Evening star., 1938-01-08
|BES|ECED REBELS
| YIELD At TERUE[
1000 Men, Women, Children
Give Up as Rescuers
Battle in Vain.
BACKGROUND

oAC AChonOOND-
Spanish government troops cap
tured Teruel, LoUer Aragon Strd-
tegic city, in December, and teek
ago insurgents claimed city had
been recaptured. although subse-
Quent fighting disproued assertion.
Sir thousand rebel troops and SYM
pathiserS trapped in Teruel strong-
holds forced to take refuge in cat
erns beneath city, Battle being
fought in bitter cold and heary
snoW may be turning point in
Spanish reuolution
By the Associated Press.
MADRID, Jan. 8-The agonies Of
thirst, of cold and of hunger in en-
battled Teruel today forced the sur
render of more than 1000 ragged in
surgent soldiers and their wailing and
weakened women and children.
For II days they stood against gov
ernment guns, fire and dynamite in
guerrilla warfare. from building to
building through the narrow and twist
ing streets of the old provincial capital,
100 miles east OF Madrid.
A reinforced insurgent army out
side the city fought in vain to come
to their rescue, and they bowed at
last to the hardship of siege against
their hideouts in Asuncion Hospital
and the dynamite-wrecked Santa
Clara Church.
Tho copif,,1otioy, 1,,oe ;,o shaw, nv,
trast to a previous dramatic siege
when about 1,700 insurgent troops and
their kin were rescued by comrades
after nearly 10 weeks of government
siege against their fortress, the Toledo
Alcazar, in 1886.
The unsuccessful rescuing army it
self was encountering trouble-23O in
surgents were captured during the
battle about Muela de Teruel, outside
Teruel, the government said.
A government communique an
nounced surrender of the Teruel gar
rison, trapped in the city by sudden
offensive of the Madrid army on De-
cember 81. Teruel had been an i'm
portant insurgent base for most of the
nearly 18 months of civil war.
Many Without Food Week.
1t. Col. Rey D'Harcourt, commander,
led 1.5OO OF his troops and 500 women,
children, aged and wounded from the
hospital. Thirty-four insurgent SOL
diers surrendered from Santa Clara
Church. Many were i'll. They had
not eaten for a week.
Emerging in groups of six, under q
promise of safety as prisoners. all
asked first for water. A number who
had been underground during the
siege tainted. Their condition was
pitiable, the government commander
reported, and many were wounded.
Some were unable to walk.
The exodus began yesterday after
noon and was completed about mid
night. Medical aid was brought from
barcelona and Valencia, and early
this morning doctors were attending to
the ills of ALL
With capitulation of the main in.
surgent body within Teruel, the gov
ernment appeared definitely in con-
troi OF the strategic front, which had
oeen menace to government Valen-
cla and the eastern coastal territory.
The insurgent army outside -Teruel
appeared stymied, after the most in
tenslve fighting of the war. Govern
ment forces said they beat back two
furious attacks on the heights of Cela-
das to the north and an open country
tank charge. Forty government planes
machine gunned insurgent positions
near Caledas.
There now remain within Teruel
only small insurgent redoubts which
doubtless will surrender soon." the
governments communique said.
Red Cross Initiated Surrender.
The sudden surrender was initiated
by the International Red Cross. A
small band with white banner left
the Ascuncion Hospital early Friday
morning with q message by the Teruel
Red Cross chairman containing the
proposal for giving up.
The government stipulated that the
insurgents leave their hideouts In
groups Of six, that hostilities be sus-
pended only In the zone affected and
warned against trickery.
The men were guaranteed full pro-
lection under Spanish law and assured
that their injured and sick would be
cared for. War Minister Indalecio
Prieto gave strict orders that these
promises be- enforced, and assault
guards were sent from Valencia to
prevent any violence.
The guards took over the prisoners,
who will be transferred to camps
Special quarters will be provided for
the women and children.
There was sharp skirmish last
night in University City, suburban
Madrid. Machine gun and mortar fire
were audible and there were occasional
bursts Of artillery.