Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-02
BY FRANCISCO FAUSTO NIT

m ttc0 Instruments, tne second OF u
BY FRANCISCO
written exclusively for The Star and t
5W PARIS, September lit was at Il
take shape when I met two dear friene
Rosselli.
Signor Lussu is a hero of the war,
Sassari Brigade he was four times dec'
became head of the so-called party of q
This party represented the stronge
Fascisn, and Lussu fought Fascism I
Chamber of Deputies and in his own pri
October 81, 1926, during one of the
pogroms organized by the FascistS
a thousand armed Fascists who sought
against their adversaries. LusSus house
at Cagliari Sardinia, was attacked by
to sack Lussu's home and kill him.
Lussu put up a brave defense, and
one of his asSailants was killed. LusSu
was arrested, and after year in prison
under remand was tried but adjudged
not guilty of manslaughter, the court
finding he had acted in self-defense.
Deported for Five Years.
Public opinion was entirely favorable
to him. but nevertheless MuSsolini had
him deported to Lipari for five years.
Prof. Carlo Rosseli, leader among
the younger element of the Socialist
Reformist party, had organized the
flight abroad of Signor Filippo Turati,
leader of his party. Rosselli was ar
rested and sentenced to 10 months
after a trial which caused sensation.
When he had served his sentence Ros-
selli was deported to Lipari for five
years.
found in those two friends a will
equal to my own to snap the chains
which bound us. But this was not
easy. Lipari is off the coasts of Gala
bria, Sicily and Sardinia, and Is, as 1t
were. surrounded by Italy.
The supervision of the deportees Is
of the keenest character. On the is
land 400 men are assigned to guard
500 deportees. There are, moreover,
200 Fascist militiamen under four Of
GERS, 80 carabinieri, police. sailors teleg-
raphists. etc. Furthermore, the local
{ Inhabitants are always ready to spy.
The coasts are guarded day and night
by three high-speed motor launches
armed with machine guns, by small
gunboat. and by various other craft.
A wireless station maintains constant
contact between our police authorities
and the naval authorities at Messina,
Palermo, Tratani and Cagliari.
Prisoners Restricted.
At Lipari the deportees may leave
their houses at Z in the morning. but
must be at home at pm. in Winter
and in Summer. They may walk
only in the three or four roads in the
interior of the island. and not for more
than about three-quarters of a mile.
Farther away from the little township
string of IL posts manned by Fascist
militia prevents the deportees from
straying too far.
Lussu, Rosselli and were under par
ticularly stringent surveillance. Dur
ing his short walks Lussu was followed
step by step by four policemen. The
little house In which he and lived
Was under constant guard. Three
quarters of an hour or so after we
patrols visited each house and made
certain the deportees were all indoors.
A further roll call was made every
morning at 8 o'clock.
We worked year making everything
ready for our escape, down to the small
est detail. Some of our friends in exile
abroad had promised their help. and
us away at night, taking the guards by
surprise.
Our first task was to find a place
suitable for escaping in boat. We
studied the habits of our jailers. For
months we all followed course which
attracted no sort of suspicion, and at
the same time we were carrying on our
preparations for giving our guards the
Slip.
Resorted to Disguise.
Often at night Lussu would 60 on
accommodating expeditions, disguised as
an old fisherman. Those expeditions
gave us valuable information. We fixed
upon a place for getting away from the
island To reach it we should have 10
pass quite close TO two armed patrols
but We reckoned on darkness and on
lack Of suspicion on the part OF the
Fascists. The place was not lar from
the village. It was a little cove sur
rounded by rocks rising sheer from the
sea. +
The arrangement was that we meet
our friends from abroad at THIS cove at
pm, July 81, about a month ago.
This was the exact hour at which. as
on every other evening, we had TO be IN
for evening roll call. If our friends
should fail us and the guards surprise
lis we should certainly be stopped, but
we had every faith in our friends ano
we decided to carry through the
attempt
Rosselli, who lived three-quarters OF
a mile from the cove, had to reach IL
after a dangerous creep through net
work of alleys. Lussu, who could not
come out of the house by the front
door which was watched by the police,
dropped a rope from W1ndoW over
looking lane at the back OF the mouse.
He was disguised as an Ola noatman
and he limped along, smoking pig
nine through several brightly lit streets
where the officers of the police and OF
the garrison were walking about or Sit
ting at cafes.
was standing in a tavern until few
minutes before the time for our escape;
then, with a CHEEKY "au revoir 10 some
friendly deportees, who naturally knew
nothing about my plans, walked TO-
ward my house.
When had got to a certain point
turned and. to avoid a patrol coming
toward me, lay fiat on the ground: Tnen
crawled on all fours to deep SHADOW,
where remained n1otionless 1ew
minutes.
without further ditnculty' ano uvnls
fully dressed into the sea I swan to
point where it had been agreed that our
friends should pick us up. Eight forty
five struck from the clock in the village.
There was no sign of Lussu or Rossenh,
and I was beginning to ask myself what
had happened and whether my Two
friends. less fortunate than myself. mao
been arrested All sorts OF melancholy
THOUGHTS crossed my mind, and was
neering through the darkness In the
hone Of seeing the boat which was 10
take us away. but all In vain.
Nine o'clock struck, and was becom-
ing more and more anxious ABOUT my
two friends. I had been in the WAFER
nearly 20 minutes, and I was gettlng
chills.
Boat Approaches.
little later heard a noise, which
considering my state of nerves, struck as
terribly loud. It was the beat OF a