New-York tribune., 1919-12-15
Had Held Port
Since Sept. IL
His Forces Swelled bv
Deserters From Army:
Long Refused to Quit
FIUME, Dec. ID (By The AS
sociated Press) .-Gabriele dam
f1unzio will hand over command
Of the city of Fiume to regular
troops under General Caviglia,
former Minister of War.

ROME, Dec. 14-At the opening of
che Chamber yesterday Deputy Ro-
malta, a Socialist, inquired OF the gov
ernment whether Captain Gabrielle
d'Annunzio's so-called volunteers were
paid from the state budget
1--WE are not interested in knowing
whether dAnnunzio is paid by you or
some one else" Deputy Romalla said.
"what interests US is that you have
sanctioned the right of desertion.
"ln the same way that you have per
mitted soldiers to leave their regi-
ments, we will claim that right for
soldiers whom you forcibly keep in
barracks. Then we will see whether
there is bourgeois government
which will dare to try the soldiers that
we invite to leave the army. You keep
under arms 10000 officers to prevent
that revolutionary action which we
would like to initiate. but you do not
get"
Gabrielle d'Annunzio, poet, aviator
and war hero, marched into Fiume on
September 10 at the head of an army
of 10000 men, seizing the city from
an inferior number of police and de-
claring he would hold it at all costs
IN the name of the Italian people.
From that day he held it despite eff
forts Of the Italian government to
oust him pending settlement Of the
controversy with the Jugo- Slavs over
possession of the city and attempts
by the governments of Allied coun-
ho
Council, to break his hold.
Deserters Swell Ranks
Most of d'Annunzio's troops were
volunteers, but the ranks Of his army
were rapidly swelled by regulars de-
SSc,Ttng from the Italian command.
Wien word of the coup reached Rome
the act was decried by the government
ard orders were dispatched to the
commander Of the 9th Army Corps to
drive d d'AnnunZio's forces from Fiume
rms order never was carried out, how
ever, as the troops refused to obey the
command
:. Despairing of forcing an evacuation
by use of Italian troops, the govern
ment turned to the Allies, urging that
armed forces, exclusive of Italians, be
sent to flume to eject the d d'Annunzio
army The Italian government held
dAnnunzio's personal popularity among
the Italian people and because the
flume question had long been a thorn
In the side of Italy.
American troops were among the
first to be sent to the Fieume area
when marines we're landed at Buocari,
five miles east of Fiume. The Brit
ish, French and American police forces
that had been in the city had been
withdrawn as d'Annunzio entered, but
none of them was sent into the city and
tire American marines were soon taken
aboard a vessel in the harbor.
Once firmly established, d'Annunzio
cent appeals to the French and Ameri-
can peoples, to Premier Clemenceau
and other outstanding political figures
urging that the Supreme Council heed
the insistent demand of the Italian
people that Fiume be given to them.
Word went out that if these pleas were
unnoticed. the d'Annunzian army would
destroy the city.
Supreme Council in Control
The controversial area along the
Adriatic coast had been divided into
police areas by the Supreme Council
Fearing that disorders might result
from dAnnurzio's success at F:ume,
United States marines were landed in
tember 23 and at Spalato on September
so. In the latter city the Americans
interviewed between the Italians and
Jugo- -Slavs until the situation grew less
acute and they were withdrawn, as were
also the forces at Trau.
D'Annunzio meanwhile had mobilized
his forces on the Austrian armistice
line and declared "state of war with
Jugo- -Slavia, but no fighting developed
and he turned to plans for an extern
SION of his victory to other parts Of
Italia 1rredenta. Leaving in charge
OF Fiume Commander Rizzo, the daring
nava! officer who sank two Austrian
warships off the Dalmatia coast in the
war and who aided d'Annunzio by send
Ing ships Of the Italian navy to rein
1orce him at Fiume, d'Annunzio set out
on November Is with his fleet of seven
ships and landed at cara, which he oc-
cupied with his troops.
An ovation greeted him. His second
coup practically made him commander
OF the whole Dalmatan coast, for it
brought under his standard Admiral
MILO, commander of the Italian occu-
2atlon forces in Dalmatia and of the
meet In that region. In return for his
e!iegiance d'Annunzio conferred upon
omlral Mile tho title of Governor of
Dalmat;a."