BELATEDLY CLEARED

Taranaki Daily News, 3 November 1934, Page 14 (Supplement)

BELATEDLY CLEARED

COLONEL HANGED IN 1930.

AMAZING STORY OF TORTURE.

Much interest was aroused recently by the Bulgarian Government’s decision to rehabilitate Colonel Marinopolsky, who was found hanged in the barracks where he was confined on August 30, 1930, after he had been tortured and accused of espionage by the Mihailoffist Macedonians. The official ceremony of rehabilitation took place on August 30, says an English paper. The Prime Minister, Colonel Gheorghieff, in a speech some weeks previously, referred to “those days when the name of Sarai mill went round the country as a stain upon the honour of the Bulgarian officers and army.” It was at Sarai mill, near Kustendil, that Colonel Marinopolsky and- Lieutenant Alexieff were tortured.

The . Mihailoffist t Macedonians laid hands upon a Bulgarian in the service of the Yugoslav intelligence. They took him to the mill and tortured him until, in his despair and agony, he mentioned as his accomplice Lieutenant Alexieff, whom he happened to -know. Alexieff, with the connivance of his commanding officer and with the colloboration of a Macedonian colonel in the Bulgarian army, was kidnapped in Sofia and carried to the mill.

Alexieff was stripped of his uniform and barbarously tortured by Macedonian gunmen until he was reduced to such a demented state that he signed a confession of guilt in which Colonel Marinopolsky was liamed as his accomplice. Marinopolsky was a man of impeccable character, but was opposed to Mihailoffist Macedonian interference ir. Bulgarian military affairs. Marinopolsky was kidnapped in his quarters in Sofia and carried to Sarai mill. On the next night he was brought back to Sofia, and upon the following day was “found hanged.” It has always been supposed that he was murdered.

Alexieff’s life was saved, and a few days later it was conclusively proved that he was entirely blameless, but he was never rehabilitated. Since then he has lived in retirement, but it is understood that the authorities now wish to put him on the active list. Immediately after the affair Alexieff attempted to obtain redress by legal proceedings, and the Officers’ League —now numbering 1600 out of 2400 serving officers—demanded an inquiry. But the power of the Macedonian gunmen and of their military friends in high places was so great that no inquiry was ever held. Alexieff appealed to King Boris in vain. There was great indignation against King Boris for his refusal to uphold his officers’ interests, and this accounts for the somewhat hostile attitude towards him both by the Officers’ League and by members of the political association, Zveno, who carried out the coup d’etat on May 19. On the eve of the coup King Boris, realising the danger to his prestige and even to his throne, appointed General Vateff, president of the Officers’ League, to succeed General Kissioff as War Minister, hoping thereby to conciliate the league and to enable himself to direct the changes which had become inevitable. General Vateff was conciliated, but the remainder of the league was re j solved to make an end of Macedonian influence. They carried out the coup in spite of General Vateff, and he was subsequently dismissed from the service.