The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-10-27
Wild RUMORS
WOVEN ABOUT
ADOLF HITLER
German Fascist Leaders
Past is CIoaked in
Contradictions.
This Is the second article of series
on Adoiub Hitler. gunman Fascist leader.
BY MILTON BRONNER
NEA Service Writer

on AdOiph Hitler. gunmzn Fascist leader.
BY MILTON BRONNER
NEA Service Writer
Designedly. perhaps, Adolph Hit
Ter. leader of the National Socialist
party of Germany, has made Of him
self man Of mystery. There are
many Biographies and sketches Of
the people prominent in German
political life. None exists about
Hitler. He has always been chary
about discussing his past life.
Until a few years ago he was
camera shy, as it was said Of Mi
chael Collins when he was leading
the Sim Fem fight against Eng
land. that photographs would be
dangerous things They would serve
as easy means of identification. if
his governmental enemies desired
his arrest.
In the last few years, the embargo
On photographs has been lifted by
Hitler. He has been shot" time and
time again, surrounded by his
cheering hosts of Nazis, with SWas-
tika banners waving to the breeze.
just how hay are the details as
to his past life is comically illus
trated by what has recently been
printed in London newspapers. Hit
ler's sensational success at the polls,
when his party won lot seats in the
reichstag instead Of the twelve they
had previously held, made him big
European figure.
Soldier at 8!
The British papers gravely told
their readers that this soldier Of
fortune had fought in Cuba against
the Spanish back in 1893 and, later,
had served with the Beers in their
war against Great Britain in 1902,
he being the last man out of Pre-
toria before it fell to the British
troops.
AS Hitler was born in 1889, this
would make a very precocious SOL
dier-age when he fought in Cuba;
aged 10 when he so valiantly helped
defend Pretoria against the con-
quering British Tommies.
1t is stated authoritatively that
he was born in the little town of
Braunau in Austria, where his ia
ther was a worker on the railways
Hitler is next heard of as a house
painter When the World war
broke out, he joined up as a vol
unteer. not with the army of his
country, but with a Bavarian regi-
ment. He never rose to be higher
than a sergeant.
Given Iron Cross
At one time he was an officers
batman-in other words his orderly
and servant. He got his iron cross
for his war wounds.
According to another doubtful,
very doubtful story. he was lying
wounded in a hospital when the
revolution broke out. He became
temporarily blinded and during that
tine he heard voices and saw viSions
like the immortal Joan of Arc.
His voices told him he was to be
the savior of Germany, just as Joan
was told she was to be the savior
OF France.
However, that may be. when he
got out of hospital, Hitler turned
10 in Munich. Bavaria had had
short experience with a Soviet gov
eminent under Kurt EIsner. That
episode soured Bavaria's DISPOSE
.tion.
Anti Semitism Rises
ro,.;o,. 20 41,o ,,-o, povorio bod
been a place where anti-SemitiSm
was almost unknown Bavarian Jews
Ind been full absorved Into the life
OF the kingdom. But Kurt Eisner,
tire Soviet leader, was Jew. There
was an explosion of anti-Semitism
in Bavaria
But that was not all. When the
rest of Germany seemed well in
clined to republicanism. Bavaria re-
manned distinctly royalist. But not
so far as regards the Hohenzellerns.
The Bavarian remained true to
his own royal family, the House of
Wittelsbach. The Bavarians looked
upon the Hohenzollerns as an up
start house. Also Munich, the royal
list, viewed Red" Berlin with dis
favor.
Ludendorff on Scene
All the enemies of the republic,
all the leaders of "putScheS" that
had failed, all the organizers of as
sociations that the republic banned,
found asylum in Munich. Thither
came men of all reactionary colors,
including General Erich Ludendorff,
who had once as the ruler Of the
German armies been virtually Ger
many's ruler.
The one-time army Sergeant
Hitler found in Munich a con-
genial atmosphere. He was not a
thinker. Give him a typical Mum
ich beer garden-of which there
are myriadS-snd a giant stein of
"dunkles" and he could hold forth
by the hour.
At first he had only his little
group of six, who with him com
prised what he then called the Ger
man Workers party. BY 1920 he had
1000 followers. BY 1921 they num-
bered $500.
Ito Be Continued