Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-08
A|RMAN GIVES LIFE
IN FASCIST ATTACK
Chased to Sea After Shower
ina Rome With InfIamma-
tory Literature.
BY Gable to The Star.

BY Gable to The Star.
PARIS, France, October Slow o
cultured young italian poet-son Of an
American mother and Of father known
throughout Italy as the translator Of
Shelley, England's greatest lyrist OF
liberty-himself fired by a patriotic
spirit of liberty and liberalism, bought
an airpiane and learned In a few weeks
to fly 1t; set out secretly and single
handed on a long flight from France.
knowing that If captured he would
be obliged to serve sentence OF at
least IS years in a Fascist prison: sue
ceeded in scattering thousands OF
printed leaflets over Rome and then
disappeared, probably forever. into the
night, presumably to be drowned IN
the Mediterranean on his return
Journey. This is the quixotic tragedy Of
Prof. Lauro de BoSis, which can be
revealed today in details. thanks to
information supplied by one OF his in
innate friends.
Prof. De Bosis, just 90. first hailed
the Fascist regime and took part IN
important Italo-American financial ne
gotiations. rendered other services to
Benito MusSolinis government and for
n time was head of the Italo-American
Society in New York.
Gradually, however, he became con-
WINGED that Fascism had betrayed its
own promises and by its peculiar system,
which he characterized as despotism,
was reducing the Italian people to a
state of servile bondage wherein all in
dependent art thought and self-expres-
sion was impossible. He feared the dis
appearance of liberalism in Italy, so
that If the time ever came when
Fascism would be overthrown, not
Liberals but Communists would profit
and Italy, instead of being freed would
again, as he thought, be enchanted.
Takes Cavour as Model.
Therefore. taking Cavour as his model
and idea, he conceived a plan to try to
arouse Italian intellectuals and liberals
to a sense of what he thought were the
dangers of fascism. He was opposed to
violence, and believed that the ends
could be accomplished by passive re-
sistance. He organized system of
chain letters, which he wrote, calling
attention to these alleged dangers and
also to what he considered a contrast
between fascism's promises and its
achievements.
For some weeks these letters circulat-
ed widely in Italy. Each recipient was
asked to make and mail 10 copies. Po-
lice interviewed. Prof. de BoSis. his aged
mother and also two we'll known young
Italian liberals in Rome were impli-
Gated, Reno Rendi and Mario Vinci-
guerra. His mother was released. but
Signor Rendi and Signor Vinciguerra
were sentenced to Is years in prison,
which they are now serving. and the
chain-letter scheme collapsed.
Convinced, nevertheless. that II
what he regarded as truth could be
told to the Italian people they would
act in consequence, Prof. De Bosis
adopted the idea of hiring aviators to
drop leaflets over Milan. He succeeded
in enlisting several of various nation
alities, but at the last minute. fear
ing capture and imprisonment, they
disappointed him.
Took Flying Lessons.
He began to take flying lessons him
self first in France and then in Eng
land. He soon obtained a pilots Ii
cense.
Prof De Bosis bought an English
plane, loaded it with pamphlets and
on July few to lonely field on the
Island of Corsica. where friends were
waiting with a supply of gasoline. He
his escape from the French police
when he broke wing.
He then went to Germany. He
bought plane in Munich August /,
but was delayed by bad weather. He
knew that the world had other preoc-
equations than Italian interior politics,
and knew the risk he was taking in
every sense. Under the assumed name
of Morris, he flew his plane to Marig-
nan Field near Marseille.
He secretly loaded thousands of little
leaflets and also Inn n0niac If BOLTON
Kings History of Fascism," translated
into Italian by himself
Last Saturday he took off for Rome
Press dispatches then told of the
amazement created at o'clock in the
evening in the Italian capital by the
sudden appearance of lone airman
dropping leaflets calling on the people
to passive resistance and calling on the
King to search his royal conscience.
Chased by 50 Planes.
Fifty planes, said the dispatches. rose
in the dusk to catch the offender, but
the latter had disappeared. His friends
waited anxiously for news of his land
ing either in Corsica or Nice, and then
gradually abandoned hope. Somewhere
in the sea, perhaps not far from the
Italian shores where Shelley drowned,
lies the body, 1t is supposed, of Lauro
De Bosis and the wreck of his plane.
The spirit of liberty lived in him."
said the friend who gave out these de-
tails. He carried the torch"
1t Is remarkable symbolic coinci-
dence that Prof. De Bosis was the au-
thor of the Italian poem, "Icaro'-
Icarus, the mythical flyer who fell,
which wor the poetry prize at the
Olympic games.