The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-07-28
TALES SPREAD
OF GRUES0ME
ATROCITIES
Leaders See Torture
For Families Left
In Capital
BY H. r. KNICKERBOCKER
Copyright 1886 by International
News Service)

4SH INSUFFICIENT ARMY AL
THE FRONT, July 20 U.N.sJ.
1nSurgeant armies are closing in
upon Madrid from the north, and
today their headquarters here an.
nounced they had come within
q stones throw of FL Escorial, on
the outskirts of the capital.
Officers on the inSurgent side
are racing the red terror they
believe has gripped Madrid. Fears
for the safety of their families
within the red lines has become
profound and whipped the spirits
Of the white troops to . raging
pitch as reports reached here Of
the torture and murder Of
civilians.
AtrOcity Tales Common
Few such reports can be Au-
thenticated, but headquarters here
officially announced one particu-
larry revolving atrocity.
Just beyond Somo Sierra, where
The insurgent troops Of Col. Gar
cha Escamez have driven through
the mountain pass and down to
Robregardo, are the smoking
ruins of q peasant mouse. In
this house the wounded body Of
the young fascist leader. Carlos
Miralles, lay until he died, after
leading 80 youthful ariStocrats
In an attack upon the reds.
Shortly after the white forces
rescued Miralles' body, the reds
retook the peasant house and,
as headquarters assert, burned 1t
down and with. it burned the
household Of father. mother and
five children as punishment for
having harbored an enemy.
Wars usual crop Of atrocity
stories has grown to lush proper.
tons in this Spanish war OF
classes.
On this side they declare that
the reds in San Sebastian Slaugh-
tered so aristrocratS and tortured
others, while other whites shot
themselves rather than risk tor
ture after capture.
It now appears that San SebaS-
tan is not yet entirely in the
hands Of the insurgent army.
Fear Family Reprisals
What is happening in Madrid
cannot be known accurately here,
but the white officers are feverish
with anxiety for their loved ones.
They believe that the situation
in the capital is comparable to
that in Petrograd just after the
BolshevikS took power. Hourly
they await notice that Madrid will
use the families Of the whites Is
hostages.
spurred by these anxieties, the
white army today abandoned its
usual tactics of marching chiefly
at night in order to avoid air
attacks, and pushed ahead by day.
light.
seventy-five bombing airplanes
from Madrid counter. attacked on
all fronts and, flying low, sent a
stream Of machine gun bullets rip
ping through insurgent ranks.
No casualty list was issued, and
It is impossible to estimate the
total Of dead and wounded in the
IL days civil war, but it Is prob
able that the losses run into
thousands.
The Whites are eager to mini
mize losses on both sides, for Bit
ter though this civil war is, the
SpaniardS have not lost sight Of
the fact that they are killing their
own people.
rs Miles from Madrid
Staff maps now show the in.
surgentS have reached Navacer-
rada, Is miles from Madrid and
next door to FL EScorial. At Ro-
bregardo they are IS miles from
the capital, and at Alta de Leon
they are within striking distance.
Staff officers admitted that
progress in the south IS much
slower. There Gen. Francisco
Frances columns are busy re-
pairing the bridge over the Tajo
river blown up by the Reds.
General Franco yesterday was
in Tetuan, capital Of Morocco,
but every day he flies back and
forth between Tetuan and Cor.
dova. An officer explained:
"The province where General
Franco is fighting around To.
ledo is strongly Red and we are
having trouble with the pOpuIa-
ton"
The important government
strong hold of Guadalajara has
. not yet been taken, but the cap
ture of Zamora and Avila has put
Madrid's chief source Of electric
light and power in the hands Of
the insurgents.
Except for candles and kerosene
lamps, Madrid, it is assumed here,
must be in darkness.
Today four columns Of Young
FasictS marched through Burgos
toward the front. and 1t was nota-
BILE that detachmentS Of girl Fas-
cists had Joined their brothers.
In Badajoz the insurgent artillery
has accepted a group Of girl vol
unteers.
CUmeradery In Air Force
The insurgents officially an.
nounced capture of q government
airplane at Soncillo, carrying
members of the former radical
government Of BurgoS, who were
taken prisoners, and the further
capture Of three government air.
planes in Granada.