Evening star., 1941-12-03
Attempt 10 Kill Duce
Was Part Of Revolt
Plot, Italy Charges
so on Trial Before Trieste
Court; Details Of Attack
Expected to Be Disclosed
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
ROME. Dec. 3.-A vast revolution
ary plot which included a before
the-War assassination attempt
against Premier Mussolini is charged
to 60 persons on trial before a Fascist
court at Trieste today.
The 60, including students. were
declared officially to be members of
an antl-Italian terrorist band of Il.
The other II defendants were re-
ported missing. presumably fugitiveS
abroad.
A revolt in the northeast corner
of the country. annexed from Aus
tria after the World War was the
aim Of the conSpiratOrs, the state
Contended. Prosecutors said Com
muniStS dreamed of a Soviet re-
public that would embrace the Slavic
regions of Italy, Austrian Carinthia
and Yugoslavia.
Attempt to Kill Duce in 1888.
The state said it had definite
and material proof" of espionage,
three powder factory explosions,
blowing up of railroad tracks. an
attempt to dynamite bridge, slay-
ing of a couple and an attempt to
kill Premier MusSolini while he was
visiting CaporettO in 1888.
Mussolni's escape from death at
Caporetto was declared by Fasclsts
to have been miraculous, but exact
details of the incident were not dis
closed. There have been eight other
announced attempts to kill the
Premier since he became head of the
Italian government in 1922.
The prosecutors said they could
prove that the organization aims
were distributed in schools of Plezzo,
Oltresonzia and Plusina.
Defendants were charged with in
citing soldiers to desert, distributing
anti-Italian literature and holding
subverSive demonstrations under the
cover of sports, cultural and chart-
table meetings. The penalty may be
death.
Linked to Foreign Powers.
All prisoners were accused of act
ing directly or indirectly for foreign
powers. On their heads were laid
the deaths of AZ persons in a
Piacenza powder factory explosion
August s. l940 in which 756 others
were injured, and 95 deaths with
more than 300 injured at Bologna
II days later.
These were preceded February 25.
1910, by blast at Clana that caused
serious destruction of artillery NOR
tarS, machine guns and millions
of rounds of rife cartridges, but
no deaths.
The hall of the Trieste Court of
Assizes was packed at the opening
Of the trial yesterday before SIX
Fascist judges for the defense of
the state under Antonio Gringali
Casanova, lieutenant general of
militia. Carlo Fallace is prosecutor
general. There are 18 defense law
yers.
ConSpirators were motivated by
various political beliefs, according
10 lne lHulClInelllS, ranging IIOlll
democracy and liberalism to Com
munism and terrorism"
All were accused of being anti
Italian and of using the Slovene
minority to create an atmosphere
of rebellion"
Details of Attack Expected.
Details of the attempt TO asSassi-
nate MUSsolini when he visited
Caporetto on tour of the provinces
around Trieste in September, 1888
on the eve of Munich-are expected
to be disclosed at the trial
The charges against the prisoners
indicated that at least some of them
are refugees from the Fascist regime
who fed to Yugoslavia and then
either slipped back into Italy at the
outbreak of war in Yugoslavia or
were caught there after Italian
troops moved in.
The indictment links the alleged
terroriSts with an Italian emigre
network in Yugoslavia. Some of the
crimes charged occurred 10 to Il