RUDOLF HESS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23966, 16 May 1941, Page 12

RUDOLF HESS

EAItLY NAZI DAYS ONE DARK INCIDENT CRUELTY TO CAPTIVES

A certain amount of light is thrown on tho rather enigmatic personality and career of Rudolf Hess by Oswald Dutch 111 llis M* "Hitler's Twelve Apostles." published just after the outbreak of the war.

j Rudolf Hess may superficially [appear colourless," writes Mr. Dutch, j "but from a psychological point of view j he is an interesting study. Hess is the | t. v l»« <>f primitively strong, largej framed, brawling officer who is very 'courageous and always ready for a j fight when it is a question of defending ! his adopted 'Fuehrer personality.' He ;is educated, has considerably more 1 book-learning than Hitler, but is uii- | able to think creatively or accomplish I anything constructive. Affrays at Meetings i "Hess served Hitler from the begini ning with an almost doglike devotion. , At tirst he was really only a bodyguard .who, in Saalschlachten (stormy meetings) leaped forward to defend his : master. In one of these encounters Hess had a beer-mug broken over his head and still bears the mark—a scar where | no hair will grow. He is a ruffian, impetuous and violent, but only in execution of orders or in defence of the Fuehrer. He is only base when ordered to be so by Hitler, for in himself Hess is one of the few inborn decent personalities of the party, merely induced to infamous actions by had company. His own disposition would hardly incline him that way. He is one of the few National Socialist leaders who come of good family and who had a good upbringing. "It was a curious circumstance which caused Hess to share imprisonment with Hitler at Landsberg. Hess was not one of the contestants in the bloody battle before the Feldhorrnhalle at Munich on November 9, 102 M. He had a commission to fulfil, which showed that even this quiet and well-brought-up young man was capable of cruelties that one would not have credited him with in the normal wav. I

Pretence of Shooting "On the night of November 8, 192 M, Hess arrested, in the Buergerbrau, von Knilling, the Bavarian Premier, and Dr. Sciiweyer, the Minister for Home Affairs. While Hitler, with LudendorfF and Seheubner-Ilichter, marched out with his armed S.A., Rudolf Hess, with a car in which were two prisoners, the Bavarian Ministers Schwcyer and Wutzelhofer, guarded by a bunch of storm-troopers armed to the teeth, sped to the mountains. "He eventually ordered the car to stop at a deserted spot, and his two prisoners were dragged out. They were set on their feet, their eyes were bandaged, and Hess in a loud voice gave the order to his mercenaries to load and take aim. The two men must have thought that their last hour had come. Hess, however, did not give the order to fire. The prisoners were hauled back to the car and the journey went Oil.

"A few miles further on the same game was repeated, but the rifles were fired—not, however, at the two men. Tho shots were aimed just to miss them and so to protract their agonies. Flight and Imprisonment

"The two Ministers were unharmed and tho journey still went on. At the next cross-roads Hess learnt that the putsch in Munich bad collapsed, so, deserting the car. he took flight into tho mountains and left his prisoners to tho ruffianly storm-troopers. After suffering some rough treatment and agonies of fear, they were eventually brought back to Munich, for the stormtroopers did not dare to do them real harm after tho frustration of tho putsch.

"Hess was called to account. For the kidnapping itself and the accompanying aggravating circumstances by which tho victims had been caused so much mental anguish, be was sentenced to several months' close imprisonment at Landsberg."

Hess has not escaped the charge of enriching himself through politics. After an investigation of the alleged foreign fortunes of the Nazi leaders, the American journalist Mr. IL R. Knickerbocker asserted early in the war that Hess had £BOO,OOO deposited in neutral countries.