The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-16

in the Reichstag and has all the
keys to the building in his poses
sion. 1t is likely, therefore that he
was initiated into the details of the
Fascist incendiaries' plot,
When Judge Buenger questioned
him ON suspicious circumstances SUR
rounding the fire, Scranowitz exc
citedly replied: That's a lie!'
Fire Chief Contradicts Nazi Witness
The next witness, Fire Brigade
Chief Klotz, testified that the first
fire alarm was turned in at 9:15
p. m. The first fire apparatus reached
the Reichstag at 9:24. When Klotz
reached the building he found am
other detachment of fire-fighterS al
ready there.
This evidence contradicts Tta1era
testimony that "at GIT the fire
brigade arrived and put out the fire
at once. Then it departed and the
bystanders all left"
Continuing, Klotz testified: "a
column of hot air.. almost OF flame,
emerged from the session chamber.
The chamber was enveloped in smoke
and flames"
Repudiates Own Assertions
In state of considerable excite.
ment Klotz denied the statement Of
an eye witness who testified at the
London counter trial that "at IL D. m.
on the night of the fire Klotz said
he had removed large quantities Of
conbustibles from the Reichstag
chamber" t4
Klotz said that 1t was impossible
to enter the burning chamber at $3.50
p. m.
Klotz's testimony makes IL still
more mysterious why the official
'Prussian Press Service" reported on
Feb. rs, the day after the fire, that
fires had been set throughout the
Reichstag building, from the ground
floor to the dome, with tar and
torches. The evidence offered BY
the Nazi prosecutions own witnesses
contradicts and entangles the Naxis'
own official reports Of the fire.
Presiding Judge Buenger then
called other witnesses of minor inn
portance, after which he announced
that George Dimitroff, able and in
trepid Bulgarian Communist leader,
would re-appear in court at Mondays
hearing.
Dimitroffs temperance has OBJ
viousiy been forced by international
pressure. The letter from the four
foreign lawyers has been SUCCESS
full, although the lawyers them
selves have been expelled and ar
rested.
The next witness called was Fire
Brigade Chief Buhle, who was the
first fire official to arrive at the
blazing Reichstag. He testified that
all the doors were locked and the
firemen had to force their way into
the building through the windows.
The draft produced through the
broken windows enabled the fire to
spread rapidly.
Ex-Chief Gempp Takes Stand
Gempp, Fire Chief of Berlin, who
was discharged by the Nazis i'm
mediately after the fire and brought
up on charges of malfeasance in Of
flee, was the next to take the stand.
Judge Buenger Immediately asked
Gempp if he had stated-at a con-
ference with fire inspectors and
brigade chiefs after the fire that
the fire department had been noti-
fled too late, and that Prime Minister
Goering had forbidden him to send
in the city-wide alarm.
Buenger also asked him if he had
stated that 20 Storm Troopers were
already at the fire scene when the
fire apparatus arrived, and that he
had found large quantities of in
cendiary material distributed every
where throughout the Reichstag
building.
Gempp BEGAN by saying that he had
been examined by State Commits
sioner Lippert and the Secret State
Police, not by the customary examin-
ing magistrates. He declared that
he had told both authorities that the
statements attributed to him were
utter nonsense"
oCltlpp INV OCtldI Gu Oll Vic otdIlu
that he saw no combustibles nor any
storm troopers around. He testified
that he reported to Goering, who ar
rived at the fire Is minutes later,
and that Goering told. him to do
his duty"
The former Berlin Fire Chief
then said that he observed traces
Of fire leading to the session
chamber, and had the impression
that the fire had been started with
gasoline or benzine. A strange
smell in the Reichstag confirmed
his superstition.
This testimony is very significant,
because Police Lieut. Lateit also
mentioned such a smell when on
the stand Wednesday, but expressly
! repudiated this testimony in FRI
days hearing.
! DIR. Teichert again showed that the
defending counsel awaken to action
only when they hope to refute the
testimony of the Brown Book, and
! the London counter trial.
TeiHhert asked whether it was true
that the reports regarding Gempp's
assertions were spread abroad by the
Social-Democrat Ahrens, who was
Fire Commissioner Of Berlin at the
time of the fire and attended the
fire conference mentioned above as
an expert. Teichert moves that
Ahrens be called as witness.
Gempp, continuing his testimony
then declared that he noticed some
SORT of torch-hrand behind the
speakers dsis. Though Gempp wa,
| o..n,,,i,,ni Ia, Ai,n c-nrcA r,n1ias,. At,