR FEY’S EVIDENCE. The courtroom was stirred when Major Fey was called. He said * ‘After I told Herr Neustadter-Sturmer, the Welfare Minister, of Dr. Dollfuss’s death he still insisted that the Government should offer a free passage to the rebels. I am unaware why this was not fulfilled. Dr. Dollfuss’s last words were ‘Herr Rintclen shall make peace.’ ” Holzweber, gave evidence that a mysterious personality ordered him to arrest the Ministers in tho name of the General President, adding dryly: "That I did.” Re continued: "When we were impn&oncd at Marokaner barracks Police President Skub! promised us our freedom >f Dr. Dollfuss’s murderer confessed. Planetta confessed, but nobody was released. We did not intend to shoot Dr. Dollfuss, but to negotiate with him. We were shocked when Planetta despairingly confessed that he unluckily fired at the Chancellor.” Tho remainder of 120 Nazi rebel Hadcrs will bo tried to-day. All made

lengthy statements in prison. They admit that the majority of them were armed with Army pistols and 40 rounds of ammunition. They declared that they feared to disobey the order to participate in a “putsch” because the Nazi secret murder organisation had recently demonstrated the fate which would befall anyone refusing obedience or deserting the cause. WITHDRAWAL OF NAZIS Resistance in Austria Broken REFUGEES IN YUGO-SLAVIA (Received .1, 10.30 a.m.) VIENNA, July 31. Austrian Nazis entrenched in Carinthia withdrew during the night into Yugo-Slav territory, where they were disarmed. They will be transported to Macedonia. There are no longer any armed Nazis in Carinthia. The Nazi refugees in Yugo-Slavia'are estimated at 2000. SEARCH FOR REVOLUTIONARIES (Received 1, 10.30 a.m.) SOFIA, July 31. The military have taken complete charge of the city and are conducting a house-to-house search for Macedonia revolutionaries. Cabinet has decided to impound the property of all political parties.