Evening star., 1926-04-11

Violet Albina Gibson, sister Of Baron
Ashbourne. Mussolini was leaving
the capitol, before which throng was
gathered to get glimpse or him.
when the shot was fired. Just as the
| trigger was pulled he threw up his
head in a familiar gesture of greeting.
That gesture saved him. A carabineer
deserves great credit. He seized the
poor woman and dragged her off to
safety, protecting her from the crQtvd,
which showed a disposition to lynch
her. Mussolini behaved magnificently.
He made trifie of the wound, his first
thought being for the safety of his as
sailant and his second for averting
violent demonstrations. Mussolinf GER
tainly played in luck. but even his
worst enemies must admit that on
this occasion he showed himself
worthy of the favors of fortune. He
is immensely beholden to Miss Gibson,
whom, no doubt. italian justice will
find deserving only of pity, not at all
Of punishment. 1t appears that sew
eral years ago the tragic death of a
brother threw her into paroxysms OF
grief which temporarily unhinged
her mind, and that from time to time
since the paroxySmS have returned,
with like result: she is said to be. in
her normal condition, a very lovely
person.
On Thursday Mussolini embarked ON
the dreadnought Conte Di Cavour for
a visit to the Italian colony of Libya
Italiana, divided into the distinct ad-
ministrative areas Of Tripolitania and
Cyrenaica. corresponding to the afore-
time Turkish vilayet of Tripoli and
sanjak of Bengazi, the colony being
the spoils of the Turko-Italian war of
1911. The Conte Di Cavour Is accom-
panied by a formidable array of war
craft and the business is being car
ried off with a lot Of fuss and feathers.
But leave it to the quidnuncs to de-
eide whether or no this affair Is in
tended to mark the initiation of
grand imperial policy which glances
toward Morocco, Tunis, East Africa,
Anatolia, Syria; belike every region
DER which the Roman legions thun-
dered, the Roman eagles screamed.
x i. X *
China.-The military situation in
and about Peking is fully up to the
usual Chinese standard of fantasti-
cality. 1t would seem that d Manchu
rian army, under Chang Tso Lin's son
is in the vicinity of Peking having
come down from the northeast; that
combined forces of Gen. Chang Tsung.
Chang Tuchun of Shangtung and of
Gen. Ii Ching Ling. aforetime Tuchun
of Chilli. having advanced northwest
from Tientsin. are also near Peking,
these gentlemen being subordinate al
lies of Chang Tso Lin, and that WI
Pei Flu, with a Hupeh army, has ad-
vanced as far north as Paoting, per-
haps still farther. there having been
some sort of agreement between
Chang and his subordinate allies, on
the one part, and WI. on the other to
cooperate against the kuominchun.
1t would seem that had there been
| real cooperation between these sew
raj i-Kuominchun elements, Pc
king would have been taken long ago.
But Kuominchun forces still hold
Peking; ergo, cooperation has been
lacking. Wu is said to be extremely
suspicious of Chang; and Chang's i'm
mediate followers and subordinate al
lies are said to be squabbling over
distribution Of the spoils. 1t is ru-
mored, plausibly enough. that Kuo-
minchun generals have been in con-
versation with Wu and may join him;
whence indication of revival OF the