The Wilmington morning star., 1946-06-12
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BATTLE
FROM PAGE ONE

BATTLE
FROM PAGE ONE
smaller group Of monarchist
sympathizers who cheered I'M
berto before the nearby Quirinale
palace
Meanwhile, Premier Alcide de
Gasperi's cabinet assembled again
shortly after midnight for their
fifth session in "a hours. The cabi-
net at its fourth session in Vim
male palace late Tuesday night
failed to find a solution to Um-
berto's refusal to leave the coun-
try and make way for the republic.
New Threat
With Naples municipal officials
still clearing away the traces of
Tuesdays heavy rioting, a new
worry beset them - a pro-Republic
demonstration scheduled for 3 p.
m. (GMT) I'll a. m. Eastern Day.
light time) today.
Some of Tuesdays casualties in
Naples were victims Of a clash
between the monarchy-supporting
C%arabinieri and a group of mobile
police who sym%pathized with the
republicans.
Pitched Battle
A pitched battle ragged for hours
in Naples Via Medina, with both
police and monarchists using auto
matte weapons and motor trans
port.
The surging crowd Of from 10, 900
to 20, 900 laid siege to Communist
headquarters, adjacent to the po-
lice building, and hurled Molotov
cocktails - bottled gasoline with
flaming wicks - at the sig story
building in a determined effort to
destroy it.
Smaller Riots
Smaller battles broke out in sew
eral other sections of the city.
Two bombs were thrown into the
crowd from the Communist build
ing, an eyewitness account said,
"and all hell broke loose" The
Communists, tarricaded in their
building, were returning fire from
other buildings in blockaded via
Medina. and late tonight the fight
ing still was in progress.
The demonstration in Rome was
called to express impotence with
the government for failing to pro-
claim the republic on this day set
aside as a holiday to celebrate it.
King Sits Tight
1.-THE situation is the same as it
has been all day." Action Party
Minister Alberto Cianca announced
after the fourth hectic session.
King Umberto, meanwhile, sat
tight in the royal palace, comforting
with his coursellors and insisting
that the result OF the plebiscite was
Indefinite"
The Naples riot - second major
outburst and most serious since
the plebiscite which rejected the
House of Savoy began when
m%onarchist demonstrators stoned
the Communist building and hurled
missiles at police and troops.
Firing Continuous
The fighting mushroomed into
full-scale battle two hours later
when the mob began its attempts
to burn the building. Firing be-
came almost continuous.
Associated Press photographer
Walter Green in a telephoned eye
witness account, said that when
the crowd was cleared to some
extent from the streets, they took
to the buildings and continued cir
ing all around u.s." Green was in
the basement of the police build
ing, used for headquarters by
U. S. military police, andsiad the
building was under heavy fire"
OoAo OdPtuA
When the lighting began the
crowd temporarily captured four
armored cars from the police and
troops, who recovered them only
when reinforcements were brought
up. Several police were injured in
the battle. Green, watching from
the police building, saw Is to 20
people felled by gunfire. Street
cars and trucks halted by the
crowd effectively blocked off Via
Medina during the fighting.
Whipped to action by Socialist
minister of the Interior Giuseppe
Romita, the huge crowd in Rome,
bearing belllgrent banners and
shouting imprecations against the
monarchy, surged from a mass
meeting in Piazza Del Popolo to
Viminale palace, government head
quarters.
UmbertO Defiant
Late tonight royalist spokesman
quoted Umberto as having told De