AUSTRIAN PLOT.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16433, 29 January 1919, Page 8

AUSTRIAN PLOT.

BLOWING UP OF ITALIAN . BATTLESHIP.

COURT-MARTIAL DISCLOSURES

(By Cablo.—Pieis Association.—Copyright.)

(Australian and N.Z. Cabl« Association.) (I'eceivedc January 23th, 5.40 p.m.) • LONDON, January 2(i.

The Milan f-orresponden L oi' tho '•'Daily Chronicle'' reports that startling disclosures were made at a courtmartial at Genoa for tho trial of half 'fi dozen persons concerned in tho blowing up of the Dreadnought Leonardo da Vinci, in tho roadstead off Taranto, by ji clock machine in the magazine, on August 3rd, 1916, with the loss of 2oH of tho crew.

Tho' originator of the plot was Cavalioro Gaeta, the Austro-Hungariau Consul at Naples. It is alleged that thc plotters included Arconte, deputy-chief of the Torpedo Defence Service at Madalena, and Vriscuolo, secretory to tho Commander oi' the Leonardo da Vinci. Austria entered into a definite contract with tho conspirators in February, IIDIG. assigning £500,000 as tho price, including £200,000 for the arch-plotter.

Tho principal fiends gained access to tho .battleship on the pretext of selling war loan bonds. u '

Apart from the depositions of the -witnesses, damning evidence against the , prisoners was derived from documents .from the Austrian espionage officers in Zurich, and sold to the Italian Government. Tho documents are in tlie handwriting of tho notorious Dr. Mayor, head of tho Austro-Hungarian Spy Department in Switzerland, and contain minute descriptions of the accuscd Iraitors, their snovonionts, and those of their accompliecs who fled from justice, together with details of the moneys paid them for this and other diabolical crimes perpetrated in Italy.