The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1919-01-21
'SPARTACAN LEADERS KILLED BY
GERMAN MOB.

BERLIN, January 20.-Dr. Karl
Liebknecht and Rosa Luxembourg have
been killed.
DR.. Liebknecht was shot and killed
when trying to escape as he was be-
ing taken to prison.
Rosa Luxembourg, Liebknecht's
chief lieutenant, was shot dead after
being beaten into Inconsistencies by
a mob in Berlin.
Karl Paul August Friedrich Lieb-
knecht was born at Leipsic on Au-
gust Is, 1871. He was a radical op-
ponent of the militarist policies of
Germany, and this attitude brought
about his trial on a charge of high
treason in 1907, following the APP
pearance of an anti-military pamph-
let written by him. He was convict
ed on less serious count and sent
to prison for eighteen months.
DR.. Liebknecht visited America in
1910 and lectured in New York. In
1912 he was elected to the German
Reichstag from Potsdam and the next
year caused furore in Germany by
bringing charges against the Krupps,
saying that the organization was
inspiring war spirit against the
French. He continued his attacks and
in the course of debates mentioned
Emperor William and the crown
prince as being involved in the alleged
conspiracy centering around Krupps.
When the great war broke out DIR.
Liebknecht refused to do military
duty, but was forced into an engi-
neer battalion on the Russian front.
He did not cease his attacks against
the military system and on May l.,
1916, was arrested for making an in
cendiary address at May Day DEM
onstration in Berlin. After trial he
was sentenced to prison for thirty
months. From this sentence he ap-
pealed and on retrial was sentence
to jail for four years and one month.
While in prison he continued to write
articles, which were given clandes-
tine circulation. One of his pamph
lets accused the German government
of being guilty of bringing on the
war. During his Imprisonment he
was elected to the Reichstag from
Sandal.
After being in prison two years
and two months, he was released on
October "a, 1918. In the political
cataclysm that developed in Germany
early in November, resulting in the
abdication of Emperor William, his
fight and the establishment of a So
cialist government, Liebknecht play
ed prominent part. DIR. Liebknecht
became leader of a radical Socialist
faction known as the Spartacus ele-
ment. The rising tide of radicalism
reached its crest in the first week of
J anuary, when the Spartacus came
into armed conflict with troops loyal
to the Ebert government After a
week of fighting the Spartacus were
defeated.
Rosa Luxembourg was formerly
editor of the Vorwaerts, the
organ of the German Socialists. She
often came into conflict with the au-
thorities and twice underwent inn
prlsonment for freely expressing her
view on subjects connected with the
She was consistently
opposed to the war and at one time
her writing brought about criminal
proceedings against leaders of the
Socialist party. When the revolution
broke out in Berlin early in Noyem-
Der she was reputed to be the leader
OF the most violent group of Social
ISIS. Later she seconded Liebknecht
IN his efforts to organize the Sparta
Gus element, although she strenuous
" opposed Liebknecht's proposal
that elections for the national as
sembly be held at once.