The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-04-30
Former Duce Grouels
And Begs Lenity
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manv of them members of hi
cabinet.
The bodies OF all were b1ough
to Milan, which American FIFTH
Army troops entered today. A mol
of over 5000 persons Immediately
set upon corpses marking the
final end to Fascism which car
ried Italy to its doom.
All bodies were strewn about 8
small area. A few patriot guards
tried to hold the crowds. back but
the guards were showed back SO
that they stepped on the bodies.
While I was examining the re-
mains today, the, crowd surged
forward and almost showed me
atop the body. Partisan guards be-
gan firing into the air and some
semblance Of control was regain
ed.
Early in the morning, when the
bodies were dumped into the
square, Mussolini's head had rest
ed on the breast Of his dead mis-
tress. Her body had several bull
let holes in the chest. Blood stains
showed crimson on her dainty
white blouse with lace ruffles,
which miraculously had escaped
most of the muck and filth which
covered the bodies Of Mussolini
and the others.
Her dark, curly hair had been
dragged in the wet soil.
Mussolini's face was ashens gray.
His dark jowls hung loosely. He
wore nondescript military jack
ct and gray riding breeches of the
Italian militia, which had tiny
red stripe down the sides.
But the air of splendor which
once surrounded the blacksmith S
son who rose to become the world S
first dictator was gone. His body,
which had been manhandled many
times, was covered with CRIME. He
wore high black boots but there
was no lustre Left in their polish.
Civilians spat on the bodies. Oc-
casionally someone would break
from the crowd and run across
them, making sure that he tramp
ed on II Duce.
The story leading up to Musso-
lini's capture and execution was
told to me by a partisan leader
whose battle name is Eduardo. -"
He commanded. Italian patriots
south Of the Pc river.
II had heard Mussolini had been
arrested and taken to a villa near
Dongo," he said. II was in COM
mand of 1000 men in Milan prov
ince and none of us wanted Mus
solini to be freed Or to escape to
Switzerland so I sent ten men with
an officer to Dongo.
'Mussolini was in a cottage on
a hill outside Dongo with his mis-
tress. When he saw the Italian
officers coming toward him he
thought they hal. come to free him
and he threw h! arms happily
around the woman.
when he was told that he was
going to be tried he was shocked.
But our men under an officer gave
them both a trial and condemned
them to death.
when he heard the death SEN
tence Mussolini cried:
Let me save my life and I
will give you an empire'r'
However, the trial committee
from the Sind Garibaldi brigade
and an officer from the Milan par
tisan command - continued their
plans for the execution almost i'm
mediately.
''Mussolini and Petacci were
shot together at the cottage.
when the soldiers were about
to shoot, Mussolini cried No! No!
Those were his last words.
He did not wear blindfoid.
1.-THE jury some hours later ex.
amined the other Fascists and my
men shot them all together in the
Dongo town square. Among them
was the brother of Mistress Petac-
ci. When they were led out to be
shot, Petacci tried to escape but
he was Shot down.
These men died well. Musso.
ini died badly
Among the men shot with Mus
solini were Alessandro Pavolino:
francesca Ba-raco; Paolo Ter
bino; Fernando Mezzasoma; Rug.
gero Romano; Augusta Liverani;
Goffredo Coppola; Paolo Porta
Luigi Gatti; Ernesto Daquanno;
Mario Nudi; and Nicola Bombacci.
Eduardo" said that the last
words uttered by Pavolini, former
Fascist party secretary, were:
viva PItalia.'
Barraco, one of the Fascist
leaders during the German occu-
patton Of Rome, wore a gold
medal, and his last request to the
execution squad was "do not hit
the medal"
Eduardo" concluding his story,
said:
All bodies, including those of
Mussolini and his mistress, were
loaded into a large closed van,
IKE a moving van, and brought to
Milan late Saturday night. On the
way the truck was repeatedly
halted by partisan ~oad h1ocks