The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-08-08

Greece questioned the terms of the ultimatum, which 1t had only A hours to accept. 1taly's reply was to bombard the island of Cor flu with it's naval guns.
 Greece appealed to the League of Nations. Mussolini's reply was a threat to leave the league. Greece knuckled under.
 In 1892 Mussolini suppressed the Ere Masons. April 6, 1924, he held his first elections for a new chamber. His party boiled four. sevenths of the total vote.
 There were 3S0 deputies support ing him and only 155 in the oppo- sition. The latter at once attacked the eletcion. saying the voters were intimidated and the secrecy of the polling booth violated.
 His principal outspoken oppo- nents ih Parliament were Giovanni Amendola, editor of a Liberal pa- per, and Giocomo Matteoti, politi. cal secretary of the Socialists, a merciless critic of the Fascist re- gime.
 Crime Shocks Nation
 There now happened a crime which shocked the world, mortified Italy, and, for a time, seemed to mean the ruin of Mussolini. It is to this day shrouded in darkness and there are those who still say Mussolini had guilty Knowledge of it, if indeed 1t was not committed with his approval.
 June 10, 1924, Matteoti left his home in Rome. He never returned. A blood-stained car was traced and those who rode in 1t with Mat teoti were arrested. Some high in the hierarchy of Fascism were also locked up.
 A few days later the body of effect of the murder, Fascict after Fascist rose in parliament to de- nounce the crime. Mussolini, his face pale, his voice shaking, protested that he viewed the crime with horror. He said only some enemy of his, plotting something devilish against him, could have thought out such an atrocity. He pledged himself that justice would be vigorously dealt out.
 On Jan. 1, 1925, he convened a cabinet meeting. His enemies thought he was getting ready to resign. Instead, he was making preparations to be more strenuous than ever.
 It was long after-in March, 1926-that the trial of those ac- cused of the Matteoti crime was held in an obscure village in the Abruzzi.
 Rides storm And Wins
 Many of those at first accused had been dismissed. Only five prisoners remained. Two were found not guilty. Three were sen- tenced to 12 years Imprisonment, but were released within a few months. Mussolini had ridden the storm and won.
 As a probable aftermath to the Matteoti affair were number of attempts to assassinate Mussolini. The firrt took place in November, 1925, when two ex-army officers were caught in plot to kill him in the Palazzo Chigi, where he had his offices.
 In April, 1928, when he was on the eve of sailing from Ostia for a visit to the Italian colony of Tripoli, an Irish woman fired q shot which lacerated his nose.
 Holding his handkerchief to his face, he reassured the crowd. shouting:
 Bullets pass. I remain!"
 Then he said another thing often quoted by his followers:
 "If I advance, follow me. If l retreat, slay nfe. If I am killed, avenge me-"
 On Sept. II. 1926. when he was driving to his office in the Chigi Palace, a youth threw bomb at his car. It missed the window by four inches, and wounded eight people in the street. Mussolini quietly said to the chauffeur:
 Nothing has happened to me. Drive on."
 Assassin Again Fails
 In october, 1926. Mussolini went to Bologna to celebrate the aani- versary of the march on Rome. As he was driving around the city. a youth fired at him point-blank. The bullet was defiected by q dec oration on his chest. The would- be-assassin was lynched.