The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-09-04
Reds Kill 500 Hostages
As Irun Is Captured
By LEE DICKSON


grim knowledge that victory for
the insurgents would mean their
own death, an estimated 500 in
surgent hostages, imprisoned in
Fort Guadalupe, were all executed
by loyalists before Irun was
yielded to the insurgents today.
Moved down in the old fort
was the Bishop Of valladolid, and
others massacred included many
noblemen and members Of rich
Spanish families.
A spokesman for the loyaliSt
Spanish government gave the
"official' number Of those slain
in Fort Guadalupe as 521.
Monks ASSaSSinated
The loyalists also aSsaSsinated
the monks in Fuentarrabia mon
aStery, afterwards exposing the
bodies, clad in white garments, on
the roof as warning that more
reprisalS would follow further in
Surgent successes.
One report said loyalistS put a
number of the hostages to death
by electrocution, hanging them on
high tension wires. The bodies
were scared beyond recognition.
From the blood streaked, flam-
ing streets of Irun, more than 5000
refugees scurried across the French
frontier, taxing to the limit French
doctors in border towns. Hendaye
emergency hospital alone cared
for 100 wounded.
France Guards Border
The Red Cross was doing he
roic work on the battle grounds,
and in field hospitals, but so nu-
merous were the wounded that
many are dying.
French soldiers, belonging to the
Eighteenth Army Corps, usually
stationed at Pau, rushed to Hen
daye in motor trucks to guard
the border, but they made no
attempt to stem the influx Of
civilian refugees.
Women, old men, and children
were among the wounded borne on
blood-soaked stretcherS from 1run
into Hendaye.
French authorities comman-
deered a three-Story building mere
and converted one floor into a big
emergency operating room.
200 Wounded
Early in the afternoon the num-
Der of wounded here rose to more
than 200, but others were con-
stantly arriving.
Spreading their advance along
the entire front in this sector, the
insurgents also captured Behob1a,
taking complete possession Of the
city at 1890 a. m.
They also attacked San Sebas-
tian, where the situation of loyaliSt
defenders was desperate.
Climax of Weeks Battle
run fell to the insurgents amid
scenes of terrible slaughter at 8
am. Capture Of the city climaxed
q week of bloody warfare for the
former loyaliSt stronghold.
With capture Of Irun completed,
insurgent Moroccan troops were
expected to march on to Fuenter.
rabia and San Sebastian today to
aid other insurgent forces in at
tackS there.
Many houses in Irun blazed as
the insurgents charged through
the streets, dealing death to flee
ing, screaming radicals, and pre-
Senting a terrible scene Of slaugh-
ter to watchers from the border.
A small body of radical militia
men found themselves trapped be-
hind their sandbag barricade.
They machine gunned the streets
fTnlouSly, adding to the horror Of
the merciless street fighting.
With more than half the city
in flames, other small detach-
ments Of loyalists attempted to
hold out. The railway station re-
manned in government hands up
to a late hour.
The first column Of insurgents,
advancing down into the city from
the hill of Fort San Marcial, en-
tered Irun before the loyaliStS
could organize any resistance.
The insurgents, spraying the
streets and houses with machine
gun bullets, moved down the de-
tenders by the score.
Refugees Slain
A second insurgent column, ad-
vancing from the bank of the
BidasSoa River, caught the loyal
lists trying to flee to the interna-
tional bridge leading into France.
AS women, children and radical
militiamen dashed for the bridge,
the insurgents opened fire.
A wave of lead swept through
the crowds struggling to make
their way over the bridge, drop
ping them like nine pins.
Mortified watchers from the
French side watched the mas.
sacre. The killed and wounded
fell, and the panic-stricken refu-
gees from behind almost fought
with each other to get ahead as
they trampled over the PROSTATE
bodies.
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