Evening star., 1953-09-27
Fumous Crimes
Trotsky Killer Near Freedom,
But Death May Be as Close

De as (IOSe
resisted and was expelled. From
exile he spotlighted every crack
in the Soviet armor, put his
cauStic pen to work blasting at
Stalin's departures from Marks
classical communism.
He so irritated the Russian
ruler that Stain prevailed on
the Norwegian government to
ask him to leave that country.
Mexico offered asylum. He came
here early in 1887 and continued
his attacks. The. sheaf of pro-
nouncements from him in the
files of the Associated Press bu-
reau here is nearly inches
thick.
Easy Life in Mexico.
Trotsky's first three years in
Mexico were easy. True, a po-
lice guard at his house was shot
in the leg one night, but it hap
pened several blocks away. Trot-
sky wrote, directed his fourth
internationale-the anti-Stalin
Communists-and set out cactus
in his walled garden.
In 1910 Mornard appeared on
the scene. His appearance CO.
incided with Trotsky's announce
ment that he was writing a bi-
ography of Stain. 1t would not
have been a friendly book.
Shortly after Mornard ar
rived there was an armed at
tack on the Trotsky house.
About 20 men, some in rented
military uniforms, entered by
a gate in the wall. They fired
about 800 shots and set off a
few bombs. Trotsky and his
wife escaped death by hiding
under a bed as machine guns
raked the room.
When the attackers left, one
of the guards, a New Yorker
named Sheldon Harte, went with
them. Trotsky was convinced he
went unwillingly. A month later
Harte was found dead in a
Mexico City suburb, shot in the
back of the head.
Dozens of suspects were ar
rested but all except one were
released for lack of evidence.
This was David Alfaro Siqueiros,
one of Mexico's famed mural
painters. He had also been a
colonel in the Loyalist Army
during the Spanish Civil War.
SiqueiroS was released on bond
of $4,000 pesos, then about
$4,000, and left the country.
Too Late to Prosecute.
He spent several years in Cuba
and Chile, returning to Mexico
after the war. Charges against
him were not pressed. When
Mrs. Trotsky demanded his trial,
in a letter to newspapers in 1916,
Siqueiros reported that she was
mixing in Mexicos internal af-
fairs. The statute of limitations
now bars prosecution.
Mornard, meanwhile. had met
Trotsky through a mutual friend
and occasionally visited the villa.
The official police report on
the investigation said that
Mornard's car was used in the
May attack on the Trotsky
house. 1t also said that heavy
trunks which Mornard brought
to Mexico apparently contained
the arms used in this assault.
On a rainy August 20, 1910,
Mornard went to TrotSky's bar
ricaded house. Since he was
known, the guards let him enter
without question. Over his arm
he carried a tan raincoat.
Mornard found Trotsky feed
ing his pet rabbits in the court
yard. The two men talked brief
ly. TrotSky said wet grass was
bad for rabbits. Then they
went into the house so Trotsky
could read the draft of an arti-
Gle written by Mornard.
After five minutes, the guards
heard Trotsky cry out. They
rushed in and found Trotsky,
bleeding from a head wound,
lying on the floor. Mornard
stood over him. The alpenstock,
a mountainer' ice ak, was in
his hand. One guard started
to slug Mornard with the barrel
of his pistol but Trotsky said:
Don't kill him boys; tie him
up and make him talk"
A guard asked:
Its the GPU which sent you,
isn't it?"
mo, it's not the GPU," Nor
nard replied. Its them :"
who? Come on, quickly"
cts a man. I don't know
who he is, but he made me do
it."
How did he make you?"
They've got something on
me. They are keping my moth
er a prisoner
Mrs. Mercader, remember. was
In Moscow.
Died Next Day.
Trotsky was taken to a hos
nital where Mexicn'S best doc.